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Luul Gebreab on Eritrean Women – VOA Tigrinia - A prominent Eritrean woman
has expressed pride in the significant role her countrywomen played in the
30-year struggle for independence from ****Ethiopia****. Eritrea became a
separate nation in 1991.****
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http://eastafro.com/Post/2012/06/29/audio-luul-gebreab-on-eritrea-women-voa-tigrinia/
****
*[image: Audio: Luul Gebreab on Eritrean Women – VOA
Tigrinia]<
http://eastafro.com/Post/2012/06/29/audio-luul-gebreab-on-eritrea-women-voa-tigrinia/>
*
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http://www.voanews.com/tigrigna/news/Eritrean-Women-160728045.html*
*
*
Luul Gebreab on ****Eritrea**** Women – VOA Tiginia****
A prominent Eritrean woman has expressed pride in the significant role her
countrywomen played in the 30-year struggle for independence from ****
Ethiopia****. ****Eritrea**** became a separate nation in 1991.****
** **
Luul Gebreab, president of the National Union of Eritrean Women, said
despite documented successes, more needs to be done to improve the status
of women.****
Experts say ****Eritrea**** women formed about 30 percent of the country’s
fighting army during the independence struggle. This, Gebreab said, led
many men to change their views about the role of women in what is
considered to be a male-dominated society.****
** **
“The Eritrean woman [like those in] any other patriarchal society had to
fight during [the struggle] against Ethiopian colonialism and also against
the patriarchal society that existed,” said Gebreab.****
She credits the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) for creating the
necessary environment for women's empowerment. She said the move was a
catalyst for women to fight for their rights as well as for liberation of
their country.****
** **
Gebreab said her organization is working to achieve social justice for
women and to elevate their status.****
“We have been working to first change the political scenario whereby women
can have equal status in the different decision making roles starting with
the household, community, and the high echelons of government. Secondly, we
have been working to fight for the girl child to get an education, and the
third is the issue of women's health, especially reproductive health. The
fourth is the economic empowerment of women,” said Gebreab.****
** **
Official statics showed 80 percent illiteracy rates among women before
independence. But Gebreab said the government has helped reduce that figure
by half and is working to eliminate illiteracy altogether. She says women
are also making large strides in education.****
“If our women [had been] at the elementary and secondary level
non-existent, now they are at 40 percent at the secondary level and almost
50 percent at the elementary level,” said Gebreab.****
** **
But UNICEF reports a large gap remains between primary school enrolment
rates of boys and girls. According to the UN agency, 2008 data showed 69
percent of boys were enrolled in primary school, compared to 56 percent of
girls.****
Some observers also note very few ****Eritrea**** women are in cabinet
positions in government. They say the administration has yet to implement
an African Union proposal to guarantee women half of all available
positions in government.****
** **
But Gebreab said women are advancing economically and politically.****
“What we have achieved so far has been great because [of] where we were and
what changes have we achieved. [Even] if we have a few women at the high
echelons [of government] and [yet] their status at the grass root has not
changed, I really do not see this as [real] change in society,” continued
Gebreab.****
“We are working in parallel at the grass root level and at different
echelons of society. This is sustainable rather than having certain quota
at certain level and if you could not maintain it, what is the use of that?”
****
** **
Received on Sun Jul 01 2012 - 13:16:54 EDT
