Inonge Wina bemoans gender gaps

GENDER and Child Development Minister, Inonge Wina has observed that gender inequalities in Zambia have continued to hamper women and girls from fully participating in national development.
Ms Wina said the Government was, therefore, through her ministry, in the process of formulating the Gender Equality Bill and the Children’s Code Bill, which would guide the State in promoting equality between men, women and children’s rights once passed into law.
Officiating at a consultative meeting on the Gender Equality Bill and Children’s Code Bill with traditional leaders in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Wina said Government was concerned with the persistent gender inequalities in Zambia, which had led to women and children being denied their rights.
Ms Wina said the inequalities had manifested in areas such as poverty where female headed households continued to be poorer than their male counterparts.
She said statistics showed that women were in greater danger of getting HIV/AIDS.
Ms Wina observed that there were more young men than women in secondary schools, colleges and universities, thereby resulting in women getting into low-paying jobs.
“In view of this situation, it can be concluded that gender inequalities have continued to prevent the women and girls in Zambia from contributing fully to the development of the country and to share in the benefits thereof.
“I wish to note that this situation has its source in our culture in which girls are taught at a tender age to be good wives, take care of the family and obey their husbands,” she said.
Ms Wina said in as much as the aforementioned demands were good, they stratified gender to the disadvantage of the females.
She said Zambia as a member of the United Nations (UN) was party to several UN instruments on human rights and that of concern at the consultative meeting was the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
“As the first step towards achieving this aspiration on the two instruments, Government through the Ministry of Gender and Child Development is in the process of formulating the Gender Equality Bill and the Children’s Code Bill.
“The process of formulating the Gender Equality Bill and Children’s Code Bill once passed into law will provide guidance to Government in promoting equality between women and men and the rights of the children in Zambia,” Ms Wina said.