National Gender Report for the Elaboration of a Sub-Regional IOC Gender Strategy

Seychelles

National Gender Report for the Elaboration of a sub-regional IOC Gender Strategy

September 2008

GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ______4 Acronyms______5 List of Tables and Figures______6 Executive Summary (in French)______7

Chapter 1: Context and Introduction 1.1 Introduction, Context and Objectives of Study______9 1.2 Methodology______9 1.3 Brief Country Profile______9

Chapter 2: Gender Profile – the Country in Figures 2.1 Table on human resources: capabilities______11 2.2 Table on economic resources: opportunities______12 2.3 Table on social resources: agency______13

Chapter 3: Evaluation of Gender Profile 3.1 Social Aspects - Capacity______14 3.1.1 Household composition______14 3.1.2 Education - general ______15 3.1.3 School Enrolment and National Educational Attainment______15 3.1.4 Curricula and Gender in Education______17 3.1.5 School Dropouts ______19 3.1.6 Health - general ______19 3.1.7 Birthweight of Infants, Stunting and Underweight - under 3 years of age ______19 3.1.8 Maternal mortality______20 3.1.9 Other women‟s health issues______0 3.1.10 Contraception ______22 3.1.11 Abortion ______23 3.1.12 HIV/AIDS and HIV Incidence 2003 to 2007 ______24 3.1.13 National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2005-2009 and Implementation of the Abuja Declaration__ 26 3.1.14 Gender norms that increase vulnerability to HIV ______28 3.1.15 Access to treatment with ARV for pregnant women and women generally ______29 3.1.16 Men as a vulnerable group______29 3.1.17 Gender-based violence______29 3.1.18 Support to Victims of Gender Violence______31 3.1.19 National Plan against Domestic Violence______32 3.2 Economic Aspects – Opportunities______33 3.2.1 Poverty ______33 3.2.2 Migration ______34 3.2.3 Trafficking ______35 3.2.4 SADC Trade Protocol (reduction of tariffs and enabling free movement of labour and capital within SADC countries)______35 3.2.5 Cost of living - Food prices etc ______36 3.2.6 Sectors that are fundamental to the economy ______37 3.2.7 Female and male labour force participation______38 3.2.8 Labour legislation ______40 3.2.9 Informal sector (cottage industries and bazars) ______41 3.2.10 Social services spending ______42 3.2.11 Economic policies______42

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3.2.12 Capacity for consistent application of gender perspective to policy decision-making in areas related to macro-economics, trade, employment and structural adjustment policies______44 3.2.13 Assessment of equity impacts ______44 3.2.14 Equality advocates in international trade policy discussions______44 3.2.15 Main environmental challenges and role of women ______44 3.2.16 Measures that exist to mitigate impact of climate change ______45 3.3 Political Aspects - Empowerment______45 3.3.1 Women‟s participation in politics ______45 3.3.2 Effects of administrative decentralization ______45 3.3.3 Access to justice ______46 3.3.4 Initiatives to promote women‟s leadership ______46 3.3.5 Religion and public life______47 3.3.6 Role of civil society ______47 3.3.7 Coordination mechanisms for NGOs______47 3.3.8 National and regional networks (to promote gender equality)______48 3.3.9 Concertation mechanism between civil society and government______48

Chapter 4: Analysis of national strategies for Gender 4.1 National Framework for the promotion of gender equality and parity______49 4.2 Sectoral strategies and gender______49 4.2.1 The Plan of Action for Gender Equality in Education 2002 - 2015______4.2.2 Domestic Violence Strategy______4.2.3 The Environmental Management Plan of Seychelles 2000 - 2010; Thematic area 1: Society, Population and Health (including Gender)______4.2.4 The National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy______4.2.5 Health Strategic Framework 2005-2010, Second Draft______4.3 Application of CEDAW and other international/legal instruments ______51 4.4 Summary of current national projects______52

Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1 Progress made, lessons learnt and gaps that still exist______53 5.2 Priority areas and recommendations______54 5.2.1 Women in decision-making ______54 5.2.2 Gender-based violence or Domestic violence ______55 5.2.3 Economic empowerment of women ______55 5.2.4 Food security______56 5.2.5 Gender-disaggregated data ______56 5.3 Examples of good practice and gender strategies ______58 5.3.1 Cottage industries______58 5.3.2 Concessionary credit agency______59 5.3.3 Health care for pregnant women______59 5.3.4 Education programme to improve the performance of boys at school ______60 5.3.5 Health information and data system______61 Annexes: 1. Terms of Reference 2. List of resource persons ______62 3. Population by Administrative Divisions______64 4. List of women‟s/gender associations ______65 5. Sample list of projects funded through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs______67 6. Copy of section on Gender mainstreaming, HRDP 1994- 2000______69 7. Bibliography ______74

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Acknowledgements

This report was prepared by Janick Brû Rosalie who wishes to thanks all those who in one way or another helped in providing information to put together this report. Their names appear in Annex 1. Apologies for any names that may have been overlooked!

Special thanks go to various people working in the following organisations or independently:

The UNDP Office in Seychelles which gave invaluable clerical and other office support The Gender Secretariat and various divisions in the Department of Social Development of the Ministry of Health and Social Development The UNRC Office in Mauritius, which was constantly present throughout the exercise The Indian Ocean Commission Secretariat which also hosted the Methodology Seminar at the end of August 2008 in Quatre Bornes, Mauritius The international consultant for the project, for her warm and friendly support The relevant authorities in Réunion for their welcome, and good food, during the regional validation workshop in December 2008, and last but not least, The other national consultants whose ideas were often very useful and who quickly became „comrades-in-arms‟!

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Acronyms

AGDI African Gender Development Index APSHF Association for the Promotion of Solid and Humane Families ARH Adolescent Reproductive Health ARV Anti-Retroviral ASFF Association of Solidarity for the Family AU African Union BIPA Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement CCA Common Country Assessment CCA Concessionary Credit Agency CDCU Center for Communicable Diseases Control Unit CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women COMESA Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa DP Democratic Party ECA Economic Commission for Africa EMPS Environmental Management Plan for Seychelles ESAEPA Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Partnership Agreement FAWE Forum for African Women Educationalists FBO Faith Based Organisation GDP Gross Domestic Product GEMSA Gender and Media Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ICPD International Conference on Population and Development ICT Information Communication Technology IOC Indian Ocean Commission IUCD Intra-uterine Contraceptive Device KAP Knowledge, Attitude and Practice LUNGOS Liaison Unit of Non-Governmental Organisation of Seychelles MOU Memorandum of Understanding NGO Non-governmental organisation NSB National Statistics Bureau PEP Post Exposure Prophylaxis PHC Primary Health Centre PSE Personal and Social Education SACMEQ Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality SADC Southern African Development Community SEnPA Small Enterprise Promotion Agency SIDS Small Island Developing State SNP Seychelles National Party SPPF Seychelles People‟s Progressive Front SR Seychelles Rupee STI/HIV Sexually Transmitted Infection/ Human Immunodeficiency Virus TOP Termination of Pregnancy YES Youth Enterprise Scheme YHC Youth Health Centre

