‘Gender policy part of crime solution’

In a media release, the Network and the Coalition said they view crime as much more pervasive than the deaths, murders and kidnapping of persons, and believes to reduce criminal activity the country must not only march but take action on its root causes.

According to the Network, crime and injustice live in the same house:

- Poverty is a crime

- Inequity is a crime

- Built-in discrimination in the Constitution against women and other groups is a crime

- Failure to implement minimum wages legislation is a crime

- Discrimination in employment practices is a crime

- Child abuse is a crime

The group said these were issues that the discussion document on the gender policy sought to redress. The statement continued, "To reduce crime we must turn our attention to addressing its causes, rather than just react to its symptoms.

The Network is calling for support for a gender policy; constitutional reform of areas of the Constitution innately discriminatory to women and various other segments of the society: upgrades to all necessary laws to bring them in line with requirements of treaties and conventions, as recommended by Amnesty International, the critique to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) report, and the Human Rights Report of 2002; establishment of regulations to redress deficiencies within employment institutions and patterns of discrimination in treatment of women.

The groups other recommendations are as follows:

- Reform of other laws including labour and banking and finance laws to bring them in line with requirements of international treaties and conventions including basic conditions of work laws, equal pay for equal work and other equal opportunities legislation.

- Introduce measures to redress structural and organisational attitudes and practices that prohibit women’s effective and equal participation in the workforce.

- Study of and preparation of a plan of action to redress gender stereotyping in women’s pursuit of higher education and choices in fields of study.

- Review of labour laws to bring them in line with the requirements of international treaties and conventions, and to redress built-in discriminatory practices against women in general employment activities, level of remuneration, and type of work available to women.

- Revision of marriage laws to accommodate a human rights dimension that protects young girls from exploitation.

- Gender sensitive approach to analysis, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation into national development planning and to integrate gender equality and equity perspectives and practices into economic and social development.

- Target education and training of rural women who comprise one third of the country’s population for economic empowerment.

- Redress gender stereotyping in the education system and defined career paths.