Young women Symposium
The Southern African Youth Movement (SAYM) in conjunction with the United Nations Development Fund for Women [UNIFEM] has just concluded its fourth Young Women’s Symposium on Human Rights; A Reflection of 60 years from October 28- 29, 2009 at Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Symposium aimed at bringing young women leaders within Africa to discuss, deliberate and plan on developmental and leadership issues under the theme is “A Reflection of Human Rights - 60 years of the UN Human Right Declaration”.
PARTICIPANTS
The Symposium was graced by Hon. Minister Genoveva Lino: Minister for Youth; Angola, Deputy Regional Director: UNIFEM: Simone Oluoch- Olunya, Deputy Secretary General, Pan African Youth Union: Southern Africa: Miss Tendai Wenyika. In addition, 48 representing 11 countries from the Southern African Development Community, which included Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, and Mauritius.RESOLUTIONS
Amongst some of the key resolutions made by the 48 participants included:
1. Advocate for the popularization, ratification, domestication of International instruments on Human Rights such as CEDAW, SADC Gender Protocol, African Youth Charter, etc.
2. Establishment of national young women’s forums where they do not exist;
3. Strengthening of the existing national young women’s forums, specifically in South Africa, Lesotho, and Botswana;
4. Establishment of regional young women’s forums in order to promote effective leadership development amongst young women and provide a platform for decisive decision making on issues concerning young women in the continent of Africa. 0345
5. Supporting and participating in Africa-wide Campaign to end violence against women an African initiative to complement the UN Campaign spearheaded by Secretary General, “UNITE to End Violence against Women”;
6. Lobbying for the harmonization and alignment of legislative and policy frameworks amongst SADC member states to curb human rights violations towards young women and the girl child such as gender-based violence, trafficking, child-pornography, and others;
7. Work with classification authorities like FPB and others in the region to raise awareness on child-pornography, especially as a possible threat to children’s and youth during the 2010 Soccer World Cup;