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| African women continue struggle for rights
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) -
Ten years since the adoption of
the historical Beijing platform on women's rights, challenges
remain for African women and girls to see their hopes
materialise.
In the run-up to the 7th African Regional Conference on Women,
hosted by the Economic Commission for Africa from 6-14 October,
it has come to light that more has to be done for girls to have
equal to education as boys do.
Negative cultural practices and stereotypes still influence the
girls' progress in education. Girls continue to be the object of
sexual harassment in education institutions.
Women representing the West African sub-region have noted that a
lot of efforts were still needed to give a big dynamic push so as
to improve the status of women.
At a pre-conference workshop on the rights of women in Africa,
the West African group observed Wednesday that neo-liberal
policies and globalisation compounded poverty in Africa, with
serious consequences on women.
Calling for practical integration of women in all spheres of
society, they noted that the external debt burden hindered
African governments to put adequate resources into the
implementation of social services.
"The Beijing Platform, adopted by all African countries, is an
important instrument for the improvement of the condition of
women and it still relevant," said a representative of the West
Africa sub-regional office of Women in Law and Development in
Africa (WILDAF).
For the next five years, participants of the workshop emphasised
that priority action for the integration of women in development
should be on poverty, decision making, health including
reproductive health and HIV, violence against women including
trafficking of women and children, education, peace and security.
To ensure the realisation and promotion of women's rights, the
second ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union last
year adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and
Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Woman in Africa.
As of 27 September 2004, only 31 of the 53 States parties had
signed the Protocol and four had ratified it.
Meanwhile, a two-day African Women's NGO Forum on Beijing +10
opens here Wednesday, kicking off a week of activities and
meetings associated with the Seventh African Regional Conference
on Women.
More than 300 representatives of NGOs will take stock of progress
in African women's lives since the Beijing inter-governmental
conference. They will examine the limits to progress and ways to
overcome them.
Several side events will also take place during the Forum,
including an exhibition, a young women's forum and training
sessions in the use of information and communication technologies
(ICTs).
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| Addis Ababa - 05/10/2004 |
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