The Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Lesego Chombo has yesterday commended the African Union(AU) on their commitment to improving the lives of women and children in the continent.
Chombo was speaking at an African Union women leaders network conference held in Gaborone.
“We congratulate the AU for their commitment towards improving the lives and livelihoods of women and children. We can’t wait to fully enjoy our human rights as women across the continent,” Chombo said.
On highlighting Botswana’s recent ratification of Maputo Protocol, the Minister for Youth and Gender Affairs noted that everyone in the country and Africa at large has an absolute obligation to engage in active participation in various economic spaces.
“We need to ensure that the free trade and the economic sphere of women is felt, women need to be actively involved in all areas of our economies and it remains a priority for Botswana,” stated Chombo.
Chombo added that she was hopeful that the conference will set priorities for advocacies, especially around violence against women. In addition, she added that it was time the continent considered scaling up towards men sector for fighting around gender equality.
“Women and girls in Africa will experience a change, we need to remove barriers for women and young people. Gender-based violence is a pain in the neck and we are implementing our action plans. Botswana remains committed to the rights of women and young people, and therefore will be working towards improving the status of women in Africa,” she added.
Photo Credit: MYGA
