Organization : Gender Secretariat
Type of Facility : GMS Gender Management System
Country: Seychelles
Website : genderseychelles [dot] gov [dot] sc
Gender Management System (GMS):
While Seychelles has made tremendous steps in meeting the basic practical needs of everyone and provided equality in the public sphere to women, men, girls and boys, e.g.
Related : National Council For Children Counselling Service Seychelles : www.statusin.org/8605.html
** equal access to free education
** equal access to free health care services
** the right to vote
** the right to own land and property, and
** full economic participation of women in the labour market etc
Certain gender related problems persist, e.g.:
** domestic violence
** risky sexual behaviour
** teenage pregnancy
** illegal abortions
** HIV/AIDS
** alcohol and substance abuse
** gender stereotyping in schools
** gender stereotyping in the labour market etc
This is because equality in higher strategic needs have not yet been achieved between the genders. This has resulted in the fact that the condition of women and men have changed, i.e. economically active and educated, but their position has not. A symptom of this is the high prevalence of domestic violence, even amongst highly educated and wealthy women.
This is because sustainable empowerment is facilitated by not only the provision of equal rights in public life but also equal rights in private life, necessitating a change in the beliefs and attitudes of every individual. If we are to ensure that the benefits of development and growth are shared equally amongst all members of our society and that the Seychellois people are fully empowered in a sustainable manner, we must:
** Ensure that gendered social relations are understood
** Incorporate the needs and concerns of women, men, girls and boys into all our policies, programmes and activities
Otherwise we will fail to effectively address the underlying root causes of these gender related problems and continue to put our efforts and resources into addressing their symptoms.
Gender is everybody’s business, not an issue that concern only women or the Ministry holding the portfolio responsibility. Change must be effected by men as well as women, as a change in social relations between men and women is what is needed, affecting every part of our daily lives. In order to effectively address this cross-cutting issue, we need the co-operation and collaboration of all sectors of society.
Domestic Violence :
The Gender Secretariat has conducted a nationwide survey on domestic violence, to investigate its extent, causes and consequences in the Seychelles context. Preliminary findings suggest that domestic violence is a significant social problem that affects both men and women.
From a random sample of the population aged above 15 years old :
** 42% of women and 36% of men admitted to having experienced emotional abuse by an intimate partner
** 27% of women and 23% of men have experienced moderate physical violence
** 28% of women and 26% of men admitted to being a victim of severe physical violence, and
** 11% of women admitted to having been raped by an intimate partner
Although at the superficial level preliminary findings of the study indicated that an almost equal proportion of men and women reported having been victims of domestic violence, in-depth analysis has later confirmed established theory that the meaning and consequence of violence has a substantial qualitative difference to women than men. For example: 33% of women suffered from aches and pains as a direct consequence of violence incidents compared to only 16% of men.
Contact Us :
Gender Secretariat
Policy Planning Section
P.O. Box 190
Unity House, Block C, 2nd Floor,
Victoria, Republic of Seychelles
Tel: +248 281841
Email: tsiu AT gov.sc