The ANC Women's League vowed on Tuesday to knock patriarchy on its “ugly head” at the ANC's policy conference this week.
“The ANCWL is committed to deal decisively with patriarchy wherever it threatens to raise its ugly head across all the discussion documents,” African National Congress Women's League spokeswoman Troy Martens said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The league believes that patriarchy is a major contributing factor for many of the social ills that exist in our society including gender-based violence as well as a lack of participation by women in the economy and the stifling of women rights,” she said.
Martens said the ANCWL's contribution to the gender policy document on the aspects of justice, safety, rural development and economic development had the potential to better the lives of women.
The ANC's four-day policy conference opens on Tuesday with an address by President Jacob Zuma, who is also president of the ANC, followed by a closed plenary session at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Martens said the ANCWL would deal with the economic transformation discussion document in order to promote the economic development of women.
“Women need to be a priority in economic development in order to destroy the face of poverty in the country,” she said.
“Due to the dire economic situation many rural women are often trapped in situations of abuse.... Poverty and gender based violence is one of the issues that needs to be addressed by the policy conference.”
Input at the conference would be received on three of the ANC's main policy documents: organisational renewal, strategy and tactics; the state's intervention in the mining sector; and the national development plan and commission guidelines. - Sapa