Hazel Namponya, the Editor of Collective Action Magazine speaks to Aleta Miller the UN Women Multi- Country Representative, South Africa, about the Presidential Summit on GBVF 2 and UN Women’s clarion call to end violence against women and children.
I love my work; I’m obsessed with it! We need to continue mobilising and moving together, as government, women's movements, men’s networks, civil society organisations, the private sector, and the United Nations, towards a world where every woman and girl lives out her dreams, safe and free. It’s possible. And, whether I’m in Afghanistan or South Africa, the ‘how’ on reaching that goal together is what keeps me up at night. Hazel: UN Women’s drive is for gender equality, what is the focus of your work when it comes to ending gender-based violence? Aleta: UN Women works across the broader UN system in South Africa to develop joint programs and to promote policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The priority areas for the South Africa Multi-Country Office are that women lead, participate in, and benefit equally from governance systems; women have income security, decent work, and economic autonomy; and that women and girls live lives free from violence.
This is all delivered in partnership with civil society organisations, government departments, and other UN Agencies. Our goal is to strengthen national responses and prevention mechanisms to reduce violence against women and girls and reduce their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. We run programmes such as HeForShe which engage men as key partners in ending GBV, we work with partners to deliver programmes that empower adults, girls and young women and are establishing and strengthening our partnerships with women’s organisations who are doing tremendous work in ending GBV. We also know that empowering women economically contributes to the fight against GBV, so we run a number of programmes across the country with private sector partners and government that upskill women entrepreneurs at different levels.
Aleta: I'm originally from Australia, I trained and registered as a Clinical Psychologist, and later went on to study International Public Health. I spent the first part of my career working as a Psychologist with intravenous drug users, in HIV prevention. I later worked in Asia on HIV prevention, with drug users and sex workers. I’ve worked in over 40 countries, in refugee rights, human rights, and women’s rights, in addition to HIV and public health. This is my third appointment as UN Women Representative. I led our work in the Pacific, then Afghanistan, and now here in South Africa where our office works across five countries from our base in Pretoria. No one is equal until we are all equal – this is what my passion for gender equality is based on. I will never accept that women and girls do not enjoy the same rights and privileges as men and boys. The thing about gender equality is that everyone benefits - women, girls, as well as men and boys, families, communities, businesses, and the entire nation. Hazel: A little about you Ms. Miller, we would like to know a bit more about you and what fuels your passion for gender equality.
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator