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Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Women in the Presidency

OVERVIEW OF SOUTH AFRICA’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE BEIJING DECLARATION AND PLATFORM FOR ACTION

3 March 2015

BackgroundThe accountability process of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA)

developed and agreed upon in 1995 requires member States of the United Nations to meet on a five-yearly basis to review their implementation of the Platform for Action with a view to fine tuning, remapping progress and reactivating commitment, taking into account prevailing global and local conditions.

These reviews take place at both global and regional levels. 1999/2000 (Beijing +5) 2004/2005 (Beijing +102010 (Beijing+15)

Background

The South Africa’s evaluation is based on responses by departments wherein questionnaires prepared and administered by CGE were sent to government department and private entities.

The CGE sought qualitative and quantitative data from departments, on key elements of the achievements expected under each of the critical areas of concern.

12 Areas of Concern

1. Women and Poverty2. Education and training for Women3. Women and Health4. Violence against women.5. Women and armed conflict6. Women and the Economy7. Women, Power and Decision-making8. Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women9. Human rights of women10. Women and media11. Women and environment12. The Girl Child

Persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women

19 years after the adoption of this Platform for Action, most South African women still live in poor conditions with meagre salaries, with few skills, poor sanitation and inadequate basic necessities.

AchievementsSouth Africa places poverty reduction high on its agenda and

continue to heighten actions and policies to address it through a wide range of strategies.

There are programmes in place to assist women and children through the social relief strategies that have been put in place.

Persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women

ChallengesWomen in rural and remote areas who constitute the majority of

women in South Africa, which is characterized by poverty, still have difficulties in accessing health and social services, and a lack of participation in decision-making processes at the community level.

Customs and traditional practices, prevalent in rural areas, prevent women from inheriting or acquiring ownership of land and other property.

Women have high level of income poverty – high rate of unemployment; low wages caused by low skill and education levels and discrimination (gender wage gap still prevalent in SA); clustering of women in low-paid jobs; and non-recognition of women’s time spent on unpaid care work

B. Inequalities and inadequacies in unequal access to education and training

Education is a human right and an essential tool for achieving the goals of equality, development and peace

AchievementsAccess to education represents one of the successes of Africa,

largely attributable to the institution of free and compulsory primary basic education by the South African government.

The South African government has attempted to eliminate barriers that hinder boys’ and girls’ access to education and has had high success rates towards parity, at the level of basic education.

There are programmes in place that are aimed at empowering the girl child especially in the field of science, mathematics and engineering.

Inequalities and inadequacies in unequal access to education and training

Challenges It is observed that both males and females face obstacles in

enrolment and retention.

The country reports indicate that gender disparities in enrolment and literacy are narrowing but more remains to be done to guarantee equality between the sexes in the sector.

Teenage pregnancy is a concern for the country

Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to Healthcare and related service

Women have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

AchievementsHealth programmes have been designed to include sexual and

reproductive health care services and education for women and girls.

Such programmes include sexual and reproductive health components such as maternal health, safe motherhood, and pre- and post-natal care.

Measures have been put in place to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

Girls have continuing access to necessary health and nutrition information and services, and addressing traditional practices which impact negatively on the health of women and girls.

Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to Healthcare and related service

AchievementsThe country is also working on improving provision of infrastructure

such as health facilities. There are institutional, legal and policy frameworks to address

HIV/AIDS. A substantial number of programmes have been designed in favour of vulnerable groups such as children and adults living with HIV/AIDS.

The introduction and piloting of the National Health Insurance (NHI) in the country proved to be a positive initiative by the department of health.

Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to Healthcare and related service

ChallengesDespite commitments to improving women’s health and specific

targeted action on reproductive health, maternal mortality remains the highest in the country.

Some parts of the country have hospital and clinic staff members that have negative attitudes to patients and this hinders access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health.

The Commission for Gender Equality study, conducted in 2012 revealed that working with victims of sexual assault requires specialised training, for example, training in forensic medicine and forensic nursing

Violence Against women

Gender-based violence and all forms of sexual harassment and exploitation, including those resulting from cultural prejudice and international trafficking, are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person, and must be eliminated.

