Dialogue with Young Women and Youth

Rural Young Women Support Network in partnership with Youth Initiative for Community Development convened a Dialogue with the Youth and Youth Women regarding their Expectations for the Upcoming Elections.

Unlocking Women’s Economic Power In Africa

Women have long suffered stigmatisation and marginalisation globally. The number of women who still face challenges in reaching their full potential due to an uneven playing field is too high.

Even still, I am encouraged by the women who have remained resilient in the face of adversity and committed to achieving their calling and purpose in life.

In December 2017, I had the privilege of participating in a meeting at Wilton Park on Taking Forward the Women’s Economic Empowerment Agenda, which brought together a diverse group of approximately 60 participants from 26 countries representing government, civil society and the private sector.

Unlocking Women’s Economic Power In Africa

This gathering gave me an opportunity to not only learn, but also un-learn some adverse norms and perceptions. Having been fortunate to grow up in Zimbabwe, in an era where women have been to a certain extent empowered, I have seen the positive results that empowerment brings.

Why women’s economic empowerment is important:

I ask myself, what the world would look like if more women were empowered. In my research I was encouraged to learn that the highest share of women in the workforce globally are found in Africa, Zimbabwe being the highest with 52,8 percent and a Sub-Saharan average of 40 percent.

However, women across the continent are more likely to be in informal employment relative to men. In the private sector, African women hold 23 percent of positions at executive committee level compared to a global average of 20 percent. At CEO level that number drops to 5 percent compared to a global average of 4 percent. Based on these statistics, it’s clear that the world has a long way to go when it comes to unlocking the gender dividend through the economic empowerment of women.

Obstacles to women obtaining economic power:

Regardless of the nature of employment (formal or informal), this issue needs to be addressed. An enabling environment has to be created at every level of society, starting within households. The home is where attitudes, ideas, values and beliefs are shaped and it is important that parents and guardians instil the right values and beliefs, as they work as enablers and catalysts for their children’s success.

A child’s formative years are when cultures and norms are moulded. It is important for parents to invest their time and be intentional in positively influencing and encouraging their daughters. It is equally important to teach boys the importance of respecting, honouring and empowering women. A study conducted by Legatum Institute shows that parenting courses are useful for embedding skills and values, however their impact is not being seen at scale due to two reasons – take up is limited and courses are limited in duration.

Limited take up is due to:

Stigma: The politicisation of parenting courses has often led the public to associate them with “troubled families” and “poor parenting”;

Accessibility: Courses should be delivered locally, with childcare provision, and in the evening after work;

Familiarity: Parents needed to feel comfortable with the venue of the courses (schools, children’s centre, local church) and with the trainer or facilitators.
Limited duration is due to:

Cost: budget cuts have meant many local authorities are cutting back on even low-cost courses. Training is expensive for small charities or private enterprises;

Priority: while some local authorities prioritise parenting, some do not;

Format: Due to the format of some of the courses, they become expensive to deliver.

Good parenting as an important part of empowering women:

Could the lack of empowerment that has plagued women for decades be partly as a result of poor parenting?

There is a saying I’ve often heard elders in my community express: that what parents do in moderation, their children will do in excess. I think it is time parents re-think what investing in their children means, by investing firstly in themselves, so as to better invest in their children.

One could posit that some women fail to reach their full potential due to the negative impact that their upbringing may have had on their chances to succeed. I believe it is important for parents and guardians, as well as education institutions, to review how they can play a catalytic role in the economic empowerment of women.

In addition to upbringing, institutions should have policies in place which promote the empowerment of women, and this can be done with assistance from gender experts who are able to design and tailor frameworks that are specific to organisations.

Some of the immediate and basic policies governments or organisations may consider implementing are the following:

Create and encourage platforms that allow parents to access parent classes and groups within communities;
Come up with gender responsive government policies that have clear gender action plans, which are monitored for implementation;

Set aside financial and human resources for implementation of these policies;

Set up accountability measures to monitor progress and implementation;

Come up with gender-responsive work policies at an operational level within the organisation, such as policies on equal representation of women and men in key decision-making positions, e.g. equal opportunities for employment and promotion; and

Commitment from senior leadership within organisations:

Furthermore, with the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is an increased need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and ICT skills. It would be beneficial for governments to invest in reforms which will result in STEM being promoted and to make options available for young women who wish to pursue this route. An example is an incubator programme that was co-founded by Naadia Moosajee to develop women engineers. The latest campaign is to support a million girls through its GirlEng STEM education programme.

With the African population set to double by 2050, it is highly likely that almost half the continent’s population will comprise women. Given the above statistics, we have a long way to go, as these numbers don’t reflect an equal or fair representation of women in society. There is risk of further marginalising and disempowering women if policies are not adapted and implemented to promote their success. – World Economic Forum

Childline Records 30% Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Child Rights organisation, Childline Zimbabwe says it received 14 000 cases of child abuse over the years and 30 percent of the cases were sexually related.

