Presentation by: Linda RM Baumann
Feminist, Human Rights and Communications Activist
Strategic Coordinator – Namibia Diverse Women’s Association (NDWA)
UNESCO Namibia-
International Programme for the Development of Communications (IPDC) Talks in Southern Africa- 28 September 2018, Windhoek-Namibia-
Key Note Address on Operationalising Access to Information to Opportunities for Women and Girls in Namibia
Good Morning ladies, Gentlemen, Gender Non- Conforming persons and fellow leaders
My name is Linda RM Baumann-Feminist, Human Rights and Communications Activist and the Strategic Coordinator – Namibia Diverse Women’s Association (NDWA).
Today I was tasked to speak on Operationalising Access to Information including Opportunities for Women and Girls in Namibia with clear linkages to the development of communications. I will be speaking from an activist lens and through that I would like to reflect on a few factors with a clear segmentation of attaining and affirming gender equality and equity for all.
The SDGs give clear recognition to Women and Girls as a vulnerable group, further strengthening the agenda by identifying key needs for specific interventions. However, the diversity which exists amongst women and girls remains under represented. This is as a result of many within the diversity spectrum of Women and girls not being recognised causing invisibility within the mainstreaming and integration of these interventions. In addition, rights are realised as key principles of equality and equity in a bid to enhance, affirm and be inclusive of the socio-economic development of all genders.
Reflecting on Women/Girls and the media: Focusing on online and offline Media; the access to information has been a factor over the years as women/girls were perceived to have minimal knowledge and skills which impeded on our performance however, there has been great transformation in ensuring women and girls have access to information as well as the full right to participate in education, political, cultural and socio-economic transformation.
This has been through the manifestation of a level of fairness and accountability to ensuring women/girls understand their rights and can access information centrally. Nevertheless, this also carries great risks as the safety of women/girls within media has become a concern. Our level of interaction with media at times carries minimal safety and security mechanisms which would ensure all forms of intimidation, victimisation and discrimination are not experienced by the public or the institutions. With such experiences there is a need to strengthen institutional partnerships and alliances to advance a multi-lateral responsibility for structural advancement and responsible citizenry.
As an activist, when I continue to reflect on our current reality, it is key for us to look at the women and girls from a personal level – we need to assess how important access to information is and how that affects our lives at a social, political and cultural level however the structural element is a factor of dialogue that hardly takes place for women and girls to know the legislative and policy frameworks.
Realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution to progress across all the goals and targets within the SDGs. The achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development is not possible if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full human rights and opportunities.
Earlier I had shared that there is a lack of recognition of diversity within the vulnerable group of Women and Girls. There is a need for us to deconstruct and aspire to have common understanding of the concepts of Gender Equality and of the inequalities within that very concept. As a nation we have not taken the time to interrogate concepts of sex, gender and gender minorities as these are key concepts to shaping our narrative of ensuring all diversities within Women and Girls are addressed so that all would have access to information and bodily autonomy.
Through that it is important to ensure Women and girls enjoy equal access to quality education, economic resources and political participation as well as equal opportunities with men and boys for employment, leadership and decision-making at all levels.
Such investments shall increase to close the gender gap and strengthen support for institutions in relation to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at a national, regional and international level.
Finally, it is imperative that we all know what the identity and expressions of women/girls are, through identifying these we could strengthen the common issues and needs by ensuring our participation and representation in different forums as we collectively work towards transformational development and affirming our own narratives.
All forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls will be eliminated only when we include and engage with men and boys. The systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the implementation of ourAgenda is crucial.
In order to ensure that all women and girls have access to information and uses the information at a personal, professional and community level it is prudent for us to ensure gender equality is a lived reality and not a reality that represents gender equality as a tick box of a number that strikes a reflection of gender balance.
The time has come for us all to be gender responsive in all our work as that lens of engagement would advance equal access and equity for us as women and girls to continue to empower, represent ourselves through structural and social inequalities by being gender transformative. And through using a gender responsive framework, transformation and consciousness shall strengthen the operationalization and opportunity of having access to information.
I thank YOU…
Linda RM Baumann
28 September 2018
09h46