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List of Tables and Figures

Table 1a: Household Size, 1987-2002 Table 1b: Dependency ratio in male headed and female headed households, 2002 Table 2: Seychelles Government Expenditure in Education, 2002 - 2006 Table 3: Crèche, Primary and Secondary School Enrolment by Sex, (Government and Private Schools) - March 2007 Table 4: Mid-2007 Estimated Population for ages 3 - 16 Table 5: Post Secondary Non-Tertiary Enrolment, 2007 Table 6: National Figures for Educational Attainment (%) by Gender, 2002 Table 7: Birthweights of Infants by Maternal Age for all Hospitals - 2006 Table 8: Maternal Mortality and Maternal Mortality ratio Table 9: Hospital admissions and length of stay by sex for 2007 Table 10: Reported cases of intentional self-harm or attempted suicide, 2006/2007 Table 10: Abortions by Age Group of Mother 2002-2007 Table 11: Abortions reported in wards in Seychelles, 1996 to 2006 Table 12: HIV Incidence, 2003 to 2007 Table 13: AIDS cases by age group and sex, 2003 to 2007 Table 14: Number of registered cases of spousal violence at the Family Tribunal Table 15a: Probation Services - Number of registered cases of self-referred clients for January to December 2007 Table 15b: Probation Services - Number of registered cases for January to August 2008 by sex Table 17: Labour Force Participation by Gender, 2002 Table 18 : Average Employment in Government and Parastatal Sectors by Industry and Sex, January - September 2007 Table 19 : Labour Force Participation (15 and above) by Sector, 2005 Table 20: Participation of women in various sectors of the labour force, 2007 Table 21: National Budget and Allocations to various Ministries - in million SR Table 22: Participation in District Administration by Gender

Figure 1: Status of births, 1990 to 2007 Figure 2: Reported income group of households by gender of head Figure 3: Net International migration by gender, 2000-07 Figure 4: Applicants for Cottage Industries since 2004

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Résumé Exécutif

Les lois et règlements qui existent au niveau national donnent à tous les citoyens des Seychelles, hommes et femmes, exactement les mêmes droits dans tous les aspects de la vie quotidienne - à l‟exception de circonstances ayant traits au rôle de la femme en tant que mère. Dans ces cas, la femme a droit à des égards spécifiques.

La République des Seychelles est un des rares pays où les femmes constituent la majorité (57%) des chefs de ménages. Il n‟est pas encore possible de déterminer de façon certaine les raisons pour lesquelles les femmes sont considérées, par elles-mêmes aussi bien que par les autres membres de la famille, comme étant à la tête des ménages.

Les statistiques montrent également que toutes les filles ayant l‟âge de la scolarité ont accès à l‟éducation et qu‟elles en profitent. A l‟école, elles ont, et ce depuis plusieurs années, de meilleures résultats que les garçons. Cette tendance se voit également aux niveaux secondaire et post-secondaire. Afin de rectifier cette situation, le Ministère de l‟Education a lancé un projet pilote qui veut mettre en place dans divers écoles des programmes de redressement visant à faire améliorer les performances scolaires des garçons. Le programme marche depuis le début de 2008 dans deux écoles secondaires et tout mène à penser qu‟il aura l‟effet escompté. Une évaluation préliminaire indique déjà qu‟il y a certains changements qui se font pressentir dans les résultats des garçons dans ces écoles.

Pour ce qui est des services de santé répondant aux besoins des femmes, on découvre que le pays a fait des progrès exceptionnels durant ces dernières décennies et que le taux de mortalité infantile est parmi les plus bas au niveau mondial - 10.7 pour 1000, pour l‟année 2007. Toutes les naissances ont lieu à l‟hôpital et les cas de décés de femmes durant l‟accouchement est un fait rarissime. Des services néo-nataux et post-nataux sont offerts gratuitement par les différents centres des services de santé. D‟autres services concernant la santé des femmes sont aussi mis à la disposition des femmes vivant aux Seychelles - par exemple, des cliniques de planning familial qui opèrent aux niveaux des districts, la possibilité de recevoir des conseils sur la contraception et même avoir accès à des contraceptifs gratuits ou bien des programmes de dépistages de cancer du sein ou du col de l‟utérus, entre autres.

Les Seychelles ont des services d‟un haut niveau répondant aux besoins des personnes atteintes du SIDA ou porteuses du virus. Les traitements anti-rétroviraux sont offerts gratuitement, depuis 2003, à tous ceux chez qui la maladie a été dépistée. Bon nombre de campagnes publicitaires et de programme de sensibilisation ont été lancés durant la dernière décennie. Néanmois, on continue a voir une augmentation dans le nombre de cas de personnes infectées surtout dans le groupe de personnes âgées de 15 à 54 ans. Même si la majorité des victimes sont des hommes, le nombre de femmes infectées restent relativement important.

Les femmes aux Seychelles représentent 47% de l‟effectif national au niveau de l‟emploi et de la main d‟œuvre. Les lois régissant l‟emploi au niveau national donnent à la femme 12 semaines de congé maternité aussi bien que 4 semaines de congé optionel non-payé a être pris avant et/ou après l‟accouchement. Ces lois préconisent également certaines exemptions concernant, entre autres, le travail de nuit après le sixième mois de grossesse ou la possibilité de faire des travaux moins lourds quand un certificat médical est presenté. Ces considérations interdisent une réduction de salaire dans de tels cas.

Il est a noter que les femmes participent d‟une façon ou d‟une autre à pratiquement tous les niveaux dans tous les secteurs économiques. Néanmoins, les données montrent qu‟elles perçoivent en moyenne, à peu près SR 400 de moins que les hommes, pour leur salaire mensuel. De plus, elles se retrouvent souvent dans des emplois qui exigent moins de compétences, qui sont moins bien rémunérés et où les possiblités de promotion sont plus ou moins limitées. Elles

7 GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB forment aussi la majorité des personnes qui dépendent d‟une aide financière de l‟état pour pouvoir survivre (means testing).

Plusieurs programmes de micro-financement mis en place par le gouvernement favorise l‟accès au crédit et permettent, aux femmes surtout, la possibilité de se lancer dans une activité productrice tout en restant chez elles. Cela veut dire qu‟elles peuvent mieux gérer leur temps afin de s‟occuper aussi de leurs familles et de leurs tâches ménagères (ceci étant encore, dans la plupart des familles, la responsabilité de la femme). Elles sont de plus en plus nombreuses aux Seychelles a se rendre compte des avantages de cette façon de travailler et à en profiter. Il est à espérer que l‟éventail des catégories d‟activités couverts par ces divers programmes s‟élargira avec le temps.

