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Cameroon: Women Admonished to Be Assertive
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The Post (Buea)
10 March 2008
Posted to the web 10 March 2008
Walter Wilson Nana
Women in the Southwest Province and beyond have been reminded to be assertive as they commemorate the 23rd edition of the International Women's Day Saturday, March 8.
"We've a long way to go. We've to put our hands on deck, together carry on affirmative action and impose what I term 'positive discrimination'", Dr. Margaret Niger Thomas, Southwest Delegate of Women Empowerment and the Family, told this reporter, Wednesday, March 5 at the Cameroon Cultural Centre, Buea.
The event was a symposium, constituting activities for the International Women's Day in the Southwest Province.She defined positive discrimination as being profitable not only to the woman but also to the family. "We need to reflect on the marginalised position of the women; economically, socially, politically, legally and even health wise. We need to consider women," she posited.
Niger Thomas pleaded with the society to push the women to be productive. "Women shouldn't only wait for people to invest on them. We've to invest on ourselves. We can do this by sitting together, discussing our plight, looking at areas where we can find solutions, moving on with advocacy, searching for help elsewhere to build the vision of the Cameroonian woman," she counselled.
On this year's theme for the International Women's Day; Investing On Women and Girls, Niger Thomas had this reading; "We have to better the position of women and girls in our society. We can't conclude that women have attained their goals or the girl child has achieved the goals that the international community had set since the early 70s. Something has been done, but there are still some areas that need to be improved upon."
According to the activist on women's issues, investment will not only mean economically. "Some people think that one has to invest money to make profits, yes! But there are also informal investments. Women must not necessarily go to school for investment to be carried out on them.
There is informal education, especially for women who dropped out of school, early and forceful marriages. We can't afford to forget these categories of women. We've to enrol them into vocational training, help them to be independent, build self-esteem and cause them to know that they have a contribution to make in their society," she argued.
Niger Thomas saw the women of her province going beyond theories. "They are into practical, meaningful and economic activities; trainings on soap making, yoghurt, interior decoration, making of sweet wines, fruit juices, cakes and more."
Gender expert and Director of Academic Affairs of the University of Buea, Dr. Joyce Bayande Endeley, argued that the powers that be in Cameroon should go beyond goodwill speeches and take concrete actions.
She wondered why the quota system for men and women in the parliament is yet to take roots in Cameroon, whereas it is working effectively in a country like Rwanda.
Gladys Ekwoge, a staff of the Southwest Development Authority SOWEDA, requested government to make sure that the girl child goes to school by awarding substantial scholarships.
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"Most of the women should be given access to business opportunities, land and more. These will facilitate the economic growth of the country. Men need the women by their side as partners for the economic growth of the country," she said.
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