At a side event of the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59), the South African Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, gave an impassioned speech that included a salute to the pioneers and veterans of the African women struggles, such as the first President of the Pan-African Parliament, Gertrude Mongella, and the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, the late Wangari Maathai from Kenya.
This transcript of the speech has been published by The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET). Dlamini began by requesting a moment of silence in honour of the Minister of Public Service and Administration, Mr Collins Chabane, and the two protectors who died in a fatal car crash during the CSW59 in New York.
Dlamini goes on to to highlight the historic nature of the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, and how South Africa’s participation in that occasion just a few months into its constitutional democratic governance is reflected in the explicit prohibition of discrimination based on race, class, gender, religion or sexual orientation in South Africa’s constitution. While laws by themselves do not automatically translate into change, it does provide a normative base around which people can rally to change hearts and minds.
With this in mind, Dlamini expresses concern at the stance taken on the issue of women’s human rights at CSW59, with the Political Declaration made little reference to the human rights of women. While it is estimated that 800 women die every day from preventable diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth, the Declaration passed at this year's CSW did not once mention the term 'sexual and reproductive health and rights', as some delegations feel that this is too controversial. In response, Dlamini suggests that more controversial still is when a global gathering dedicated to advance the rights of women such as the CSW shies away from confronting head-on the challenges of women across the globe.
A key message of the speech is that if we want all women to enjoy human rights, then we must go as far as tackling the undemocratic nature of global economic relations, which is itself a form of patriarchy. Dlamini states that failure to speak out clearly on the human rights of women amounts to tolerating and legitimising the high global mortality and morbidity rates for women, and she.urges against the creation of a false dichotomy between the struggles for women's human rights, and the struggle for a more equitable global economic compact.
[adapted from source]