Les données indiquent aussi qu‟il existe de plus en plus des cas de violence domestique. Il n‟est pas encore possible de déterminer les raisons de l‟augmentation des cas. Il se pourrait qui le nombre de cas augmentent réellement, mais il se pourrait également que grâce au travail accompli par différentes organisations au cours des années, de plus en plus de personnes victimes de violence à la maison se sentent prêtes à rapporter de tels cas au lieu de les garder cachés. Le pays s‟est récemment doté d‟une politique nationale contre la violence domestique qui s‟applique à travers une stratégie et des activités qui englobent tous les acteurs concernés : la police, le système judiciaire, les responsables des différents départements qui s‟occupent de la question, les ONGs et les médias.

En ce qui concerne la participation des femmes dans les instances de décision, les Seychelles montre, au niveau exécutif, au niveau législatif et au niveau administratif, une présence féminine plus elevée que dans la plupart des pays de la région. Il est quand même intéressant de prendre note du fait que le pourcentage des femmes dans ces différentes instances n‟a pratiquement pas changé depuis plus de 15 ans.

Presque toutes les personnes rencontrées durant cet exercise pensent qu‟il n‟existe pas de problème dans les relations de genre aux Seychelles. La plupart des rapports officiels ne font pas mention du sujet. Malgré tout, nous notons une augmentation dans les cas de violence domestique, des statistiques qui semblent indiquer une plus grande pauvreté chez les femmes en général et le fait que la participation des femmes dans les instances de décision reste inchangée au cours des années, de façon presque artificielle . Nous notons également des problèmes qui affectent de plus en plus les hommes et les garçons, une scolarité plus difficile et plus courte en général, des problèmes de santé plus graves et, comme dans beaucoup d‟autres pays avec des niveaux de vie similaires, une espérance de vie plus courte.

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Chapter 1: Introduction and Context

1.1 Introduction, Context and Objectives of Study

The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) does not have a clearly defined gender policy and strategy, despite the fact that the members of the Commission have taken on board the Millenium Development Goals and subscribe to various gender programmes elaborated by regional groupings such as SADC or COMESA.

The IOC has recently facilitated the establishment of a network of women entrepreneurs (Entreprendre au Féminin) which includes associations from the 5 country members. Nonetheless, it is felt that a formal commitment to gender equality and parity at a political level within the Commission, is long overdue.

The IOC secretariat has therefore initiated an exercise towards the development of a draft policy in gender that will be presented at the IOC Council of Ministers meeting in 2009. This is being done in conjunction with several international organisations as described in the Concept Note for the project. These organisations are the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in Mauritius, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Office in Madagascar and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Regional Office in South Africa.

The first part of the project included :

Collecting relevant and pertinent documentation in order to carry out an assessment of the situation regarding gender in each of the participating countries Comparing the situation with standards and objectives that have been set regarding gender equality and equity in order to determine some of the gaps that exist, and Identifying responses made by the state and its partners, civil society, NGOs - in particular women‟s associations, and best practices where these exist.

Information from the national reports are to serve as the source of information to create a regional report establishing the basis for a regional gender strategy.

1.2 Methodology

National consultants were recruited initially for a 30-day (non-consecutive) assignment to carry out the exercise. This period was eventually extended by 10 working days to cover the finalisation of the various reports and the regional validation workshop. The terms of reference for the assignment can be found at Annex 1.

The information presented in this report was gathered firstly, through secondary data collection from reports, files, statistical bulletins and other documents, as described in the terms of reference for the assignement and secondly, through brief personal or telephone interviews to supplement or clarify information gathered although in some cases the primary data thus collected, though minimal, was the only data available.

The first step was to gather all documents pertaining to gender in the Seychelles. Key organisations concerned with gender were contacted by telephone and by email and requests were sent to them based on the template designed for the national reports in all 5 member countries of the IOC. It was also at times necessary to meet with various individuals within theses organisations to facilitate the process of getting the information needed. (Annex 2)

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In view of the fact that the information in the report is meant to be used for building a strategy, much of the data selected was chosen because they covered a period that was sufficiently long to show trends - usually a minimum of 3 to 5 years. Figures were also taken for whole years to facilitate statistical comparison. Figures for 2008 were used in some cases, but were not favoured overall as they covered only part of a year. (Work on the report started late July 2008.)

Some manipulation of statistics had to be done to present available information in a reader- friendly format. This was done in Excel.

1.3 Brief Country Profile

The Seychelles are composed of 115 islands spread over a territorial zone of 1.3 million square kilometers. The actual habitable land area is 455.3 square kilometers. The islands that have permanent settlements are Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. The country is divided in 7 regions and 25 administrative districts - see Annex 3. The information at Annex 3 is provided to place the figures quoted in the report in context.

According to recent estimates, the population of Seychelles has grown from 41,425 in 1960 to 85,032 in 2007 (NSB 2006/2007). These figures show that the population has doubled in the last 45 years.

The country has witnessed a rapid decline in total fertility rate which dropped from arount 7 in 1966 to 4.2 in 1980. It is currently 2.1 (replacement level). From 98.2 in 1998, the sex ratio (males per 100 females) has increased to 103.1 in 2006.

The population of Seychelles is essentially Christian: 86.8% belong to the Roman Catholic Church, 6.8% to the Anglican Church, 2.5% to other Christian denominations and 4.1% to other faiths such as the Bahai Community, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism (Population and Housing Census 2002).

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Chapter 2: Gender Profile - the Country in Figures1

Sector/Theme Topic/concerns Indicator ♀ ♂ Total Enrolment rate Primary enrolment 110.1 109.9 110.0 Education (Statistical Abstract, Secondary enrolment 104.9 96.1 100.4 2006) Teritiary (general) enrolment Enrolment in ICT learning institutions/programmes Dropout rate Primary dropout Not Not significant significant Secondary dropout Not On the significant increase**

Tertiary dropout (no local tertiary institution) Literacy rate Ability to read and write 96 96 96 Primary school completed 95 94.8 94.9 Child health Stunting under 3 years of ND ND ND Health (Health age Information and Statistics Underweight under 3 years ND ND ND Section, 2007)*** of age Mortality under 5 years of 1.64 3.43 2.55 age („000) Life expectancy Life expectancy at birth (in 75.7 68.9 72.2 years)

Maternal Maternal mortality (per 0 ∕ Socialpower (capabilities) mortality 100,000) Access to safe % population with safe 87 water water supply Average distance to safe water (km or minutes) HIV (Health Information Prevalence (% of 15-49 age cohort 0.268 0.324 0.298 and Statistics Section, age-group pop.) 15-24 age cohort 0.514 0.638 0.579 2007)*** New infection 15-49 age cohort 0.026 0.035 0.031 rate (% of age- 15-24 age cohort 0.042 0.024 0.032 group pop.) Prevention of VT 15-49 age cohort 15-24 age cohort Access to 15-49 age cohort 100% 100% 100% treatment 15-24 age cohort 100% 100% 100%* Gender-based Violence Estimated incidence (all (see chapter 3 for detailed figures - cases can cases: psychological and be reported to Police/ Family physical, including sexual Tribunal/Probation-various sources and violence) various dates) # cases reported to police # cases leading to prosecution Notes: * Treatment is accessible to anyone diagnosed with HIV - free of charge, since 2003 ** Information presented as received. Might be interesting to find out why level dropouts is on the increase. ND = No data. The Department of Health is currently doing some work in this area. Sources: National Statistics Bureau, Department of Health, Department of Social Development, Ministry of Education

1 There were many excellent suggestions from the Seychelles national validation workshop participants as to the different types of information that could have been added to the tables, for example adding birthweight as opposed to stunting under 3 etc. It needs to be pointed out though that the research tool was identical for all 5 countries of the region - for the purpose of compiling similar information at national level in the 5 countries in order to get a regional picture. The tables have therefore not been modified.

