Pretoria - Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana will on Friday address the UN Committee on South Africa's efforts to eradicate all forms of discrimination against women in the country.
Xingwana, who is in Geneva, will also respond to questions from the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on the measures taken by South Africa to attain gender equality and respond to questions about the country's performance.
The committee, which comprises 23 experts from across the world, is charged with ensuring that all countries meet their obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All-forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
After South Africa ratified CEDAW in December 1995, a number of legislative, judicial, administrative and other measures have been adopted in order to implement its obligations under the convention.
"The implementation of CEDAW particularly strengthened the human rights focus of government's programmes in post-apartheid South Africa. A key achievement in this regard has been the emergence of national consensus that violence against women is a gross violation of human rights and a threat to women's full participation and contribution to democracy," said Xingwana.
The committee will also interrogate South Africa's progress on improving women's access to justice, health, education and other basic services and measures that have been taken to stop traditional practices that are harmful to women.
Based on the contents of the report and answers to its questions by the minister, the committee will make recommendations on further actions that need to be taken by South Africa towards the elimination of all forms of discrimination of women in the country.
