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28TH AUGUST 2007 Madam Speaker:Emancipation, empowerment, equality and poverty eradication: why only now? We have been talking about gender equality, eradicating poverty and women empowerment since the end of apartheid, but clearly this is a battle we have not yet won as women continue to be abused and still live in abject poverty. We have done a lot of talking and asking. But we are tired of pleading with the government to eradicate poverty or empower women. Quoting the words of His Excellency Sheika Haya Rashed Al Khalifa on the 14th International Day for the eradication of poverty conference in 2006, he said: "Poverty crushes the human spirit. Poverty violates human rights. Whenever men and women are destined to live in severe poverty, human rights are violated. However, it is our duty to come together to ensure that these rights are respected." We in the IFP believe that women are the most precious and delicate creatures in the world and they must be respected. The government together with the relevant stakeholders must provide for a major increase in the quantity and quality of resources necessary for the eradication of poverty and to promote gender equality. These resources must ensure that women and children are not violated by being raped, sodomized or beaten. They must not be victims of human trafficking. To conclude, I would like to highlight the following: in emancipation, empowerment of women, eradication of poverty and addressing the gender issues, the government must ensure that gender equality, social justice and that all forms of violence against women must stop and uphold women's rights and they must have access to resources. Lastly women must also be catered for with regards to the health policies, reproductive health and actively fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and diseases associated with poverty. I thank you. |