Gender

This is a collection of papers presented at the Harold Wolpe Trust's Colloquium on Masculinities, Crime and Violence. Elaine Salo, of the  African Gender Institute, University of Cape Town, presents:  ‘Ek’s ʼn ou’: The social and cultural construction of masculinities in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. Sasha Gear, from the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)presented "Productions of sex, gender and violence in South African men’s prisons" while Adelene Africa, from the Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town looked at "Violent women: Findings from a Sample of Female Offenders".

This paper was delivered at the British Council/HSRC conference, GENDER EQUITY IN EDUCATION, held in Cape Town in May 2004.  The paper examines gender in South African education,  focusing on approaches and defninitions and  putting score cards forward  on South African's  perfomance.

The Southern African HIV and AIDS and Gender Baseline Study is the most extensive study of its kind ever to be undertaken in the region. A corner stone of the Media Action Plan (MAP) on HIV and AIDS and Gender, the baseline study involved monitoring 37 000 news items in eleven countries of Southern Africa for a one month period. Among the wealth of information generated by this study is the fact that HIV and AIDS constitutes only 3% of total coverage in the region and that People with HIV comprise a mere 5% of news sources on the topic. The baseline study, conducted by the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) that leads the monitoring and evaluation leg of MAP, and Gender Links, responsible for the policy sub-sector of MAP, provides a key rationale for an ambitious programme to assist media houses in developing HIV and AIDS and Gender policies. MAP is led by the Southern African Editors Forum.

United Nations (UN) Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa, Elizabeth Mataka has challenged women to break the silence and stand up against harmful practices that have been perpetrating the spread of HIV/AIDS. Mrs Mataka said this in Lusaka yesterday as Zambia joined the rest of the world in launching the International Day Against Women violence and the first day of 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

Media development organisations have the opportunity, through the kind of work they do and topics they cover, to lead by example in showing that gender is intrinsic to free speech, citizen participation, and progressive media practice and content.