The Rozaria Memorial Trust hosted an intergenerational dialogue, where young women engaged with the older generation. The core discussion of this dialogue was around the kind of support the old generation of women can give to young women and this led to the discussion around the concept of creating safe spaces for women. Naledi Chirwa led the dialogue, speaking about her experience as a young black woman in South Africa and her work at the community level as an activist.
Where is the activism at the CSW62? Naledi Chirwa and Lebo Ramafoko reflect on the happenings of Day 2 at the Commission on the Status of Women. Are we obsessed with being progressive in terms of gender based violence in South Africa that we’re not even being honest when we come to these spaces? We also spoke to Delisile Ngwenya of EFF about who’s here to represent the empowerment of women and girls living in rural areas.
Making the rural economy work for women and girls was an interactive dialogue where panellists shared examples of initiatives that drive the rural economy for women and girls. We speak to Minister of Women in the Presidency, Bathabile Dlamini about how women living in rural areas can be part of this economy on we speak of.
“The government should be giving people water, electricity, education, houses. This business of government getting into people’s bedrooms and telling them how to have sex is a waste of my time” says Dr. Jessie Kabwila, Chairperson of Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus of the SADC during the “Leave no one behind” dialogue at the #CSW62.
We need a structure where we have consultations on issues of land, there has to be a formal representation and voice of young women who must be able to make their own contributions in their own voices, says UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the #CSW62 Youth Dialogue.