Cde Meagan Chauke-Adonis(10 minutes)

International Women’s Day originated in the early 20^th century in the Europe and North America. The studies report that in 1909, February 28, the first women’s day event was held to recognize the contribution of women in shaping society and fighting for women’s rights. In 1977, the United Nations endorsed the 8^th of March as an International Women’s Day. In South Africa, the African National Congress and the freedom struggle movements have been shaped largely by the role played by women internationally. In 1918 it was Mama Charlotte Maxeke who started the first women’s organization in the ANC the Bantu Women’s League which earned her the title Mother of Black Freedom. From these inspirations sprang many other milestones that have sustained the struggles of women internationally for decades until now.

Maxeke was not only a South African woman but was an international icon for gender equality. As the first South African black women to receive a degree Maxeke became a symbol of black women’s emancipation. E.W.B D Bios in Dr. A.B Xuma celebration of Maxeke titled “what an educated girl can do” noted that Maxeke was a pioneer in one of the greatest of human causes, working under extraordinarily difficult circumstances to lead a people, in the face of prejudice, not only against her race, but against her sex.

I highlight the achievement of Mrs. Maxeke Honorable members to demonstrate that women are resilient individuals who not only conceive and give birth but also give meaning to life materially and intellectually.

Today the world is changing, the balance of power is reshaping how equality is addressed. Wars are being fought in the name of domination and interest of individual countries. Women are at the receiving end of the wars and young children. It is for this reason that the Resilience of the Women of Palestine in the face of the genocide be commended and supported. South Africa’s foreign policy on multilateralism and Ubuntu and Respect for Human Rights is about among other issues tailored to profile the issues of gender equality in the global affairs.

We must also salute the women of the DRC and other African state that are in war, fighting diseases and poverty for their perseverance against these challenges that threatens humanity.

Un Women reports that if women were to play a similar role in the world of work the Global GDP would increase by nearly 28 trillion US dollars. That globally 57 % of Domestic workers still have no defined working hours. And that women are still the most unemployed and the worst paid workers globally.

Unlike other pandemics violence against women sees no gender, race or class. For instance, In the European Union, for instance, 55 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment at least once since the age of 15. Of these, 32 per cent experienced it in a place of work.

While the world as we know it today, with globalization, advancements in technology women are still left behind and suffer especially in those conservative and traditional societies.

To arrest the challenges faced by Women, we must continue to push for the implementation of the United Nations Women 4 strategic priorities which are:

• governance and participation in public life;
• women’s economic empowerment;
• ending violence against women and girls; and.
• women, peace and security, humanitarian action, and disaster risk reduction.

South Africa as a respected player in global equality must leverage its position to push for women equality. We must use our position more in Africa where the challenges are more pressing. To protect migrant women who are abused in the work place and shelters where they are placed for safety.