AchievementsSouth Africa has enacted legislation to combat human trafficking. The country has furthermore, domesticated the provisions of the

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Penal legislations to address various forms of sexual offences are also in place.

The government has also created specialized institutions to ensure that victims of abuse receive comprehensive services. It is acknowledged that there is a concerted effort undertaken that involves men and boys in efforts to combat domestic violence.

The establishment of the National Council on Gender Based Violence (NCGBV)

Violence Against womenChallengesAttitudes of both men and women to the criminality of domestic

violence also tend to impede successful and timely prosecution of such acts.

There are no statistics on domestic violence because it is not registered as a crime.

Implementing institutions lack the requisite financial and human resources to be able to execute their functions and programmes effectively.

Armed Conflict :The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation

International humanitarian law, prohibiting attacks on civilian populations, is at times systematically ignored and human rights are often violated in connection with situations of armed conflict, affecting the civilian population, especially women, children, the elderly and the disabled.

Security Council Resolution 1325 indicates that the Security Council has recognized the relevance of women’s experiences of conflict to its peace and security mandate, and it engages the Security Council in advancing women’s rights in conflict resolution and peace processes.

South Africa does not have an implementation plan for the UN Resolution 1325

Inequalities in economic structures and policies, in all forms of productive activities and access to resources

Women are virtually absent from or are poorly represented in economic decision-making, including the formulation of financial, commercial and other economic policies and rules governing pay

AchievementsThe right to equal access to employment opportunities and social

protection benefits are guaranteed by the principle of equality between women and men entrenched in the constitution and labour laws.

There are laws and policies in place to guarantee equal access to employment opportunities and social protection benefits.

Inequalities in economic structures and policies, in all forms of productive activities and access to resources

ChallengesData gaps in critical areas with respect to women’s contributions to

economic development affect effective planning, monitoring and evaluation of the gendered impacts of economic and social policies.

The persistence of customary views of the extent to which women

are accessing productive resources, particularly land, remains a barrier to their access to land.

Wage discrimination against women persists, with major constraints to effective implementation identified as lack of financial and qualified human resources and the nonexistence of national classification systems of work categories.

Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision making

Women's equal participation in decision-making is not only a demand for simple justice or democracy but can also be seen as a necessary condition for women's interests to be taken into account

AchievementsDemocratic and constitutional reforms have generated equal

opportunities for women and men to participate at all levels of political process, including election to the highest office.

South Africa continues to have recorded increasing numbers of women elected to high political and administrative offices since 1994.

Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision making

ChallengesThere are indications that fewer women than men are presented for

electoral processes in situations where political parties do not have gender-sensitive policies, especially in nominating candidates for elections.

Political parties continue to operate gender-biased appointment policies and procedures which generally focus more on ethnic, geographical and political leanings rather than gender.

Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women

National machineries for the advancement of women are established to, inter alia, design, promote the implementation of, execute, monitor, evaluate, advocate and mobilize support for policies that promote the advancement of women

AchievementsSouth Africa created an enabling environment and has

established a Women’s Ministry to coordinate the gender machinery.

The presence of national and provincial machineries and gender focal points in almost all government departments is an indication of commitment to sector-based gender mainstreaming.

Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women

ChallengesThe “ineffectiveness” of the gender machinery in the

country continues to pose a serious limitation and this is due to limitations in the human and financial resources needed to enable the implementation of its mandate.

Persons who are appointed as gender focal persons tend to play other routine functions and neglect their gender mainstreaming tasks which they consider as secondary.

Other challenges associated with implementation of this indicator include the tendency to select personnel of lower ranks, the lack of or inadequate systems of accountability and reporting, a general lack of knowledge and understanding of gender mainstreaming in most departments and across all levels.

The gender machinery continues to generally lack clear focus and have broad mandates along with the low funding levels.

Lack of respect for inadequate promotion and protection of human rights for women

Human rights and fundamental freedoms are the birth-right of all human beings; their protection and promotion is the first responsibility of Governments

AchievementsThe South African Government has enacted a plethora of legislation

to give effect to the advancement and empowerment of women. However, the primary challenge remains the implementation and inadequate costing of such legislation.

