SADC PF urges parliaments to act on rights, governance and inclusion

SADC PF urges parliaments to act on rights, governance and inclusion

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A joint session of Standing Committees of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) has ended with a call for parliaments across southern Africa to translate regional promises on democratic governance, human rights and inclusion into practical national reforms.

The three-day meeting, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, ran under the theme: “Enhancing Parliamentary Advocacy for the Effective Domestication and Implementation of SADC Protocols for Democratic and Inclusive Governance.” It brought together parliamentarians, civil society organisations, governance experts, researchers and parliamentary staff from around the region, according to a NewsDay Live report dated May 23.

The session was supported by partners including International IDEA, the European Union, GIZ, Austrian partners and the Swedish government through the SADC PF Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.

Closing the meeting, newly elected chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes, Angolan lawmaker Luísa Damião, said participants addressed issues central to democracy, social justice and human dignity.

“We deliberated, debated and built together,” Damião said, describing the discussions as wide-ranging and significant.

Among the topics raised were women’s participation in politics, political financing, violence against women in public office, youth participation in parliamentary processes, disability inclusion, civil society partnerships and socioeconomic inequality.

Damião said discussions on barriers faced by women in politics were frank and at times uncomfortable. “We heard leaders from across the region speak honestly about quotas, political financing and violence against women in politics. They were not comfortable words. They were necessary words,” she said.

She also warned that representation alone was not enough. “Sitting in parliament is important, but it is what one does from that position that transforms lives,” Damião said.

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The joint session validated the SADC Model Law on Prison Oversight and also deliberated on the SADC PF Sexual Harassment Policy. Damião said the prison oversight model law underscored that parliamentary scrutiny should extend to places and people often overlooked, describing it as a reminder to protect “those whom society prefers to forget.”

On sexual harassment, Damião said: “Sexual harassment is not a marginal concern. It is a matter of human dignity, institutional integrity and democratic accountability.” She urged member states to domesticate the prison oversight model law and keep prison reform on national legislative agendas, arguing that implementation would depend on political commitment.

She said the measure of success would come after delegates returned to their countries. “The true test lies in what follows in the work of your standing committees, in plenary debates and in the daily exercise of parliamentary oversight,” Damião said.

SADC PF secretary-general Boemo Sekgoma urged lawmakers to defend a rules-based governance system and apply rights consistently. “Either we believe in rules or not, and if we do, then the rules need to be enforced,” she said, warning against selective enforcement of laws and human rights standards.

On prison oversight, Sekgoma said detainees retain fundamental rights even when their liberty is restricted. “We cannot pick and choose which human rights should be applicable,” she said.

She also spoke on disability inclusion, saying impairment does not reduce a person’s dignity. “The loss of a limb or the loss of memory does not change the human nature of a person,” Sekgoma said.

On the proposed SADC PF Sexual Harassment Policy, she said protection from harassment was central to gender equality. “As we speak of women empowerment, gender parity or the absence of discrimination to amplify the voices of women, we must recall at all times that equality only starts when women are respected and valued,” Sekgoma said.

Sekgoma said recommendations from the joint session would be tabled before the next SADC PF plenary assembly. Speaking on behalf of SADC PF president Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, she thanked member parliaments, civil society and development partners for contributing to what she described as “an astounding success.”

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