Chairperson, 8 March 2011 marks 100 years of the day when women all over the world were united by the bonds of sisterhood. International Women's Day, since its inception in 1911, has seen the strides women have made to change the face of the political, economic and social structures of a world that once saw us as the inferior sex.
Speaker, geen vrou moet onderdruk voel in haar omstandighede nie. As 'n nasie het Suid-Afrika die wetgewende raamwerk in plek. Ons het die Grondwet, gelykheid - soos vervat in die Handves van Regte - en talle internasionale konvensies wat ons onderteken het.
Hierdie regte word egter nog steeds meestal geniet deur vroue in die boonste vlak van die samelewing. Ons moet erken dat die meerderheid van die plattelandse vroue en arm gemeenskappe nie voordeel trek uit hierdie regte nie. Hierdie vroue kan net hulle regte eis as hulle dit geleer is en dit verstaan. Dit is waar ons, as regering, ernstig in gebreke bly en 'n onreg doen teen vroue wat nie hierdie regte geniet nie. Rassistiese en stereotipe uitlatings wat op sommige vroue geteiken word, veral die onlangse neerhalende en omstrede verklarings gemaak deur Kuli Roberts, wat grootliks vernederend is vir die sogenaamde kleurlingvroue van hierdie land, moet uitgeroei word.
AGB LEDE: Hoor, hoor! (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Speaker, no woman should feel oppressed in her circumstances. As a nation, South Africa has the legislative framework in place. We have the Constitution, equality - as enshrined in the Bill of Rights - and many international conventions which we are signatory to.
These rights are still mostly enjoyed by women in the upper echelons of society. We have to admit, though, that the majority of rural women and poor communities do not benefit from these rights. These women can only claim their rights if they have been taught them and understand them. This is where we, as government, are found wanting and are doing an injustice unto women who do not enjoy these rights. Racial and stereotypical statements that are hurled against certain women, especially the recent derogatory and controversial comments made by Kuli Roberts, which are extremely humiliating towards the so-called coloured women of this country, should be eradicated.
HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear!]