Mozambique: Citizens march against higher telecommunications fees
Photo: O País
Graça Machel says that it is imperative to dismantle organisations that oppress women and limit their development. “It is necessary to change people’s mentality when it comes to valuing women,” the social activist points out.
Graça Machel and Milagre Nuvunga, two women in social intervention, sat side by side in Maputo on Monday to debate the barriers that women face to their development, in an audience mostly made up of women who know well its challenges.
That’s why Maria, a participant in the event speaking from the audience, concluded that the suffering of many women is seen by many, even by those who should defend them.
“And the others who suffer, who will suffer this same issue, this same problem, how will they feel if they see a woman not being protected by the law? Did you see a woman being taken from the workplace where she received her salary to be punished again in a home from where she was chased away? The law did not protect her,” Maria said.
Milagre Nuvunga, an environmental engineer, considers that the first action, above all, must be that of the government, in the application of the many existing laws, five-year plans or even protocols to which the country is a signatory.
“Mozambique has many such beautiful laws. So, here is my appeal. Let us make this achievement count, which is ours. Let’s move from design to implementation. The laws exist. If they were met, we wouldn’t be where we are. Women wouldn’t be where they are.”
Nuvunga calls for everyone’s involvement in protecting women.
“We can say that, in Mozambique, development actions take place in almost the entire country. However, even where investments take place, they never cover everyone equally. Therefore, it is important that all economic agents from the government, private sector, civil society, etc., ensure that investments are truly inclusive. We are not just based on numbers, but on the quality of engagement at the acquired agency,” she said.
Social activist Graça Machel argued that it is necessary to fight those who fight women and this must start with the organizations that deal with these issues.
“I want to say that, in our work, we must also seriously consider the dismantling of institutions that oppress women and also work on the minds of the men, for them to accept walking side by side in an equal space with women.”
Regarding the transformation of minds, Graça Machel cited a case in which a certain man had several wives and none of them had their rights respected, and he was educated, with a bachelor’s degree, which is why, Machel pointed out, mentalities do not change just because a person has a degree of higher education.
“No. Mentalities have to change in all of us, in the countryside, in the city, at various levels where we are. It’s a long-term struggle, but the issue of patriarchy must always be associated. We carry out transformative actions in women’s lives, because that’s where the evidence comes from that women not only have the same human dignity, they have the same achievement capabilities, they even have the same transformative capabilities.”
But, for this to happen, there are barriers that need to be removed, known or not, intentional or not.
“It may be that the structures are not adequate, it may be that people’s mentality still does not allow them to value women’s place in the promotion and development of different sectors. They can also be obstacles at a social level, social norms. So, we are not necessarily saying that someone is oppressing another. We want to say that there are structural obstacles to systems, mentalities and even what are called our norms and traditions.”
The second edition of the Women in the Economy conference aimed to reflect on the actions necessary to accelerate political, social and cultural transformations towards a fair and egalitarian society.
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