ChallengesEnforcement remains the most serious problem. In addition, the

persisting, negative attitudes and perceptions of society towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Insufficient public education and information on human rights.The use of culture in cases where this perpetuate gender inequality

is another challenge facing the human rights of women and girl children. Practices like polygamy, “ukuthwala”, female genital mutilation and virginity testing, to name a few.

Stereotyping of women and inequality in access to participation in all communication systems, especially in media

More women are involved in careers in the communications sector, but few have attained positions at the decision-making level or serve on governing boards and bodies that influence media policy

AchievementsEfforts to engender media at policy and practice levels have been

put in place; as well as eradicating all forms of gender stereotyping in the media.

Women are accessing ICT for the promotion of their economic and social activities.

 ChallengesNegative and degrading projection of women in media via

electronic, print, visual and audio means persists. Violent and degrading or pornographic media products are also

negatively affecting women and their participation in society.

Gender inequalities in management of natural resources and in safeguarding the environment

In both urban and rural areas, environmental degradation results in negative effects on the health, well-being and quality of life of the population at large, especially girls and women of all ages.

AchievementsMeasures have been put in place to integrate gender perspectives

into the design and implementation of environmental policies. Gender is mainstreamed into these programmes and important

dimensions such as new appropriate technologies are being operationalized.

Gender issues are taken into account in policies, plans, programmes and projects related to the protection of the environment in South Africa.

Gender inequalities in management of natural resources and in safeguarding the environment

ChallengesWomen remain absent in policy formulation and decision-making in

natural resource and environmental management. Women are rarely trained as professional natural resource

managers with policy-making capacities, such as land-use planners, agriculturalists, foresters and environmental lawyers.

Women continue to be vulnerable and continue to be affected by the negative impacts of climate change because they comprise the majority of the poor.

Persistent Discrimination against and violation of the rights of the Girl-Child

The Beijing Platform for Action recognises that girls are often treated as inferior and are socialized to put themselves last, thus undermining their self-esteem.

AchievementsSouth Africa has ratified the CRC and has integrated the treaty into

domestic law through legislative and constitutional reforms. All legislative enactments contain clauses on non-discrimination, which seek to enhance the well-being of the girl child.

The country is also implementing sectoral plans, strategies and programmes targeting children in education, health, etc. Government and private sector work together in programmes aimed at empowering the girl child.

ChallengesReligious and cultural practices such as early marriage, trafficking

of girls and unfair distribution of property intestate continue to perpetuate the violation of the rights of the girl-child.

Teenage pregnancy , school drop out remains high in South Africa.

Recommendations on 12 areas of concern

Women and Poverty Recognize women’s non-market work and advocate for the

appreciation and valuing of this work by engendering national accounts and budgets.

Education and Training for WomenPut interventions in place to maximize retention and reverse high

rate of drop outs among both girls and boys.Women and HealthDevelop strategies to address current high levels of maternal

mortality through improved equity in access and service delivery, especially with respect to emergency obstetric care.

Recommendations on 12 areas of concern

Violence against WomenEnhance the capacity of enforcement agencies responsible for the

protection of women and children by providing adequate training on existing laws and policies, and the equipment and mechanisms for effective record keeping. Classify domestic violence as a crime.

Women and the EconomyReview existing legal frameworks protecting women’s access to

land with the view to removing discriminatory provisions, which work against their interests.

Women in Power and Decision-makingGive greater emphasis to supporting increased local-level

participation for women, given that the majority of women are located in rural areas. 

Recommendations on the 12 areas of concern Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of WomenStrengthen the existing national machinery, with clearly defined

mandates, for the advancement of women

Human Rights of WomenReview and reform customary and religious laws and practices in

collaboration with stakeholders, such as traditional and religious authorities, to ensure their progressive conformity and harmony with national legislation and international treaties and ensure implementation and enforcement.

Women and the MediaEnsure equal representation of women in decision-making positions

in all media houses.

Recommendations on the 12 areas of concern

Women and the EnvironmentEnsure women’s participation in climate change planning and

decision-making processes as well as in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes at , national, provincial and local levels.

The Girl ChildStrengthen programmes and projects that focus on education,

health, children’s rights and ending violence against women and girls.

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