UN Women Cote d’Ivoire, in partnership with the pan-African media “Le Monde Afrique,” organised a debate on “Africa at the centre of the game” at the Agora in Koumassi, a commune in the south of Abidjan.
At the debate, UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, presented the UN organisation’s vision of gender equality in sport.
For UN Women, gender equality in sport should provide women and girls with “equal access to sport opportunities at all levels, from grassroots participation to high-level competition.” This includes access to facilities, resources and training.
The institution advocates equal treatment, emphasising the principle that women and men should be treated equally in sport in terms of pay, media exposure and financial support.
It also supports the elimination of gender stereotypes that exist in the world of sport, with the aim of putting an end to prejudices that may limit women’s participation in certain sporting disciplines or prevent them from taking leadership roles in sport.
This applies to sports federations, Olympic committees and other sports organisations. UN Women also works to prevent sexual violence and harassment in sport.
According to Seyni Seck, President of the Women’s Football Commission of the Senegalese Football Federation and UN Women Sport and Gender Influencer, “sport is the best way to promote gender equality.”
“Women have their place, whether on the pitch or in administration. I used the difficulties I went through to become a footballer to become a member of the administration of the Senegalese Football Federation,” she said.
“We had talent, but there was a lack of harmonisation because women weren’t given any importance in women’s football and most of the resources were used for men,” she added.
“So, I set out to change things, and the proof is that 10 years on, the Senegalese women’s team have qualified for the finals, something that was unthinkable before,” she continued. Today, the women’s football committee is made up entirely of women.
For her part, Clémentine Touré, coach of the Cote d’Ivoire women’s team, pointed out that female athletes “are trying with CAF to change the image of women(s football (because) we often talk about women(s football or men(s football, when there is only one kind of football.
“If we can get people to accept that football, like other sports and any other sport, is played by women in the same way as men, I think we can change things,” she said.
UN Women was created to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women around the world. In Cote d’Ivoire, UN Women is focusing on certain priority areas.
These include women’s leadership in governance, political participation, economic empowerment, combating violence against women and girls, peace and security, and gender in humanitarian action.
AP/lb/abj/APA