Machel addresses women inequality

Wife of former president Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, said on Sunday she was ashamed that issues of gender inequality in the Democratic Republic of Congo had not ceased.

   

Machel said efforts by the UN Security Council to see a decrease in rape in the DRC had not yet yielded any success.   

 

She was speaking at the Young Women in Dialogue conference held in Freedom Park, Pretoria.   

 

Around 250 people, mostly women, attended the event.

   

Machel was responding after a DRC national Kave Bulambo from Women Across Borders told the conference about the issues women faced in her country.

   

An emotional Bulambo said women in parts of the DRC were largely exposed to rape and gender equality was practically non-existent.

   

Bulambo called on women to find common ground.   

 

Let us find things that bring us together as women,” she said.

   

She urged South Africa to start including and considering refugee women in their communities and economy.

   

Professor Mo Ibrahim from the Mo Ibrahim foundation said cultural practices continued to hold the nation back.

   

Not everything in our cultures is right,” he said.

   

Ibrahim highlighted that while more women in society were academically successful than men, women continued to be sidelined.

   

Machel added that while the country upheld customary laws, some of those laws still perceived women in an inferior manner.

   

We are confronted with many contradictions,” she said.

   

She called on change to be brought about for women of all ages.

   

When we think of women, we should think of different generations of women,” she said.

   

City Press editor Ferial Haffajee, also on the panel in the dialogue, said a generational shift was needed in order to see social cohesion implemented.

   

One of the problems that slowed down the process of change was that many young people were not interested in politics, said Haffajee.

   

She said being a journalist in this country, meant being a partner in democracy.

   

Aisha Mohamed from the 5FM radio station said social cohesion was about the decisions that individuals made daily.

   

She raised questions on what role the media was playing in promoting gender equality.

   

Chairman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Njabulo Ndebele, said: "Gender equality will not be achieved by a one-size-fits-all solution. 

   

Among the delegates was wife of former president Thabo Mbeki, Zanele Mbeki.

   

Machel praised Zanele Mbeki for being an activist in gender equality.

   

Mbeki was one of the founders of the SA Women In Dialogue initiative.

   

-Sapa