Gender must be central in the formulation of policies – Sita Nagamootoo

Aug 29, 2015 News

---

 

By Desilon Daniels

With the ultimate aim of developing a gender policy in Guyana, a two-day conference on women and gender concluded yesterday with Sita Nagamootoo emphasising that gender must be centrally positioned in the formulation of public policies.

The two-day conference was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal and saw wide participation by key stakeholders. Amongst the gathered organisations were the Ministry of Social Protection and the Gender Equality Commission of Guyana.

During yesterday’s session, Nagamootoo, a former Cyril Potter College of Education Principal, spoke at length on the importance of gender equality, particularly in a nation such as Guyana. She also stressed the importance of women empowerment and the role education played in promoting equality.

According to Nagamootoo, women over the years have been made aware of the unequal gender relations between men and women and have therefore acquired a greater voice to address the inequalities present in their homes, workplaces and the larger society. She added that investing in women’s empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and essential economic growth.

“Women are agents of change on economic, social and political processes. Women must be encouraged to articulate their needs and interests as well as their visions of society,” she said.

Furthermore, opining that such a convention at the national level was “long overdue”, Nagamootoo said, “This conference today provides us all with the opportunity to not only look to the future but to also reflect,” she said.

She went on to say that much progress has been made in gender issues and gender equality. However, she added, there was still much more to be accomplished. She also noted the inequalities even within equality, such as when some women are being respected while others are not.

“No country can boast of socio-economic success if it fails to provide equitable opportunities and resources to boost male and females and in particular the youths of that national community,” she said.

According to the educator, gender inequality undermines both development and health. She said that therefore the views of both women and men and also those of the youth must be factored into the national development agenda since the development of a nation affected everyone.

“It is imperative therefore that gender be centrally positioned in the formulation and implementation of public policies…There is much to be proud of, but we still have a long way to go,” Nagamootoo emphasised.

She added that the development agenda must focus on supporting the promotion of more equal relations between men and women. Furthermore, she said, every policy and programme which is created in the future must keep in mind that they affect women and men differently, since these groups harbour different perspectives.

“In designing policies, programmes and projects, cognizance must be taken of these differences in experiences and situations between men and women, between boys and girls,” Nagamootoo said.

Additionally, she stated that the achievement of gender equality does not translate to men becoming the same as women.

“The term equality should mean that the person’s rights or opportunities should not depend on the person being male or female,” she said.

Similarly, Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence said that hosting a discourse on gender issues was a necessity going forward.

“This conference is a national one on gender and development policy. The conference provides the opportunity for Guyanese from the 10 administrative regions to share their views, knowledge and experience in crafting Guyana’s first ever gender policy,” Lawrence said. She continued, “So these two days mark the beginning of the process for the formulation of a gender policy and the emergence of the Gender Service Unit.”

On the first day of the conference, a number of issues had been raised by the present stakeholders. These issues ranged across a number of areas including sexuality, health and gender inequalities. Recommendations and problem areas had also been highlighted during the first session. Some of these recommendations included the respect and the recognition of the rights of the elderly and the importance of culturally appropriate awareness education in the areas of trafficking in persons, rape and domestic violence.

The introduction of sex education into the education system and the availability of more social programmes available for school children were also raised.

President David Granger had also spoken at the first day session and he too emphasised the importance of recognising the pivotal role women play in society.

The conference was held under the theme “equal rights for all – be good to people”.

---

---