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Sector/Theme Topic/concerns Indicator ♀ ♂ Total Income Wages Agriculture Civil service (information not Formal sector available at this point) (public and private) Informal Income Informal Small agricultural (not available) - able household to get only mean entreprise income as shown Remittances and below intra-household transfers Monthly mean income In Seychelles 2870.97 3292.95 3081.96

Rupees* (opportimities) Time use or employment % economically active population engaged in 47 53 100 market economic activities (as paid Figures based on results of employee, own-account or employer) the 2005 Labour Force % economically active population engaged in 45 55 100 Survey. (Figures from LFS in non market economic activities or as on domestic/care work is unpaid family worker in market economic minimal thus not activities

Economic Economic power significant.) Time spent or % economically active population engaged in active domestic, care and volunteer activities Means of production Access to credit (available to men and women irrespective of gender) (again - estimated figures Freedom to dispose over own income NA NA from 2005 Labour Force % of economically active population engaged 44 56 100 Survey) in private sector employment – and break down by sector (see pages 39/40) % of economically active population engaged 65 35 100 in public sector as civil servants % of economically active population engaged 42 58 100 in parastatal sector employment Food security % of households able Of the households able to meet calorie requirements, (figures based on to meet basic calorie what % are female headed households (ND) Household and requirements - 82% Of the households unable to meet calorie Expenditure Survey requirements, % are male headed households (ND) 2006/07) % of household income Data for female headed households (ND) spent on food purchase Data for male headed households (ND) - 21% Notes: * 1 US$ = 14 Seychelles Rupees (approx; rate based on daily published rates, November 2008. The monthly mean income will have changed as at 1st November 2008 with across the board salary increases in the public and parastatal sectors - part of the new economic reforms.)

NA - Not Applicable

Source: National Statistics Bureau

Sector/Theme Topic/concerns Indicator ♂ ♀ Total Public sector Executive Ministers 7 2 9 (all head (appointed) officeslisted as Mayors (appointed) 0 1 1 sources were Legislative Members of 25 8 33

contacted and parliament provided Judicial Magistrates 1 2 3 information - Higher court judges 8 0 8 August/September Decentralization Members of local 9 16 25

(agency) 2008) councils Senior positions in parastatal companies (there are 355 185 540 additionally 221 senior positions that are currently vacant - September 2008)* Ambassadors (appointed) 5 1 6 Civil society Senior positions in political parties 40 11 51 (all head Workers affiliated to trade unions 1325 3975 5300

Politicalpower officeslisted as Employers/professionals affiliated to employers´ ------sources were associations or professional syndicates* (not available contacted and by gender) provided Heads or managers of NGOs 36 31 67 information - Heads of community-based Associations 2 3 5 August/September associations dedicated to income 2008) generation or (in Seychelles all such economic organisations register as NGOs) empowerment Cultural association 6 3 9

Religious 6 1 7

Note: * These vacancies are due to measures being taken to downsize the public/parastatal sector. It is expected that the number of „vacancies‟ will be significantly higher by the end of 2008.

Sources: Department of Community Development, LUNGOS, Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Seychelles Federation of Workers Union, Headquarters of Democratic Party, Seychelles National Party, Seychelles People Progressive Front Chapter 3: Evaluation of Gender Profile

3.1 Social Aspects - Capacity

3.1.1 Household composition (What is the % of female headed households? What is the dependency ratio in male headed households and dependency ratio in female headed households? Is any data available on the relative vulnerability of male and female headed households and what does it show?)

According to the Household and Expenditure Survey of 2006/2007, about 57% of Seychellois households are headed by a woman. At the 2002 Population and Housing Census the figure of women-headed households stood at 49%.

According to the 2002 Census the total number of households in Seychelles is 20,993. The average size of a household is 4.0 nationally although a study carried out in 2006/2007 showed that a little more than half of Seychellois adolescents live in families where the household head is a woman who is single and is not yet 40 years of age and these households often have 5 or more members (ODEROI, 2007). Table 1a shows the progression in terms of population and households over a period of 15 years.

Table 1a: Household Size, 1987-2002 1987 1994 1997 2002 Population 68598 74331 75876 81117 Households 15118 17107 17878 20391 Household size 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.0 Source: Population and Housing Census, 2002

When the percentage of Seychellois female-headed households was queried, the National Statistics Bureau commented that while there are clear criteria for defining who the head of house is, very often the woman will state that she is the head because she carries the responsibility for the children (who may be hers but not her partner‟s, etc) or because she is the owner of the house or simply because she is the one talking to the census enumerator. This does not necessarily mean that she is a single head of household or that she bears the brunt of household expenditure.

Nonetheless, it would be interesting to study the reasons why so many households respond in this manner for the various surveys and why statistics show a trend for more households to describe themselves as „woman-headed‟.

The figures in Table 1b also show that female headed households have more dependants than male-headed households. This information is yet another clue that there may still be hidden gender inequalities that exist, but the type of data made available does not really allow a thorough investigation.

Table 1b: Dependency ratio in male headed and female headed households, 2002 Male headed Female headed Total household household Dependency ratio (per 448 556 502 1000 population) Source: Population and Housing Census, 2002

It is also interesting to note that as at August 2008, 62.4% of the people receiving means-tested help were women (Department of Social Development).

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3.1.2 Education - general (What cultural, religious and social factors have a heavy influence on girls’ participation rates in education? Is there is a concern that education may change girls’ attitudes and make them less desirable for marriage? To what degree is there recognition of the value of educating girls or women and is emphasis placed on 'traditional' subjects for them, or are they being encouraged to study subjects such as mathematics, science, ICT or business training? Responses to these quesries are provided under 3.1.2 and 3.1.3.

There are no religious, cultural or social factors preventing girls from following their basic education in the same manner as boys do. The Constitution of Seychelles guarantees access to education for males and females equally and the Education Act of 1983 provides for 9 years of compulsory schooling between the ages of 5/6 and 15/16. Compulsory schooling was extended to 10 years in 1991.

