10 Mar 2015

The chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus on Women, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso, has urged Parliament to work hard for women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality as they strive to eliminate poverty and promote sustainable development. 

Addressing Parliament on the celebration of the International Women’s Day, she said progress had been made in the SADC Gender Protocol though Botswana had not yet signed.  She said as women parliamentarians, they shall continue to engage SADC and advocate for a more use of simple language to enable them to sign the gender protocol.

 Ms Tshireletso said the International Women’s Day gave countries an opportunity to review how far women had come in their struggle for equality in all spheres of life and their participation in advocating for peace.

The Member of Parliament for Mahalapye East said this year they highlighted the Beijing Declaration and platform for Action, which is a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realising women’s rights. She said while there has been some  achievement since then, many gaps remain. 

“This calls us to uphold the achievements made by women, to recognise challenges, and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality, to celebrate women, as mothers, and as leaders and to continue to mobilise all citizens to play a part,” she said . 

She said the Beijing Platform for Action envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination. 

The chairperson said since adopting the Beijing Platform for Action, as women Parliamentarians they have made strides in enacting and implementing the following laws; Domestic violence Act, 2008, Children’s Act, 2009 and Deeds Registration Act.  

She said it is without doubt that Botswana has made considerable progress towards achieving gender equality in the prioritised critical areas of concern. 

The chairperson said however, more remains to be done to advance the rights of women and girls and to reverse the deeply long entrenched inequalities emanating from patriarchal systems, and to discriminatory cultural practices. 

MP Tshireletso said even with achievement made, in advancing gender equality and equity in the areas of women in positions of power and decision making, education and training, women and health, women and the environment, women and the media and girl child, there were still some challenges in increasing the number of women in parliament and politics. ENDS