Briefing Journalists, Childline Mashonaland Helpline Officer, Maureen Kambarami said most cases reported through their Helpline are child sexual abuse cases and indications are that 90 percent of these offenses are committed by either a parent, guardian, teacher or anyone they know.

By Michael Gwarisa“Sexual abuse throughout the years, comes as the most reported form of abuse dating back from inception even. This could be an issue to. It also points out to issues of vulnerability because these cases are emanating from girls its most happening in girls between the ages 13 and 14.

“In average, throughout the years, we have 14 000 reports that enter our centers through our helplines. Of those 14 000, 30 percent of them and child sexual abuse. As to the context, sexual abuse remains the highest in all the provinces. As to the main perpetrator, 90 percent is coming from someone the child knows, it might be a relative, a teacher or a guardian,” said Kambarami.

However, most cases of Child Sexual abuse are reported in urban areas owing the availability and accessibility of mobile phone and technology as compared to rural areas. Childline Zimbabwe has so far installed some mobile phone centers in communal areas to ensure rural children also get access to help at their earliest convenience.

Childline Records 30% Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Meanwhile, Childline will be hosting its inaugural Child Helpline Day in Masvingo early this week in an effort to sensitize communities as well develop a culture of reporting any forms of child abuse.
Speaking about the event, Childline Finance Manager, Clememence Wega said the main objectives of the commemorations is to raise awareness on the existence of the national Child Helpline in Zimbabwe and the upliftment of children’s rights.Clememnce Wega Childline’s FD (Centre)

“Child helplines have been set to provide a reporting platform for children in various countries around the world.

Childline Zimbabwe in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Child Welfare will host the inaugural commemorations on Friday, May 18 at the Civic Centre in Masvingo. 250 children from 30 schools have been invited through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to join in the commemorations that will be held under the theme, “Using inclusive Technology for Children and Young people’s well-being . All Day everyday,” said Wega.

The event will also be graced by the director in the Labour and Social Welfare Mr Tuso Mapala who will be guest of honor and will also be supported by the provincial leadership in the ministry of labor and social welfare. healthtimes.co.zw

HPV Vaccination Offers Girls A Fighting Chance!

The government’s recent move to roll out a nationwide Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme targeting teenage girls should be applauded as it is a major step towards arresting the spread of cervical cancer.

The rollout, though a bit delayed, is welcome nonetheless, particularly with frightening statistics that over 2 000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. The young girls who will receive the vaccination have been offered a fair fighting chance and this is commendable and a good sign that the disease is now being tackled with the urgency it deserves.

HPV vaccines, previously, were only available in private healthcare facilities and came at a premium, exposing the bulk of deserving cases in the low or no income bracket to face the fast-spreading disease.

The absence of a comprehensive national vaccination programmes in the public health sector socioeconomically discriminated against the public health sector patients.

HPV Vaccination Offers Girls A Fighting Chance!

However, there have been disturbing reports of some parents and guardians resisting the vaccines. This could largely be due to reasonable concerns stemming out of inadequate information on the benefits of the vaccines or religious beliefs. And secondly it could just be skepticism which is unfounded.

For the first scenario, the blame lies with the Health ministry and stakeholders for once again not doing a thorough job in disseminating information to the populace. When people are under-informed, they make irrational decisions. The Health ministry needs to improve on communicating such programmes to parents and guardians and address all concerns before hand.

For years, health activists have been agitating for measures to stem the cancer deaths in the country and the loudest cry was for the government to give the disease the priority it deserves. There was no prevention programme in place and yet the figures from the cancer registry of women dying from cervical cancer were saddening.

The second problem is sadly a matter of personnel opinion, which will disadvantage the young girl. Prevention is always cheaper than dealing with the treatment regime.
Cancer treatment is still expensive in Zimbabwe and any reprieve to avoid that route should be considered carefully.
While we applaud the stakeholders the fight is still not over, treatment costs should be lowered, drugs should be available at all times and community outreaches should be a continuous process as well screening of women.

Zimbabwe becomes the eighth African country to introduce the HPV vaccine into its routine immunisation programme, following Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa and Uganda.

The vaccination programme is being facilitated by the Zimbabwean government and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation and in collaboration with Unicef, together with the World Health Organisation. It was rolled out in schools and health facilities countrywide this week and will reach girls aged 10 to 14.

HPV is a sexually transmitted infection, and as such carries a high degree of social stigma, women often fail to seek medical advice until it is too late. Screening, diagnosis and treatment services are predominantly limited to larger cities. NewsDay Zimbabwe