In Seychelles, children are offered 13 years of free education within a comprehensive, co- educational primary and secondary school system. As of March 2007, there were 32 crèches, 26 primary schools and 13 secondary schools. These also include 3 fee-paying private schools. There is also 1 special education school which caters to the needs of the disabled and 9 post- secondary, non tertiary institutions.

All schools follow centrally planned national curricula except for two of the three private schools, one of which is attached to an embassy. It should also be pointed out that schooling in many cases starts at the age of three and a half years in non-compulsory crèches.

Government expenditure in education has shown a regular and stable increase over time - as shown in the table below.

Table 2: Seychelles Government Expenditure in Education, 2002 - 2006 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Actual Expenditure (in million Seychelles Rupees) 157.1 161.7 165.8 170.7 196.8 Percentage of total Government 7.4 10.1 9.3 9.9 8.5 expenditure Note: 1US$ is currently equivalent to approx 10 Seychelles Rupees (middle rate)

Source: Statistical Abstract, 2006

Using the 2002 Population Census as a base, literacy rates for the population aged 12 years and above, are estimated at 96% for both sexes for 2005.

3.1.3 School Enrolment and National Educational Attainment

There is currently 100% enrolment in primary education, as reported by the Ministry of Education. Gender composition by age is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Crèche, Primary and Secondary School Enrolment by Sex, (Government and Private Schools) - March 2007 Female Male Total Crèche 1372 1463 2835 Primary 4367 4497 8864 Secondary 3918 3898 7816 Total 9657 9858 19515 Source: Statistical Abstract, 2006

The higher enrolment of males in crèche and primary reflects the composition of the population as shown in the mid-2007 estimated population figures (see Table 4). It is to be noted that the estimates are calculated based on data collected during the 2002 Population and Housing Census

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- this may explain the discrepancy between the estimates and the actual number of children enrolled in schools.

Table 4: Mid-2007 Estimated Population for ages 3 - 16 Age Female Male Total group 3 - 16 8812 9330 18142 Source: Statistical Abstract, 2006

In terms of performance of girls and boys in primary school, the SACMEQ study of 2005 shows that boys in the last year of primary (P6) consistently under perform in most subjects. Mean scores for boys and girls in reading and mathematics for example, showed that girls scored better than boys in both subject matters. The report indicates that this situation could be the result of streaming and that the „practice of streaming favoured girls getting into the top stream and produced a selection bias that contributed to the large gender differences in achievement between boys and girls‟ (Leste, et al/SACMEQ 2005).

Enrolment in secondary schools as at March 2007 was 7,816. This included 3,918 females and 3,898 males.

Enrolment in post secondary non-tertiary institutions for students aged 16 and above is as follows:

Table 5: Post Secondary Non-Tertiary Enrolment, 2007 Year Female Male Total 1st Year 756 698 1454 2nd Year 350 206 556 3rd Year 112 23 135 4th Year 55 17 72 Total 1273 944 2217 Source: Statistical Abstract, 2006

The post-secondary non-tertiary institutions include:

1. Seychelles Polytechnic 2. School of Advanced Level Studies 3. National Institute of Education 4. Seychelles Institute of Technology 5. Maritime Training Centre 6. Seychelles Agricultural and Horticultural Training Centre 7. Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Training College 8. National Institute for Health and Social Studies 9. International School

Regarding enrolment in these schools the 2007 national report for the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality (pp 22-23) had this to say:

“In spite of a policy of equal access to scientific, vocational and technical education, the rigid stereotyping of subject and career choices especially at the post secondary level is a cause of concern. Although statistics suggest that the number of girls accessing technical areas is on the increase, girls continue to be grossly under-represented in the technical and vocational areas in spite of their good academic performance and the open door policy and concentrated in areas related to the caring and supportive role.

From 2004 to 2006 the percentage of women studying maritime studies grew from 11% to 14%, with completion rates for both sexes remaining at an excellent 100% every year.

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In the Visual Arts, men concentrate in the fine arts and graphics, while women concentrate in fashion and textiles. In the three years between 2004 to 2006, the percentages of women enrolling in the first phase of the Seychelles Agricultural and Horticultural Training Centre have fluctuated from 30%, to 46%, to 23%. Although within the second phase of this year‟s course, women constitute a larger proportion of the total number of students continuing their studies (65%), indicating better academic achievement and completion rates by female students even in this male dominated domain.

In the National Institute for Education, the large majority of trainee students remain women, with the small number of men being concentrated at the secondary education level rather than primary level and in male-dominated subjects such as maths, science, physical education, history and geography. For example in 2006 women made up 100% of the students studying for a Diploma in Primary Education; 78% studying a Diploma in Secondary Education and 75% part-time courses. In the National Institute of Health and Social Studies (NIHSS), nursing remains entirely female dominated, between 2004-2006 only women enrolled on this course, while male students were present on every other course apart from nursing, with the largest numbers concentrated in emergency care, bio-medical science and environmental science. In the Business and Secretarial Studies Programme Area, the number of men studying accounting has risen from 25% in 2004 to 45% in 2006 although secretarial studies has remained a female dominated area, with only one man enrolled onto the course in 2006” (Gender Secretariat, 2007).

Table 6: National Figures for Educational Attainment (%) by Gender, 2002 Female Male Total No schooling 4.1 4.0 4.1 Primary 18.3 16.3 17.3 Secondary 30.6 29.2 29.8 National Youth Service 17.5 16.3 16.9 (NYS)1 Polytechnic/Vocational 19.9 19.2 19.4 University 2.5 4.3 3.4 Not reported 4.0 6.5 5.2 Note 1: Residential school introduced in 1981 and abolished in 1997.

Source: Population and Housing Census, 2002

Concerning cultural and social factors, the only published material that could be accessed (Benedict and Benedict, 1982) looked at gender relationships in the 70s and early 80s - the information while interesting from an anthropological point of view was deemed to probably be rather outdated, specially when one considers the rapid rate of development in the country. Another article was written in the late 90s by a local researcher in culture and anthropology but it was not possible to get a copy within the time set for the preparation of this report.

3.1.4 Curricula and Gender in Education (Is there a gender bias in curricula, reinforcing stereotypes about the roles of girls and boys? I.e. to what extent do schools themselves (teachers and school materials) reinforce notions of gender roles? Are there any specific measures implemented by schools to promote gender equality? Any specific examples of education on human and women´s rights?)

The following excerpts which are taken from the ICPD Country report (Social Development Division, 2003) give a thorough account of the various steps taken to mainstream gender in education and to build capacity:

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“Following the Beijing Conference, the Ministry of Education was one of the first national Ministries to set up a gender focal point in 1996 and appoint a Gender in Education Committee. The Gender in Education Committee played an active part in raising awareness of gender issues and developed an action plan to address the problems identified. The Gender Strategy and Action Plan (1996) consisted of a two- pronged strategy a) Gender sensitization and capacity building b) Mainstreaming gender in education. The combined actions of these two strategies contributed in meeting many of the objectives set in Beijing. In 1996, the Ministry launched a major sensitization programme with the help of a gender consultant funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Throughout 1996 and 1997, gender sensitization workshops were held for all categories of staff in education. Key groups of staff like curriculum developers, careers guidance teachers, Heads of Polytechnic Schools, teacher trainers and classroom teachers from all levels followed the sensitization programmes. In all, over 450 members of staff were targeted (and received training).

