Musina Municipality has committed itself to building a caring and truly non-sexist society that protects its women and children, said the mayor of this border town during Women’s Month celebrations last Saturday.

Phiri added that it was important to build a society that loved, cared for and respected its women and children and treated them with unconditional and the utmost dignity that they rightfully deserved.

The event was organised by De Beers Venetia Mine

Phiri said the event marked the most important remembrance on the national calendar of the country. According to her, in the new democratic South Africa “women have gradually occupied critical positions in diverse fields such as the arts, science, politics, education and other spheres.”

She took the opportunity to salute all women and civil society organisations for their courageous fight for gender equality. “Significant progress has been made to facilitate gender equality and improved representation of women in decision-making structures.” She mentioned that South Africa is in the top three among countries of the world, with the highest number of women in Parliament. “This means that we are really moving in the right direction in realising our goals,” she added.

She emphasised the challenges that face young women, including the high number of teenage pregnancies, high rate of unemployment and lack of role models. “It is also sad that a number of young women today have allowed themselves to be used as sex objects for purposes of financial and material gain,” she said

According to Phiri, young women no longer take pride in who they are. “The exchange of fast cash for their womanhood has become a norm for young women, even if it means that they are exploited by men who abuse their youthfulness.In most cases of teenage pregnancy, in an attempt to avoid such a situation, many young women have resorted to illegal and unsafe back-street abortions as measures to terminate those pregnancies before they get noticed. Unfortunately, some of them have died, while others are suffering permanent damage of their reproductive systems.”