Vara excited for the amazing opportunities

I have been so blessed to have several amazing and surprising experiences on this trip so far. For example, today I went to Parliament and sat in on a media release of the Parliamentary Budget Office; a once in a life time opportunity for sure.

Vara visits Parliament

Absolutely I enjoyed sitting in on the launch and getting a lite lunch after, but I really am most thankful for my new internship that allows me this opportunity. I have been at the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) for two weeks now and have already gained visibility to so much. I appreciate the positive work environment and the goals of the commission. Being a chapter 9 institution, the main goal of the CGE is to strengthen constitutional democracy in South Africa. We do exactly that. I have learned about our new initiatives and legislation to protect gender equality for all citizens. We have a department to deal with Parliamentary matters, a Research department, a Legal Department and a Public Education and Information department. Even though we are designed to be a sort of checks and balances system for the constitution on the basis of gender equality, we also are an NGO or non-governmental organization. Being independent gives us the freedom to voice our opinions in a more public context. And voicing our concerns is what drives the organization.

Another interesting fact that CGE touches upon a lot is the idea of interdependent rights violations. This problem all goes back to our discussion at our human rights weekend. Interdependent rights are those rights that link to one another and in order to have one right you must also have the other. I see this often with the Commission for Gender Equality. In one of the meetings I was listening to, the commission was discussing economic rights and how women of poverty often face other violations such as basic civil rights and socio-economic rights like the right to land. This leads to gender based violence and abuse in general. This is an issue I am finding to be very interesting and I am going back to Parliament on the 5th of March to sit in on a discussion on Gender Based Violence and their initiatives to resolve it. I am really excited and definitely lucky that I have these amazing opportunities to diversify my knowledge.