Increased participation from women crucial to Africa's future prospects

By Mark Kapchanga Source:Global Times Published: 2013-6-27 17:53:01

African women have traditionally played a peripheral role in society. They take care of the family. They neither work nor take on any leadership positions and have to be submissive to men.

During conflicts, women and girls suffer the most. They sometimes end up raped and pregnant, and are often victims of sexually transmitted diseases. The most recent battles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Northern Uganda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and Senegal have been rife with abnormal rates of sexual and gender-based violence.

Last year there were many horrific incidents of violence against women. Among them, the Delhi gang rape case stands out. This year has not been any different. Awful stories about women being raped and tortured to death continue to dominate headlines. The most appalling was in March when a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped at a government school she attended in Delhi.

A fast-emerging crime in Africa relates to girls being discriminated against even before birth. This practice has become common in India and some rural areas of China where sex-selective abortions, female infanticide and the abandonment of unwanted girls have become serious issues. It is probably the hardest kind of discrimination to rectify, because the root of the problem lies in cultures that value boys over girls.

In some African countries, girls between four years old and puberty undergo circumcision. It is usually performed without anesthesia by a traditional circumciser using a knife or razor.

The practice is rooted in gender inequality, cultural identity and ideas about purity, modesty, aesthetics, status and honor. It attempts to control women's sexuality by reducing their sexual desire.

But such atrocities have not stopped women from bringing change to Africa. A 14-year civil war, punctuated by widespread human rights abuses, in Liberia, was eventually brought to a halt by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She was the first woman to be a president on the continent and successfully remodeled the West African nation by implementing ambitious peace-building processes.

Today, women are at the forefront of ensuring that society's untapped potential is put to maximum use. Perhaps this explains why the continent is swiftly shifting its governance structures toward the hands of women.

Rwanda tops the global map for female representation in parliament at 48.8 percent. Mozambique is at 34.8 percent, South Africa at 32.8 percent and Burundi at 30.5 percent.

All of these countries, with the exception of Burundi, which only conducted democratic elections recently, are on a sturdy path to reforms. They have recorded immense gains from women's participation in the public sector.

Barely a year after Joyce Banda took over as president of Malawi, the country has made agriculture and nutrition key policy priorities. She has demonstrated leadership through stable governance and economic growth. Her determination to empower millions of Malawians through charities saw Forbes magazine name President Banda as the 71st most powerful woman in the world and the most powerful woman in Africa in 2012.

It is through the empowering of women that the continent can achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Africa needs to remind itself that in some countries, women today are still victims of inequality, discrimination and violence.

At 14.5 percent representation in parliament, Sierra Leone is yet to improve women's political participation. No wonder the country is still suffering from the hangovers of the past conflicts despite its wealth of diamonds.

It is therefore imperative that women in power should improve the position of the less fortunate in the society. They can educate, empower and encourage them to contribute to the development of societies where there are more and better options for girls and women.

With a stable and a more equitable Africa, the continent stands to make huge social and economic gains.

The author is a journalist on African issues based in Nairobi, Kenya. mkapchanga@gmail.com



Posted in: Viewpoint

blog comments powered by Disqus