12 Mar 2018

While government has achieved much in terms of gender parity, there remains other areas in which the country is still lagging behind.

In her remarks at International Women’s Day commemoration on March 8, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso observed that much progress had been made in such areas as employment, ownership of property and enrolment in schools.

However, she said in areas such as politics more still needed to be done as the numbers of women holding positions of responsibility in those areas remained far less than those of their male counterparts.

Ms Tshireletso also highlighted Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and economic discrimination as some challenges that affected women and girls more than it did men and boys.

Noting that there were women and girls who still found themselves faced with hardships such as rape, assaults and being shamed, she said it was also disappointing that some girls continued to leave school due to pregnancy while some females lost their lives at the hands of their partners or husbands.

“Although men and women are sometimes victims of violence, women and girls are the ones who suffer the most,” she said.

In addition, the assistant minister stressed the importance of everyone taking the responsibility for making a difference regarding the plight of women and the girl children.

“It is also important to know that girl children are more vulnerable than boys and therefore deserve extra and special attention from us. We must do our best to ensure that the girl child has a bright, equal, safe and rewarding future,” she noted.

Ms Tshireletso also expressed concern that sometimes women were responsible for the failures of other women, saying it was imperative for women to learn to support each other instead of pulling each other down.

On the objectives of the commemoration, the assistant minister said the day brought together women from different walks of life and afforded them the opportunity to celebrate their achievements, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or political background.

“Unfortunately, at the same time, the day is a reminder of the discrimination and inequality that still persists in our society,” she stated.

She expressed optimism that women would not only use the day to celebrate, but also to share experiences and learn from each other as well as ask themselves what contributions they were making in trying to transform the lives of other women, particularly those women in rural areas.

Addressing GBV, an official from the Social and Community Development department at the Moshupa Sub-district Council, Ms Lemogang Ketshabile said the problem was not only destructive, but also corrosive as it ate away the dignity of victims, at times leaving them permanently scarred.

She said it was important that no one should accept that being subjected to GBV was a part of their life. Ends