By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
28 August 2025- On Friday, the North West Provincial Legislature will host the Women’s Sectoral Parliament under the theme: “Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”, at Legislature Auditorium in Mahikeng at 10am.
The North West Provincial Legislature’s objective of the sectoral parliament is to bring together policymakers, civil society, legal experts, community leaders, and young women in a multi-sectoral dialogue aimed at addressing teenage pregnancy, sexual reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and the legal and financial dimensions of the Marriage Bill Amendment in a holistic and impactful way.
The event also aims to create a provincial platform for women to discuss challenges and propose actionable solutions on teenage pregnancy, GBV, and marriage law reforms and promote legal literacy on the Marriage Bill Amendment, ensuring women understand the rights, responsibilities, and financial implications of marriage contracts.
“It further aims to amplify women’s voices by integrating personal testimonies, grassroots activism, and policy perspectives and strengthen advocacy for legislative reforms and programmatic interventions that protect and promote accessibility for sexual reproductive health for women and girls. It also intends to promote collaboration between women parliamentarians, civil society, and government departments for sustained change.
“Topics such as breaking the cycle of teenage pregnancy in the province, family planning and contraceptive access and integrating GBV into economic opportunities through government programmes, including types of marriage contracts, are expected to be discussed during the event.”
Meanwhile, about 200 women from the four districts of the North West Province including representatives from the Office of the Premier, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Department of Correctional Services, South African Human Rights Commission, South African Police Services will attend the event.
The Guardian 