Gender is a cross cutting issue, and violence against women is a worldwide problem. Women encounter problems due to 'human reasons'. Women empowerment is both a cultural and social issue. Researches undertaken by various agencies reveal, women's lives and world are filled with unnecessary discrimination and unacceptable gender inequalities as gender inequality exists everywhere even in the wombs of mothers. In fact, violence against women is an incomplete and unfinished agenda. Day by day the rate of violence against women is increasing together with the patterns of different types of violence.
Establishment of gender equality is a must to prevent gender-based violence against women all over the world.  Working out a strategy is important to ensure gender equality. It greatly contributes to prevent discrimination, establish gender equality, ensure rights of women, and to empower them as well.   Â
Gender equality, also known as sex equality or sexual equality or equality of the genders, implies that men and women should receive equal treatment, unless there is a sound biological reason for different treatment. This concept is the key in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its ultimate aim is to provide equality in law and equality in social situations, especially in democratic activities and securing equal pay for equal work.
Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to build stronger economies, achieve internationally agreed goals including MDG and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Those are for development, sustainability, and improve the quality of life for women, men, families and communities. National Women Development Policy of all the countries must be in light of that to implement in real sense avoiding pressure of any group of people with vested interest.
Recently the UNDP drafted a Gender Equality Strategy for 2014-2017 after collecting opinions of the gender professionals online from the globe. The draft strategy recommendations are:
l Strengthen references to the increasingly important role of the private sector for the work to advance gender equality and women's empowerment;
l Include men and boys in the work on gender equality, especially but not limited to, efforts to end gender-based violence;
l The importance of reflecting upon the multiple inequalities many women face around the world;
l Strengthen references to customary law and practices and the efforts to work with traditional and religious leaders to advance the agenda;
l The importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in advancing women's empowerment and gender equality; and
l Take on even more bold efforts to strengthen the capacities and accountability to deliver results.
The gender experts found the aforesaid points very helpful and implementable. Also they have given emphasis on engagement with private sector. The experts added that in an increasing number of countries, the private sector plays a critical role in the delivery of services, including those targeting women and girls. Â
While it is important to take measures to stimulate the active participation of women and to ensure gender equality, it is equally important that men stay in focus, to ensure that they have sufficient and correct understanding of legal provisions and they know and understand the rights of both men and women. Without this, there will never be true gender equality. Working Group states that there are 200 million fewer women online than men, and worldwide, women are 21 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone than men. Yet ICTs provide fertile ground to increase transparency and effective social accountability.
It is relevant to mention that Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Forums of South Africa hosted the third international conference in Thailand on sexual violence research in mid of October this year. The aim of the Forum is to promote promising practices for preventing and responding to sexual and intimate partner violence. Discussion points of the conference were: Addressing sexual and intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries; child abuse and neglect; HIV and sexual violence; trafficking for sexual exploitation; and sexual and other forms of gender-based violence in conflict and crisis.
Considering magnitude of the problems, the active participants will have to be more vocal in the global platform in Mexico; the upcoming Sixth Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting to be held on November 13-14 next. The theme of the Sixth Milestones Meeting is: Towards measurable violence prevention targets. It will focus on consolidating global, regional and national efforts to strengthen the measurement of violence and violence prevention policies. The government, civil society organisations, media, and interested individuals must explore opportunities to talk more boldly addressing the key issues in all the local, national and international discussion, meetings and conferences.
Moreover, we must think globally to act locally in making a change of the gloomy state of gender equality and women's empowerment. Also we must become change makers of shifting mind-sets of those who are responsible for discrimination, gender inequality, creating pressures to keep women's lips locked, neglecting girl children, treating women equal in kind of animal and parasites instead of 'human-beings'; dominating women, considering them lower or inferior to men, depriving women from their rights of lands, and those, who are behind the 'human reasons' for building an unjust world for the women. Â
Also to go from research into action, a comprehensive, 'universal' gender equality strategy covering wide range of areas is a need of time for establishing programmes on gender mainstreaming in all the states of the planet. Gender mainstreaming is the public policy concept of assessing the different implications for women and men of any planned policy action, including legislation and programmes, in all areas and levels. Mainstreaming essentially offers a pluralistic approach that values the diversity among both women and men. Let the women overcome the offensive inequalities and win obstinately in fighting against all the obstacles, injustice, subservience and domination.
The writer is an author and researcher on gender and climate change. parvezbabul@gmail.com
Gender equality strategy to empower women
Parvez Babul | Published: November 02, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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