The
Kwanele Foundation a South African based non-governmental organization advocating
for global and continental attention on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) on Friday
visited the precincts of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand,
Johannesburg.
They
were received on behalf the President of PAP, H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira by the 4th Vice President
of the Parliament Hon. Francois Ango Ndoutoume who welcomed
the group.
Their
demands were encapsulated in a memo endorsed by the Chief Executive Officer Sihle Sibisi, and encompassed issues
that underlie the foundation, principles and core values of the Pan African
Parliament as it relates to proscriptions against Female Genital Mutilation and
Child Marriages.
In
his speech, Hon. Ango Ndoutoume recalled that the Pan African Parliament
has been instrumental in the acceleration of the implementation of the African
Union Legal Frameworks aimed at breaking the cycle of violence against women
and girls particularly as manifested in the AU Strategy for Gender Equality
and Women Empowerment, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and
Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), and the
Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA).
Hon. Ango Ndoutoume maintained that the institutionalization
of an annual Women Conference at PAP with focus on promoting gender
equality, affirmative action for women across Africa, maternal health, child
mortality and numerous other gender issues, is a clear recognition by the Pan
African Parliament of the incredible potential of Africa’s women in building
sustainable development in Africa and the intrinsic benefit of illuminating
critical gender based issues. He stated that although Africa’s past history is
replete with negative instances of marginalization and exclusion of women,
there is a long held passion by the President of PAP Chief Fortune Charumbira to highlight the importance of
constructive engagement of women in Africa’s development agenda and the need to
promote gender equality, redress imbalances and generate
effective prevention and response interventions at the continental and national
levels on Gender Based Violence.
He
stated that by also by enhancing the capacity of the PAP Women Caucus and
ensuring the recognition of its establishment and codification as a permanent
caucus in the recently adopted amendment to the PAP Rules of Procedure, the
Bureau has demonstrated the prioritization of strengthening
institution’s efforts and approaches to gender issues including most profoundly
Gender-Based Violence. He noted that in the Pan African Parliament,
2 out of 5 members of the current Bureau are women.
He
reaffirmed that the demands of the Kwanele
Foundation for a Gender Based Violence African Summit is a welcome idea and
will be operationalized by the PAP through the Women Caucus and other existing
framework and institutional mechanism on gender.
The
President of the Pan African Parliament has long recognized the scale of the
challenge posed by GBV and has reiterated his commitment to build on global
partnerships and sustainable collaborations with Member States of the African
Union to advance effective approaches and interventions and develop key mitigations measures to prevent and
address GBV in the continent working in collaboration with the Women
Caucus and the PAP Committee on Gender.
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