Human Rights of Women
The failure of the electorate to vote women into positions of authority has occasioned much national soul-searching and even the Lutsango leader, Aylline Dlamini, has noted that our traditional modes of living bear much of the blame.
The basic reason for women not being elected is a general lack of trust in women in authority (from both men and women) which comes from the fact that women are not respected as being equal to men in traditional (and conservative Christian) culture. After all, in a society where a woman cannot do certain things without consulting her husband, electing a woman looks like indirectly electing her husband (and if she doesn’t have a husband then by traditional definition she is a girl, not a woman - just as an unmarried man is a boy).
Ultimately, women are always going to be second-class citizens in their own country until they are treated as the equals of men, and this will only happen when the custodians of traditional and Christian culture stop putting out the message that women should be subservient and dutiful.
This will only happen in one of two ways – either women themselves have to challenge illegal social restrictions which do not recognise that women have equal status and decision-making capabilities as men, or male social and political leaders will take the lead in order to have these facts recognised. Indeed, it is the responsibility of those who serve the King, according to our Constitution:
“Subject to the availability of resources, the Government shall provide facilities and opportunities necessary to enhance the welfare of women to enable them to realise their full potential and advancement.”
Historically, however, most societies have been forced to change the suppression of women’s rights through women taking legal action, because it is usually men who benefit from holding positions of power over them. With only one woman legislator in Parliament, challenges to gender-oppressive norms are most likely to be seen in ugly conflicts in the courts.
And they’ll win, because the Constitution states that discrimination (defined as ‘different treatment’) shall not be practiced on gender grounds and that “all persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the law,” as well as specifically stating that “women have the right to equal treatment with men and that right shall include equal opportunities in political, economic and social activities.”
That opportunity is denied them if women are considered somehow disabled in comparison to men.
One step forward, three steps back
The good news that Swaziland stepped up 11 points in the Global Competitive ranking is lessened by the fact that we slipped 19 steps back in auditing and financial reporting standards.
There’s no point in making it easier to open new businesses if we are also making it easier for people to hide financial transactions – nobody wants to invest in a place where their money can be stolen easily.
Financial transparency and contract enforcement (we rate 174 out of 185 countries and are also on the low end of the scale for protecting investors) are fundamental areas without which no meaningful economic activity is possible. The number of days to get a health permit is window-dressing by comparison.