The content of programmes and teaching materials were screened for gender biases. Twenty-two staff in education were selected to follow intensive training of trainers courses and conduct gender sensitization programmes. A manual for the gender trainers was developed. In its efforts to build capacity for gender training, the Ministry established close links with the Seychelles Association of Women Professionals (SAWOP) and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) who funded the initial training of a small group of trainers and their participation at regional workshops.

Directors and Heads of Units in Education followed a course in Gender Planning and Management organised by the Ministry of Administration and Manpower in December 1996, to allow them to integrate gender into planning processes. This has had some positive results. Recent policy documents are gender responsive and recognise the differing needs of girls and boys. National Examination results and education statistics are now more systematically gender disaggregated so that the progress of both genders in education can be monitored and all disparities highlighted. Gender has been successfully integrated into the new Ministry of Education‟s Strategic Plan (ESP), initial teacher training programmes and major projects such as the school improvement programme.

The new Personal and Social Education (PSE) Programme, which is compulsory for all students, discusses family responsibilities and relationships in gender sensitive ways which are not limited by traditional roles and tasks. Accurate information on growth and development as normal processes for both boys and girls is given to students, and gender sensitive careers education and counselling are being introduced from very early ages. This will bring about attitudinal changes over time and help boys and girls develop new and stronger relationships based on respect and equality for both genders.” (pp 20-21)

In June 2001 the Gender in Education Committee carried out an audit in the following areas:

Gender sensitisation and training Capacity training/training of others Curriculum development/bias in textbooks Gender research Advocacy/publicity Links with others partners/agencies working with women/children Gender mainstreaming Gender resources/funding

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The Committee also conducted a FAWE-funded study on Differences in the Achievement of boys and girls in Primary School in 2001.

A Plan of Action for Gender Equality in Education 2002-2015, based on the results of the above audit was presented in 2002. Shortly after this, and according to reports collected by the researcher, there was a lull in terms of sustained activity in the area of gender within education. A contact person from the Ministry writes that “apart from a one-off activity every now and then the Gender in Education Committee has not been active for (about) 4 years”.

In 2008 a Gender Action Team (GAT) was set up to see to the implementation of an Action Research project on integrating gender into school and classroom practices in Secondary Schools. This project is being piloted in two secondary schools namely, Anse Boileau and Mont Fleuri. The project is funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat.

3.1.5 School Dropouts (Is there a policy to reduce the number of girls dropping out of school/education?)

Completion rates are generally high across the board and very few Seychellois girls drop out of school. Some policies have helped to bring this about. In 2002 for example, the education policy was changed to make it possible for a female student to attend classes while pregnant and to resume school after having given birth - although not at the same school for primary or secondary students.

An informal list prepared by the Students Welfare Unit of the Ministry of Education shows that for 2005 for example, there were 2 dropouts in Secondary 1, 13 dropouts in Secondary 2 and 22 dropouts in Secondary 3. Most dropouts tend to be boys and the reasons given usually have to do with a lack of interest in studies or substance abuse problems (alcohol or drugs).

3.1.6 Health - general

According to the Department of Health, their strategic framework is based on the Ministry‟s vision of health, the people‟s health concerns, the government‟s health policy, the prevailing health „landscape‟ inside the country and the macro-context outside, taking into special consideration the United Nation‟s Millenium Development Goals (Ministry of Health, 2005). In terms of concrete actions, Shamlaye et al (2004) state that “the health system in Seychelles has gone through dramatic changes in the past thirty years… Health improvement has been most marked in maternal and child health with infant mortality dropping from 50 per 1,000 live births in the 1960s to less than 10 in the mid-90s and maternal deaths becoming a rare occurrence.”

There are five hospitals: the main hospital and two smaller ones on Mahe, one on Praslin and one on La Digue. There are also 19 health centres located in various districts. For the last three decades all health services provided by Government has been free at the point of use although there is now talk of cost-sharing for some situations (Ministry of Health 2005).

3.1.7 Birthweight of Infants, Stunting and Underweight under 3 years of age

The following table gives the birthweights of infants2.

2 There was a request at the national validation workshop for the information on birthweight to be disaggregated by sex: such information is not currently available either from the NSB or the Health Information and Statistics Section. Getting the information elsewhere would have required intensive primary data collection -which was outside the scope of this 30-day assignment..

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Table 7: Birthweights of Infants by Maternal Age for all Hospitals - 2006 Maternal age (in years) Birthweight <15 15-19 20- 25-29 30- 35-39 40- 44+ Total (kg) 24 34 44 <1.000 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 1.000-1.499 0 3 3 5 3 3 1 0 18 1.500-1.999 0 7 6 4 8 5 0 0 30 2.000-2.499 2 20 24 31 27 115 5 0 124 2.500-2.999 0 66 93 105 68 24 11 0 367 3.000-3.499 1 79 161 163 113 49 9 0 575 3.500-3.999 0 30 67 84 66 31 7 1 286 4.000+ 0 6 13 17 19 11 1 0 67 All weights 3 12 369 409 305 138 34 1 1471 Source: Statistical Abstract, 2006

In response to a query regarding stunting and underweight for children under 3 years of age, a representative of the Department of Health wrote: (These issues) “are not problems in Seychelles, although we don‟t have national data yet to back it up. The main problem is obesity – people are eating too much!” On the other hand, the problem of obesity could also be an indication that the quality of food purchased and eaten causes a feeling of fullness but is not nutritionally balanced. In this case, obesity would be a sign of poverty rather than affluence. It is hoped that the work currently being done by the Department of Health will help to understand the situation better.

Children, after births, are routinely seen on a monthly basis up to the age of 1 year, thereafter every three months up to the age of 2 and then every six months up to the age of 4 (Govinden et al, 2004). The weight of the child is taken at each visit so that development can be monitored effectively. Unfortunately, this information has not been collected at national level although there is currently an attempt by the Family Health and Nutrition Section of the Department of Health to do this.

Research (Bovet et al, 2006) carried out on 23,459 pupils (several yearly cohorts) in crèches, primary and secondary schools show that the frequency of excess weight and obesity among children and adolescents has more than doubled between 1998 and 2004. According to the study this is due to a reduction of physical activity and an increase in the ingestion of foods with a high fat or sugar content. The survey report concludes: „To our knowledge, this is the most rapid increase in the prevalence of pediatric obesity reported in a developing country.‟

3.1.8 Maternal mortality (Is maternal mortality a serious issue? If so, briefly discuss the 3 delays that underpin maternal mortality (delay in recognizing problems, delay in getting to health facility, delay in being seen by health professionals.)

