Section 6 Taking stock to press on
6.1 Achievements of the African Peer Review Mechanism
The African Peer Review Mechanism has made strides in the attainment of the ideals contained in the African Charter for Popular Participation in Development (the Arusha Declaration)168 through its emphasis on democratic participation and widening the space and actors for public discourse.
Good governance for women requires a culture of accountability based on gender equality and non-discrimination standards that the State has committed itself to meeting under national, regional and international instruments. This requires the effective mobilization of all actors, at all levels of society, towards the realization of those commitments for women.
The African Peer Review Mechanism has offered women new opportunities to engage with governments, civil-society organizations and the private sector on the gender aspects of governance and its impact on their everyday life, with a view to engendering gender-responsive outcomes that can promote equality and empowerment. This has led to increased citizen engagement, participation and dialogue, and these are essential for democratic governance in Africa.
The mechanism has extended the space for civil society to participate in governance processes through policy dialogue and analysis, planning, implementation and monitoring. The identification of gender as a priority governance issue provides an opportunity to mainstream gender in fundamental national development plans, strategies and programmes. At the national level, the African Peer Review Mechanism structures are specifically asked169 to include gender as a cross-cutting issue when they are administering the questionnaire.
No doubt, there have been instances where the African Peer Review Mechanism consultative processes were curtailed, rushed or simply not diverse enough due, to administrative and organizational constraints or limited political goodwill. However, there have been good examples of frank discussions between State and society that have contributed to enthusiastic responses and continued engagements with the State beyond the lifetime of the African Peer Review Mechanism. In countries such as Ghana, Kenya and Benin, the African Peer Review Mechanism structures are testament to this170, such as the District Oversight Committees comprising of men and women at the district level who work on a voluntary basis as civil society in partnership with Government in a programme that lasted beyond the National
168 United Nations Regional Coordination Mechanism - Africa (2007). “Challenges and prospects in the Implementation of NEPAD”. Page 42.169 All the studies conducted by Open Society Institute of Southern Africa via national consultants of reviewed countries referred to in this report reflect that.
170 National Governing Council-Ghana (2008). “Ghana APRM’s Third Annual Progress Report: January –December 2008”.
Programme of Action. This was founded in Ghana and, by 2010, 1,700 officials were recruited171 to deepen the decentralization of the African Peer Review Mechanism in 170 assemblies at metropolitan, municipal and district levels.
The country review reports have showcased and highlighted good/commendable/best practices of governance within Africa, including those relating to gender equality. While the shortcomings in appreciating the component factors of a good practise require more knowledge generation, the fact that the African Peer Review Mechanism seeks to promote peer learning at various levels is indicative of the potential of the African Peer Review Mechanism as a useful platform and warehouse for the synthesis and dissemination of good practices. This practice needs to be extended to the framework of gender equality.
The African Peer Review Mechanism has been hailed as a significant tool in taking stock of systemic problems ahead of time and interpreting their potential to cause conflict. This occurred in the case of Kenya and South Africa, where the country review reports warned that conflict was impending unless there was more success at managing diversity and social change, and these warnings were later borne out by events. While much has been made of the South Africa country review report that served as an early warning for the xenophobic outbreaks in South Africa that actually happened later, the same report flagged up the high prevalence of violence against women as a potential trigger for violent conflict172, but this did not cause as much alarm. The African Peer Review Mechanism diagnoses have value in prompting African leaders and the citizenry to take action towards immediate and outstanding gender issues, if adequate attention is paid to them. In this regard it is vital for countries to be encouraged to commit to the United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding the role of women in conflict resolution as well as peace building.
In the final analysis it will be important for an overall evaluation of the implementation of the National Programmes of Action to be conducted from a gender perspective to determine whether the African Peer Review Mechanism targets have been met. In the few implementation progress reports that were available, it was possible to see that the mechanism has triggered the implementation of gender-specific programmes and policies. Due to the fact that South Africa’s APRM implementation report documents applied the format provided by the APR Secretariat, it is easy to trace the evolution of the African Peer Review Mechanism process and see the evidence that a few carefully selected gender targets can evoke comprehensive multisectoral initiatives from a committed Government towards promoting and protecting the rights of women in Africa. This is illustrated in the table below173:
171 http://www.hss.de/westafrika/en/ghana/news-events/aprm-completes-inauguration-of-170-assemblies.html 172 APRM (2006). “Country Review Report of South Africa” APRM Review Report. No 4, 2006. page 71.
173 Derived from the Republic of South Africa country review report and the first, second and third reports on the implementation of South Africa’s Programme of Action.
Table 13: Comparative analyses of National Programme of Action gender targets and actual implementation by the Republic of South Africa
Text box: Examples of National Programme of Action objectives that are not “SMART”
National Programme of Action priorities in the area of democracy and political governance 1. Know Your Rights campaign on literacy and empowering vulnerable groups such as women 2. Anti-trafficking project focusing on women and children and targeting perpetrators
3. Ensuring that vulnerable groups, including women, get access to government services.
Implementation of National Programme of Action gender targets Affirmative action
1. The African National Congress raised the bar for a minimum 50 per cent representation of women in all government structures.
Institutional reform
2. A Ministry of Women, Children and Persons with Disability established
3. National Register for Sex Offenders of abused women and children implemented
4. Re-establishment of 176 Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units within the police force
5. 17 Thuthuzela Care Centres as an anti-rape strategy established across the country in communities with high incidents of sexual violence by March 2009
6. Expanded Partnership Programme with Community Police Forums aimed at strengthening civilian oversight roles
7. Establishment of Provincial Task Teams on Human Trafficking
8. Establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Violence against Women and Children.
9. Creation of a more capacitated Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation
10. The business community partnered with SAPS to fight crime, particularly violent organized crime 11. Review of the criminal justice system
12. Victim-friendly facilities established in high contact crime police stations
13. 19 victim empowerment projects funded by the Criminal Asset Recovery Funds.
14. Approval of the women empowerment and gender equality bill to strengthen the fight against violence and crimes directed at women.
15. Government anti-crime partnerships and strategies currently being implemented are significantly contributing towards the reduction of crime levels across the country.
16. The Legal Aid Board of South Africa providing professional legal advice and representation for those who cannot afford private legal practice.
17. Establishment of National Advisory Council on Gender Based Violence to coordinate prevention and response efforts.
18. Increase in conviction rates by courts of cases on violence against women and children.
19. Development of the Directory on Services for Victims of Violence and Crime that empowers people to access services that are available in their area.
Policy and programme reform
20. National Policy Guidelines for Victim Empowerment approved.
21. A policy was developed to enhance Community Policing Forums.
22. Development of a Men and Boys Strategy on the Prevention of Gender Violence, which was piloted in one province in 2009
23. Development of the Family Law Learnership, which includes training on the social context of domestic violence and the Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998.