| Posted: April 13 2005,17:49 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
See actions below.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Obstacles preventing progress:
Progress
is limited to the extent that few members are actively engaged in the
work of the Association. Greater progress is probably impeded by
the demands of the careers and families of the younger members,
particularly in the changing social order in South Africa, along with
an ageing membership.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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SAAWG's
policies, programmes and activities consistently reflect IFUW's
Programme for Action. They also promote the spirit of the human rights
tenets expressed in the Bill of Rights entrenched in South Africa's
first democratic Constitution of 1996, of the Beijing Platform for
Action and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
*
Projects include Johannesburg branch's confidence-building Aurora
project for schoolgirls; the Cape Town branch's community sustainable
development craftwork enterprise; its parenting skills seminars and
mentorship projects; Johannesburg branch's essay competition, which
encourages self-development and language skills among schoolgirls.
All of these receive favourable feedback from parents and
academics, as does SAAWG's annual public lectures by prominent women,
which promote the themes of IFUW's Programme for Action and South
Africa's socio-political and educational concerns.
* Financial
aid given to students may also be seen as a factor in the subsequent
success of their careers. For example, as a young student
Mamphela Ramphele received an SAAWG bursary, rose to become
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town and currently manager of
the World Bank.
* SAAWG seeks to promote a peaceful and
non-violent mindset through its lobbying of the South African
government around issues such as trafficking in persons and denial of
women's and children's rights. For example, approaches have been made
on the injustice of Nigeria's sharia law in the case of Amina Lawal, on
sexual trafficking in South Africa and on the unsatisfactory conditions
pertaining in the country's family courts.
* SAAWG members also
make the Association's voice heard at seminars of other
non-governmental and civil society seminars and discussions, such as
those held by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
(CSVR) and Constitution Hill.
The Aurora Project
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
a)
Raise awareness about the need to extend advocacy around a culture of
peace and non-violence among schoolboys. For example, through
such projects as SAAWG's Johannesburg Aurora project which addresses
confidence-development in schoolgirls.
Informal approaches to heads of boys' schools in South Africa have so far met with negative responses.
b)
Further consciousness-raising around the need to involve the world's
men in the annual 16-days of Activism against Violence and Abuse
international campaign, by extension advocating a 365-day worldwide
campaign.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Partnerships or networks:
SAAWG
Johannesburg conducts its Aurora project for schoolgirls in partnership
with Soroptimists International and Kingsmead College for Girls.
This involves confidence-building sessions among grade eight
pupils from three Soweto schools. Sessions have covered issues
such as "Peer pressure and Sexuality" and feedback has been gratifying.
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
Future Plans:
Through
a project such as described above in ACTIONS, SAAWG Johannesburg may
consider promoting self-confidence among schoolboys, with the aim of
promoting a culture of peace and non-violence in South Africa's
rampantly violent society.
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Postal address of organization
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CAPE TOWN
P O Box 570, Rondebosch 7701
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E-mail address of organization
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LCORNELISSEN@uwc.ac.za
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Website address of organization
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http://ifuw.org/southafrica/
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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[1] Education for a culture of peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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[2] Equality for Women
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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South Africa
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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International,
by extension through IFUW and its UN representation as far as SAAWG's
programmes follow and promote IFUW's Programme for Action and the
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW).
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