Hon Speaker, members, ladies and gentlemen, International Women's Day, 8 March, is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. It is now some 15 years after the Fourth World Conference in Beijing, China, which took place in September 1995, with the theme, "Action for Equality, Development and Peace". The theme today is "Equal Rights for All, Equal Opportunities for All", which fits in very well with the DA's philosophy of an open opportunity society, where everyone has space to shape their own life, and to improve their skills, irrespective of gender, religion or colour. The more people use their opportunities, the more opportunities they will create for others.
Whilst male chauvinism and patriarchy are still prevalent in many communities, South Africa regards itself as a world leader in gender empowerment. Political liberation of the races and of women has gone hand in hand with the constitutional entrenchment of equality and the outlawing of discrimination based on sex and gender. Currently, some 45% of South African parliamentarians are women.
However, Speaker, violence against women and children remains a major challenge. Statistics indicate that some 37 000 women are reported as rape victims every year, and the actual figures could be far higher. Women bear the brunt of violence, and no woman is immune. Public education must be conducted to ensure that the remedies under the Domestic Violence Act become more accessible to women. Effective implementation is still a problem.
Violence is as much a health issue as it is a criminal justice and social development issue. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will surely flourish. Poverty, however, brings social marginalisation, and violence, fuelled by alcohol and drugs, is widely accepted as a means of resolving interpersonal conflict, and then physical abuse of women and children is often tolerated.
Critically, violence against women and children is closely linked with the incidence of HIV/Aids. A major feature of the HIV/Aids pandemic in South Africa is the huge increase in the incidence of HIV/Aids amongst women in the 15 to 30 age group. HIV/Aids must surely be one of the greatest threats to the wellbeing of women in this country. According to government statistics, 12,3% of the female population of South Africa is HIV-positive. Access to antiretrovirals for all patients suffering from both tuberculosis and HIV is essential.
A key priority is that of lowering maternal mortality rates. The development indicators released by The Presidency in 2009 - and these are the latest figures I have - indicate that in 1997 the maternal mortality ratio was approximately 81 deaths per 100 000 live births. By 2005, this figure had increased to 400 deaths per 100 000 live births. Although the increase in the number of maternal deaths is compounded by the impact of HIV/Aids, the fourth Saving Mothers Report by the National Committee on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths indicates that almost 60% of maternal deaths were avoidable. Of the 60%, approximately 55% of deaths were ascribed to failures in the health system, such as lack of blood transfusions and lack of IC facilities and trained staff.
Matters that count the most in women's lives are their families; access to education, health care, jobs and credit; the chance to enjoy basic legal and human rights; and to participate fully in the political life of their countries. Families rely on mothers and wives for emotional support and care. Families rely on women for labour in the home and, increasingly, families rely on women for the income needed to raise the children and care for other relatives.
What are we doing in the communities we serve to make the lives of women easier, to assist with maintenance payments and skills development, to name but two examples? Will women also benefit with lasting jobs from the 2010 World Cup? Will, serious attempts be made to stop woman and child trafficking, which turns into prostitution and slavery?
Women are the foundation of society. Women are the child-bearers of our nation. Women help educate and develop our children, and act as role models in every aspect of life. Women contribute as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, learners, workers, citizens and leaders. Whilst women are often not paid equally to their male counterparts and women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics; globally women's education and health are worse than those of men; and violence against them is also worse, great improvements have been made.
However, we do have female astronauts and prime ministers. Girls do often excel at university. Women can work and have a family. Women do have real choices. Therefore we must celebrate International Women's Day, where women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their day that looks back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. I thank you. [Applause.]