‘Vision 2020 with a gender lens’

THE EDITOR: The theme for International Women’s Day in Trinidad and Tobago this year is “Vision 2020 with a gender lens.” Over the years, especially since 1986, successive governments have contributed to specifically addressing the gender issues affecting women, so that, on the whole, Trinidad and Tobago has done pretty well on the gender indicator of development. If vision 2020 includes a developmental status measuring gender equity as expressed by governmental mechanisms and agencies/programmes to address gender inequity, then Trinidad and Tobago is on the way to achieving that status by ‘2020.’

Following the signal creation of the Domestic Violence Act of 1991, successive pieces of legislation have addressed or improved women’s issues of sexual abuse, incest, rape (now within marriage also), cohabitation rights, maternity benefits, maintenance rights for children, legal aid, and recently, the removal of taxes on alimony and maintenance payments. A new Domestic Violence Act, 2000, vastly improves the provisions of the 1991 Act. The chance of the Ministry’s name from Women’s Affairs to Gender Affairs in 1996/97 has also facilitated the active involvement of men on issues that impact negatively on both men and women.

Not only in legislation, but also in active programmes and projects, government has attempted to address the gender issue. The provision of Universal Secondary Education, and the attempt at expanding tertiary education through the ‘dollar for dollar’ proposal, though still in their initial steps, are also ways through which gender issues, which are intensified by poverty, are being addressed. Now, all children, the poor and the non-poor, can theoretically achieve education and training, which are the windows to improved living standards and equitable gender relations.

One particular sore point, however is in government’s service to the disabled people of Trinidad and Tobago. This is one group, including both men and women, which is still severely disadvantaged. While the disability grant is now available to disabled persons over age 40 from 1998, The Disability Unit in the Ministry of Social Development is still gravely under-financed, and there is no provision for the training and support for disabled men and women. Disabled people need to be trained for the world of work in which they live. They need to know and to feel that they can perform services that can remunerate them, and above all, which can be useful to society. Vision 2020 must involve disabled people.

Disabled persons need to know that their society does not consider them a nuisance, but is willing to listen to, encourage and understand them. Disabled children must be able to access the education that is available to others, and disabled women and men must have the attendants, services, technology and resources that would make them productive citizens. The measure of the achievement of Vision 2020 with a gender lens is, I dare say, no longer only what is done to improve the status of women, but increasingly, for disabled men and women - the true underdogs of society.

MERLE KHOZA
Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN)