REGIONAL INDIC ATIVE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PL AN 4 5 livestock, credit and modern technology. In addition, Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children. It women have limited access to adequate health facilities, reaffirms the commitment of SADC Member States to the formal education and employment, and are over prevention and eradication of violence against women represented in the informal sector where returns are and children in the region, and contains the following extremely low and unreliable. Moreover, laws exist in major elements: most Member States, which restrict women's legal • capacity, and have a direct bearing on women's income earning capacities. children is a violation of fundamental human rights; • In order for SADC to achieve its poverty reduction and eradication objectives, its policies and strategies should a recognition that violence against women and an identification of the various forms of violence against women and children in SADC; • address these gender gaps. a concern that the various forms of violence against women and children in SADC continue to increase, and a recognition that existing measures are inadequate; and 3.6.1.2 Review of Current Policies and Strategies • recommendations for the adoption of measures in a There are a number of instruments, which provide the number of areas. overall policy framework for the achievement of gender A third policy instrument is the 1999 Plan of Action for equality at regional level. These include the Declaration Gender in SADC, which seeks to operationalise the commit- on Gender and Development, its Addendum on the ments contained in the Declaration and Addendum. The Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women Plan outlines a number of objectives, strategies and and Children, and the Plan of Action for Gender in SADC. activities in the following areas: The 1997 Declaration on Gender and Development • gender policy and institutional frameworks; (GAD) recognises gender equality as a fundamental • women's human rights; human right, and that the mainstreaming of gender issues • access to economic structures and control of resources; into the SADC Programme of Action and Community • politics and decision making; Building Initiative is key to the sustainable development • peace and stability; of the SADC region. As a result, the Declaration commits • gender capacity building and training; SADC Member States to the following, among others: • dissemination of information and networking; and • • coordination of SADC participation and position at The achievement of at least 30% target of women in political and decision making structures by 2005; African and Global events. • the reform of discriminatory laws and social practices; Following the adoption of the 2001 Report on the • the promotion of women's full access to, and control restructuring of SADC institutions, the Plan of Action for over productive resources such as land, livestock, Gender in SADC was revised, and a Framework of markets, credit, modern technology, formal employ- Activities developed, which envisages three broad ment, quality education, reproductive and other health strategic objectives for the SADC gender programme. services; These include gender mainstreaming, which covers all an integrated approach to deal with the issue of sectors as clustered into the directorates; coordination violence against women; and outreach; and monitoring the implementation of the the cultivation and promotion of a culture of gender SADC GAD Declaration and Addendum, as well as other equality in SADC and respect for the Human Rights of regional, continental and global gender equality Women; and instruments. • • • facilitating the achievement of gender equality in access to economic structures and control of resources. 3.6.1.3 The second policy instrument is the 1998 Addendum Evaluation of Current Policies and Strategies to the GAD Declaration, entitled the Prevention and The policy documents discussed above cover a wide area