Free pregnancy tests are offered in the community health centres. When a woman tests positive for pregnancy she is referred to the Victoria hospital (main hospital in the country) where antenatal care clinics are held on a daily basis and services are also free of charge. First visits usually start at 8-12 week gestation, followed by monthly visits until Week 28. Thereafter visits are booked every two weeks until week 36. Women are routinely tested for anaemia, blood group, syphilis, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Tests and counselling for HIV are also offered and one report states that acceptance of the test is almost 100% (Gender Secretariat, 2007). If tested positive, a pregnant woman will be offered/given antiretroviral treatment.

All deliveries take place in hospital except where birth takes place before arrival. One midwife is usually assigned per patient. The hospital has air-conditioned labour suites, an obstetric operating theatre and equipment for external fetal monitoring. A small percentage of the births do take place in the small hospitals of Praslin and La Digue (Govinden et al, 2004).

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Table 8: Maternal Mortality and Maternal Mortality ratio 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Maternal deaths 1 1 1 0 0 Maternal mortality ratio 1 66.76 69.64 65.10 0.00 0.00 Note1: Maternal deaths per 100,000 Live Births Note 2: the Ministry of Health was merged with the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2007 to form the Ministry of Health and Social Development. References to documents produced prior to that date will have „Ministry of Health‟ as a source. References to documents and other information submitted/produced after that date will have „Department of Health‟ as a source.

Source: Health Information and Statistics section, Department of Health

As can be seen from the above, maternal mortality is very low in the Seychelles. This is probably due to the early availability of free health services for pregnant women which makes it possible to take corrective steps in time when a woman‟s health is threatened. Moreover, this approach ensures that virtually no births occur unsupervised, outside the hospital.

The same services, free at the point of use, are provided to all pregnant women regardless of socio-economic background. There are no private hospitals or clinics offering services for deliveries up to now.

3.1.9 Other Women‟s health issues (What other women´s health issues (apart from reproductive and sexual health) are critical and how does the government respond to these (e.g. cancer screening, malaria, TB and infectious disease programmes)?

General gynecological services are offered on the following basis:

Specialist outpatient clinics – Daily 8.15 am to 12 noon by appointment Menopause clinic – Mondays 1 pm to 4 pm by appointment Colposcopy clinic – Tuesdays 1 pm to 4 pm by appointment Infertility clinic – Thursday 9 am to 12 noon by appointment Ultrasound clinics – Daily 8.30 am to 12 noon & 1 pm to 4 pm by appointment

Besides these, there are special sessions on Tuesday mornings in coordination with the Child Protection Unit and with the Youth Health Centre.

Gynecological consultations are also held during the specialist‟s visit to the regional health centers fortnightly. And as reported by the Department, emergencies are seen round the clock.

Pap smear screening is performed for all women at the Primary Health Centres (under Family Planning services) and at Victoria Hospital. The researcher was also informed by officials of the Department of Health that “women attend for yearly screening for cervical and breast cancers and they are referred to specialists if there are any abnormalities.”

The number of cervical cancer screenings for 2003 to 2007 are as follows:

2003 = 5,068 2004 = 5,153 2005 = 4,540 2006 = 4,534 2007 = 4,698

(To put the above figures in context, the female population aged 15+ is 23,360 while the female population aged 30 to 60 is 17,062.)

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Regarding infectious diseases, the disease causing the most concern at present is leptospirosis - but again, according to the figures from the Department of Health, there are more men than women affected.

There is no malaria in Seychelles and there are very rare cases of tuberculosis.

Regarding hospital admissions and stay, we note that for 2007 fewer women were admitted in hospital as compared to men but their stay was longer - as shown in the following figures:

Table 9: Hospital admissions and length of stay by sex for 2007 Hospital admissions Psychiatric services Male Female Male Female Occupied bed nights 3766 2979 2917 1448 Admission 969 721 389 167 Average length of 3.87 4.13 7.50 8.67 stay

Source: Health Information and Statistics Section, Department of Health

The breakdown of figures on reported cases of intentioanl self-harm (see Table 10) show that there are many more women than men who attempt suicide and that these women belong predominantly to the 15-34 age group.

A suicide attempt is widely recognized as being a call for help and in this context, the number of attempted suicides by females is a sign of underlying problems, possibly gender related, that are not being dealt with. It is not possible within the limits of this study to investigate the matter further.

Table 10: Reported cases of intentional self-harm or attempted suicide, 2006/2007 2006 2007 Age group Male Female Total Male Female Total 10-14 1 6 7 2 11 13 15-19 9 29 38 14 30 44 20-24 5 22 27 4 13 17 25-29 8 19 27 7 14 21 30-34 5 15 20 5 8 13 35-39 3 4 7 6 2 8 40-44 2 5 7 2 6 8 45 and 4 2 6 3 7 10 above Total 37 102 139 43 91 134 Source: Health Information and Statistics Section, Department of Health

3.1.10 Contraception (To what degree is contraception freely and readily available? To what degree are women able to make decisions about their reproductive and sexual health?)

Contraceptive services are available free of charge at all government health centres and at the Youth Health Centre to any person over 18 years of age provided they have no contra-indication for the method. Those below 18 require parental/guardian consent or a doctor‟s prescription. Services include counselling and the possibility to choose from a variety of contraceptives: pills, injections, intra-uterine devices, skin patches and condoms. No spousal consent is required for women to use any contraceptive method or to attend CDCU, Family Planning or gynae clinic. Whenever there is any objection from partners, women find their ways of attending and obtaining services without their spouses knowledge.

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The Association for the Promotion of Solid and Humane Families (APSHF), an NGO attached to the Roman Catholic Church which provides support to families, offers the possibility to train in, and use, natural rhythm contraceptive methods.

Despite the fact that most Seychellois belong to the Roman Catholic Church, use of contraceptives is widespread and is not frowned upon amongst the population.

According to information from the Department of Health, the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) was 35% for 2006 and 44% for 2007. The majority of women use pills (64%), followed by injectables (20%) and IUCDs (5%). A Draft Reproductive Health Policy for Seychelles is currently being finalised and should be available before the end of 2008.

Family planning services are also available at all primary health centres (PHC) and the Youth Health Centre at English River. Additionally counselling is offered at Victoria Hospital after a miscarriage or delivery. Counselling for women with an unwanted pregnancy is also available.

3.1.11 Abortion (Is abortion legal? What is the position of the government on this? What is the position of the women´s movement on this?)

The Termination of Pregnancy Act 1994 only allows for termination up to the twelfth week of gestation on health grounds as determined by three medical practitioners on the Termination of Pregnancy Board. If the abortion is authorized (Termination of Pregnancy - TOP) it will be carried out by medical personnel in the hospital. On the other hand, statistics show that many women, in particular younger ones, report to the health services with complications related to an abortion.

