To grow, love thy woman

Njoki Karuoya

At the close of the African Women’s Decade last month, the delegates, particularly the African ministers responsible for gender and women affairs in their respective countries, agreed to the principle of launching the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020 during which time the theme, Grassroots Approach to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, would be promoted.

The conference was organised with the support of the African Union after African ministers met in Lesotho in December 2008 and proposed the idea to set the years 2010-2020 as the African Women’s Decade.

The idea was sanctioned in February last year by Africa’s heads of governments when they met for the 12th Ordinary African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.

Kenya’s record

Despite the fact that Kenya had just emerged from a dark post-election crisis, the heads of state endorsed the country as the launch pad for this significant era that is expected to spotlight the gains and injustices against women in the continent.

Kenya’s record, past and present, will obviously be used as an example and it is only prudent we ensure we uplift our attitudes, mentalities and practises towards women, children and other vulnerable groups so we can continue to be a shining example to the region.

The global conference was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre and it culminated in what is being referred to as the ‘Nairobi Declaration’, which in essence, acknowledges the progress made by countries in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

It also recognises the critical role that grassroots women play in national development.

The agenda now is to upscale all gender-based initiatives in all 53 African countries, with special focus on the Millennium Declaration and Millennium Development Goals, one of which is "to promote and strengthen women’s empowerment and accelerate the attainment of gender equity and equality as part of overall human rights" (goal 3).

At the Nairobi conference, concern was raised on the new challenges being posed by climate change and environmental degradation such as chronic food insecurity, financial and economic crises, the feminisation of poverty, human trafficking, high cases of maternal mortality and HIV and Aids.

For progress to be made towards achieving gender equality, equity and women’s empowerment, related constitutional and legal agreements that we have already signed and ratified must be enacted and enforced.

Mainstreaming

These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw), the Protocol to the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights on Women in Africa (or Maputo Protocol), the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Union Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, and the African Union Gender Policy, among others.

Further, gender mainstreaming in all sectors of Government and private life must be established. Thus, for instance, it is not enough to claim 30 per cent of all public sphere jobs are with women, yet 75 per cent of them are in the lower echelons of service.

For there to be genuine mainstreaming, resources must be equitably shared out, budgets engendered and women’s human rights protected and promoted.

As a country, we must, however, acknowledge that we have made progress. Most of our leaders do agree that women form a critical workforce and are the social and cultural fabric of society.

In other words, women hold a society together, beginning from the smallest unit, which is the family. For this country to experience and enjoy positive national growth, women must be encouraged to contribute more towards development. Create more jobs for them, and where this is not possible, enable an environment where they can access finances to set up sustainable businesses.

The Women’s Entrepreneur Fund and Kenya Women’s Finance Trust among other initiatives are already doing this, but more needs to be done if all women are to enjoy some measure of success, which will undoubtedly translate into national success.

Fast track

Women make up more than 50 per cent of the country’s population, hence pulling them up means Kenya fast tracks towards the status similar to that enjoyed by developed countries.

The only way to do this is to strictly enforce laws that address the violation of women’s rights, namely all forms of sexual, domestic, corporate, public sector, private sector and socio-cultural abuses.