Mujyawamariya calls for sustained efforts in gender policies amidst celebrations of a women dominated parliament

Mujyawamariya calls for sustained efforts in gender policies amidst celebrations of a women dominated parliament

BY GEORGE KAGAME




The Minister in Charge of Gender and Family Promotion in the Prime Minister's office , Dr. Jean D'arc Mujyawamariya on has called upon all gender policy activists in the country to uphold Rwanda's achievements in the fight for gender equality needs sustained efforts in-order to avoid sharp contrasts when statistics are read.

Mujyawamariya was opening the national gender cluster steering committee meeting at Prime Holdings Kimiruhura on Tuesday. The cluster brings together stake-holders involved in gender issues and related policy formulation stake-holders throughout the country, namely, UNIFEM- a UN organization that advocates for the rights women, donor agencies and local women groups, they were holding a day long meeting to update themselves on national gender issues in the country including the recent good fortune for women in the September parliamentary elections where 45 women in which they took 45 out of the 80 seats available in the house.



Mujyawamariya said: "let us not forget how the women are presently suffering and who have died during the time you have taken to come here," she was referring to current national statistics which according to the reports from the previous day at the launch of White Ribbon, a safe motherhood project where it was stated that one in six deaths of women of reproductive age [15 to 44] is due to maternal causes.
She added that all efforts for gender activists in the country should focus on "promoting zero tolerance for women dying in pregnancy or childbirth; together we can eradicate the widow status that is preventable."
White Ribbon is an international organisation which raises awareness to improve maternal health in the country.


During the cluster meeting, it was reported that a five year action plan for the the promotion of women employment in the country was in the offing, while the centre for the promotion of small and medium scale enterprises in the country had trained 300 women on developing bankable projects.