Lanie Banks talks sixteen days of activism
Tororo, Uganda | LOUIS JADWONG | Ahead of the Sickle Cell Run set for Tororo on November 30th, Canadian-Ugandan rapper Lanie Banks has encouraged all community leaders and activists to engage heavily in 16 days of activism to be marked from 25th November to December 10th 2024.
He explained that engagement in the 16 days of activism is in accordance with the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, is considered the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women’s rights.
Banks stressed that Ugandans need to urgently address GBV, SGBV and Gender Equality constraints and obstacles in order to enhance further the advancement and empowerment of women all over the world. “This requires urgent action in the spirit of determination, hope, cooperation and solidarity, now and to carry us forward into the next century,” Banks stated.
Lanie Banks challenged Ugandans to be vigilant and stop fearing to report physical violence, emotional violence and economic violence in homes and communities. The rapper used the Rebecca Cheptegei incident as an example to illustrate the types of violence.
“We need to educate the girl child about the rights guaranteed to her under all international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, legislation enacted for her and the various measures undertaken by both governmental and non-governmental organizations working to improve her status,” Banks said.
” We should educate women, men, girls and boys to promote girls’ status and encourage them to work towards mutual respect and equal partnership between girls and boys. Facilitate the equal provision of appropriate services and devices to girls with disabilities and provide their families with related support services, as appropriate.”
Lanie Banks called upon the Government to take steps to integrate functional literacy and numeracy programmes, particularly for out-of-school girls in development programmes, He aded that there is need to promote human rights education in educational programmes and “include in human rights education the fact that the human rights of women and the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights.”
Banks urged an increase in enrolment and efforts to improve retention rates of girls by allocating appropriate budgetary resources and
This can be done, Banks went on, by enlisting the support of the community and parents through campaigns and flexible school schedules, incentives, scholarships, access programmes for out-of-school girls and other measures.
” We need to develop training programmes and materials for teachers and educators, raising awareness about their own role in the educational process, with a view to providing them with effective strategies for gender sensitive teaching.
Banks said there is need to take actions to ensure that female teachers and professors have the same possibilities and status as male teachers and professors. This in addition to providing education and skills training to increase girls’ opportunities for employment and access to decision-making processes.
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