Hon. Mathias Chikawe, in a group photo with Judges and Registrars of Labour and Industrial Courts from Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda after he officiated the Training.
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The
Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Hon. Mathias Chikawe (MP) yesterday
opened the Sub-Regional Gender Training for Labour and Industrial Court
Justices and Registrars in East Africa.
The
Training has been organized by International Labour Organization (ILO) and aims
at
sensitizing all relevant Labour and Industrial justices and Registrars on
gender issues and to better appreciate ILO standard setting function and
supervisory machinery. It is expected Justices and Registrars
attending
the training will have potential of enforcing national laws on gender
equality, handle gender related concepts and apply ILO standards efficiently.
The
training has brought together a total number of 29 Judges and Registrars from
Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda and experts from ILO and prominent scholars
on gender issues.
While giving a keynote address, Hon Chikawe commended the decision taken by ILO
to organise the workshop and that the training is unique because of what is said to be
happening in court rooms daily. He said the perception that Judges have
on gender issues has not been good. In many countries Judges have been blamed
for not being gender sensitive when they have cases that involve gender issues.
From Criminal cases to Civil cases, their attitude towards gender equality has
raised many questions whether gender forms part of their priorities. He
viewed this attitude as reflection of the gender gap that exists in
Court rooms which negatively affects the decisions handled by judges. He
viewed the training as aiming at bridging the gender gap knowledge that exists in
the judicial system.
As to
the workplace Hon. Chikawe emphasized that the workplace has
been identified as a major site of inequality between women and men, and
therefore a critical area in which efforts need to be intensified to
promote gender equality. He reminded the participants of the existence
of differential
treatment of Men and women at the work place, in issues of equal pay for men
and women when they perform the same job, in recruitment and promotion men are
preferred over women, gender related issues such as pregnancy are not
accommodated by employers, stereotype behaviors at the work place such as a
stereotypical assessment that women belong in the home while men work and
provide support affects women and often lead to sex discrimination in the
workplace.
Hon Chikawe emphasized the need for judges
and Registrars to understand clearly the concept of gender as a
cross-cutting socio-cultural variable. But also the need to have knowledgeable
Judges and Registrars who will deal with gender related cases at the work place
efficiently and effectively. Judges who appreciate issues of gender and gender
equality, judges who are updated on gender related Conventions, whether under
the ILO or UN, Judges whose decisions will be influenced by not only applying
domestic law but also persuaded by internationally recognized standards. With
these class of judges, victims of gender discrimination at the work place will
be assured of effective justice.
The
workshop is expected to end on the 11th of October 2013.
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