International Women’s Day: A year in retrospect

#EmbraceEquity because equal rights aren’t enough.

The younger generation is increasingly moving away from the “mosadi o tshwara thipa ka bohaleng” (a woman holds the knife by the sharp edge) mantra. The idea that it’s the woman’s lot to suffer is not something they want to echo. Even so, the world seems to be saying otherwise.

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The headlines scream that Iranian girls are facing biochemical warfare because they choose to go to school, a week ahead of International Women’s Day. This is happening in a country that encourages the education of girls, after years of suppressing access. Despite the clawing back of restrictions on girls’ education, major challenges to access and remaining safe while doing so remain. Something their male counterparts don’t experience. So focusing on gender equality, while ignoring or underestimating the impact of intersectionality can never result in true equality.

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This year’s International Women’s Day theme, “embrace equity” recognises that equal access is not enough. People don’t start from the same place, which means the playing field remains unequal even if the rules of the game are the same. Taking intersectionality into account allows adequate consideration towards how different elements of people’s identities alter how they can take advantage of opportunities. In South Africa, the constitution states that “(1)?Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. (2) Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.” GBV, an acronym that has quickly found its way into the local lexicon has shown that equality before the law just isn’t enough.

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Gender-based violence in South Africa has become so endemic that the country has become the face of GBV, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has described it as the “second pandemic”.?The government even passed new laws to address gender-based violence in January 2022. The aim is to make the fight more targeted and hopefully more effective. Back across the globe, the battle is not about strengthening the gains but about going back in time.

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The reversal of legislation that made the decision to continue with a pregnancy a federal right in the United States has moved reproductive rights back by decades. Not only have women lost their right to choose, but those also who have had to undergo the procedure because of medical reasons have been denied the care they need.

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These are just some of the stories that have captured the headlines and lead to my talking points. The challenge now is how to foster an environment that ensures that girls and women access the institutions and tools that lead to equal access. The resounding cry is I am not a rock and knives cut deep, so how about you see the humanity in me? See me!

By Poloko Mofokeng