THE Non-governmental Gender Organisations” Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has appealed to the Government to come up with a clear policy direction after abolishing the Ministry of Gender.
Board Chairperson Grace Sinkamba said the NGOCC was concerned that the structure at the Gender Division, which replaced the Ministry of Gender, was unclear.
Ms Sinkamba said in Lusaka recently that Zambia required an effective gender machinery for it to effectively coordinate efforts towards addressing gender inequalities.
“We, therefore, remain deeply concerned that with the scrapping of the Ministry of Gender and the creation of the Gender Division, the structure remains hazy and unclear,” Ms Sinkamba said.
Ms Sinkamba said while the NGOCC noted the “New Dawn’ Government’s efforts to elevate the Gender Division, it was concerned that there seemed to be no clear policy direction in that regard.
Ms Sinkamba said the NGOCC wanted the Government to come up with a clear policy direction on Zambia’s gender machinery in its entirety.
“An effective gender machinery will without a doubt help the country to narrow the gender gaps and address inequalities and its offshoots like Gender-Based Violence,” she said.
Ms Sinkamba said there was need for permanency and not the back and forth policy direction.
Ms Sinkamba said women and gender issues were a reality and likened the back and forth policy direction to gender violence against the women’s movement.
Ms Sinkamba said this during the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) recently.
The 16 Days of Activism Against GBV will be observed from November 25, 2022 to December 10, 2022 under the theme: “UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls’.
