While progress has been made toward achieving gender equality in Africa's political, economic and social spheres, there's still a long way to go. A changing world brings both new opportunities and new challenges.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Across Africa, more women than ever are stepping into political leadership.
00:05This is because remarkable strides have been made towards equality
00:09since a wave of African nations became independent in the 1960s.
00:13Women's rights are now part of national agendas in most sub-Saharan African nations,
00:19women-led businesses are driving economic growth,
00:22and there's even a rising female presence in media.
00:25Yet despite this progress,
00:27gender-based violence perpetrated by men is a growing concern.
00:31The numbers are shockingly high.
00:34According to the United Nations, roughly one in three women globally
00:38experience physical violence by an intimate partner.
00:42And Africa, as a region, records the most femicides.
00:45The real figures may be even higher as many of these cases go unreported.
00:50Women are not safe.
00:51We need to just let women live.
00:53We do not want to be saved.
00:56It's not about being protected.
00:58It's just about being left to exist in peace and without worrying about our lives.
01:03These words reflect a dark reality.
01:06As more women take on leadership roles,
01:08gender-based violence is also on the rise,
01:11and systemic barriers to political participation persist.
01:15Wars and conflicts, like those in Congo and Sudan,
01:18make things even worse, causing deep harm to women and children.
01:23So while this progress is happening,
01:25challenges like violence, patriarchy, and strict gender roles still stand in the way.
01:30Things that do not stand in the way of men.
01:32Women were not trusted to be in the highest position of governing in any country.
01:42One of the challenges is people who still have that perspective
01:47of no women in higher positions.
01:50For women, it's a lot harder to have that capital to vie for a political seat.
01:55It's also one of the most expensive things to do in this country.
01:59Vying for a political seat is very expensive, even for the lowest seat as a council.
02:04A lot of them disowned and the harassment they receive,
02:08which is just not online, digitally, but also physically.
02:12Women face extreme cyberbullying,
02:15from online harassment to the growing trend of revenge porn.
02:19So while the great gains made by women in politics,
02:22business, and media are worth celebrating,
02:25society still has some major catching up to do.