Table 11: Abortions by Age Group of Mother 2002-2007 Age- 200 Group 2002 2003 2004 2005 6 2007 10-14 2 7 4 1 3 5 15-19 59 75 74 71 71 69 20-24 81 93 90 83 98 92 25-29 107 111 92 94 99 108 30-34 113 68 84 91 90 86 35-39 70 56 62 56 56 54 40-44 26 30 28 14 26 30 45-49 2 0 1 3 0 2 TOTAL 460 440 435 413 443 446 Source: Health Information and Statistics Section/Division of Health System Development, Department of Health

Table 12: Abortions reported in wards in Seychelles, 1996 to 2006 Year All abortions All known All abortions Termination % of „other‟ pregnancies as % of of abortions pregnancies pregnancies (naturally (authorized) occurring, unauthorized,etc) 1996 378 1989 19.0% 80 79% 1997 372 1847 20.1% 79 79% 1998 411 1823 22.5% 105 74% 1999 536 1995 26.9% 133 75% 2000 495 2018 24.5% 124 75% 2001 455 1895 24.0% 114 75% 2002 460 1941 23.7% 88 81% 2003 440 1938 22.7% 66 85% 2004 435 1891 23.0% 57 87%

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2005 430 1966 21.9% 60 86% 2006 446 1913 23.3% 60 87% Source: Health Information Section, Division of Planning, Research and Information, Ministry of Health

Even though statistics indicate that the total number of terminations approved by the TOP board is generally decreasing, the total number of abortions has continued to grow. Statistics also show that this is a particularly serious problem affecting girls and young women aged under 24 years, as incomplete and septic abortions represented 61% of the total number of all abortions conducted on female patients in this age group in 2005. The high proportion of incomplete and septic abortions in proportion to the TOP abortions indicates that there may be a high incidence of illegal abortions - many requiring hospital aftercare or emergency treatment (Gender Secretariat, 2007). Figures presented above only reflect cases that are either reported to health centres and hospitals, this is probably an indication that total actual figures may be considerably higher.

There is no hard data regarding the number of illegal abortions that take place in any given year, on the other hand there are numerous anecdotes which also report the use of various methods: use of concoctions made from boiling a combination of local plants or more frequently now, pills that provoke contractions thus causing an abortion.

Regarding the position of women‟s organisations on abortions - a question was asked of all the women‟s NGOs which could be reached prior to the writing of this report. Most answered that they tended to concur with the official position. Two NGOs stated that things needed to be revised in view of the high number of unsafe abortions being discovered by the health services - indicating that there are many others which never get to be known.

One women‟s NGO affiliated to the Roman Catholic Church exists to defend the right to life of a foetus: Les Li Viv (Let It Live). The large majority of practising Catholics in Seychelles explains much of the thinking in regard to abortion.

3.1.12 HIV/AIDS and HIV Incidence 2003 to 2007 (Are there differences between women and men in rates of sexual transmission of HIV? What groups are most at risk? See also section 3.1.3.8. In what ways is gender-based violence an important factor in HIV transmission?)

In 2003 a study on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP study) regarding STIs, HIV and AIDS in Seychelles found that although the estimated prevalence of HIV among the general population is less than 1%, the number of HIV cases has increased exponentially since 1987 when the first HIV case was diagnosed. The study also found that 99% of the respondents had heard about HIV and AIDS and 46% knew someone infected with the disease or who had died from the disease.

Women were found to be more aware than men regarding a number of facts, for example that abstention from sex was a protection from HIV infection or that an infected pregnant woman could transmit HIV to the newborn or that HIV transmission can occur through breast feeding. While both males and females knew where to go for a confidential HIV test, results showed that females had more frequently been tested than males. As is also referred to later, the female to male prevalence of HIV infection in Seychelles at the end of 2002 was at 45% to 55% respectively (Ministry of Health, 2005).

The study mentions family instability and an inappropriate educational system as factors that have contributed to the spread of HIV in Seychelles.

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Table 133 shows the incidence of HIV in Seychelles from 2003 to 2007 by age group. Further research is needed to disaggregate this information in order to know the rates of sexual transmission as opposed to transmission through needle use. The health system is known for rigourously screening blood that is to be used for transfusions.

Table 13: HIV Incidence, 2003 to 2007 Age Group 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 TOTAL Both (Years) M F M F M F M F M F M F sexes <5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 - 9 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 10 - 14 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 15 - 19 2 0 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 8 5 13 20 - 24 1 1 1 0 3 1 0 2 2 2 7 6 13 25 - 29 3 2 2 3 2 4 4 2 2 2 13 13 26 30 - 34 1 3 3 0 5 5 4 2 3 3 16 13 29 35 - 39 1 0 4 1 2 4 3 2 8 1 18 8 26 40 -44 2 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 3 2 11 10 21 45 - 49 0 0 1 0 1 2 5 0 2 3 9 5 14 50 & + 2 0 2 1 2 5 3 3 5 3 14 12 26 Total 13 7 16 7 20 25 25 17 26 17 100 73 173 Both sexes 20 23 45 42 43 173 Source: Centre for Communicable Diseases Control Unit (CDCU), Ministry of Health

Table 14: AIDS cases by age group and sex, 2003 to 2007 Age-Group 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 TOTAL Both (Years) M F M F M F M F M F M F sexes <1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 -14 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 15 - 24 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 4 1 5 25 - 34 0 0 1 1 0 4 0 3 1 0 2 8 10 35 - 44 2 0 2 1 4 4 5 3 4 2 17 10 27 45 - 54 1 0 0 0 3 3 3 2 2 3 9 8 17 55 - 64 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 1 4 65 - 74 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 75 & + 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 5 0 4 2 9 12 13 10 7 5 38 29 67 Both sexes 5 6 21 23 12 67 Source: Centre for Communicable Diseases Control Unit (CDCU), Department of Health

It is clear from the preceding two tables that overall there are more men being infected than women. The age group most affected by HIV/AIDS is the 25-54 year olds. Amongst the 291 people known to have HIV/AIDS as of the end of 2006, 44% were female.

A study on domestic violence (Gender Secretariat, no date) also shows that out of 555 female respondents, 8 reported to having contracted HIV/AIDS as a consequence of being raped by an intimate partner.

3 Tables 13 and 14 are kept as tables in order to present all the dimensions provided by the information simply and clearly : years, gender, age groups.

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3.1.13 National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2005-2009 and Implementation of the Abuja Declaration (Has the country implemented the Abuja Declaration (2001) on HIV/AIDS and women?)

The Department of Health has integrated the various objectives of the Abuja Declaration in the development of national policies and strategies. In May 2002 Government created the National AIDS Council (NAC) that regularly reports to Cabinet and the National AIDS Trust Fund (established October 2002) which is chaired by the Principal Secretaries of Health and Finance. The National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2005-2009, a multi-sectoral framework, was also developed to address the challenges posed by this disease.

In order “to reduce the risk factors of HIV/AIDS among the young people” the plan stipulates the specific objective “to reduce the rate and impact of sexual abuse amongst young people”. These are some of the strategies developed to meet this objective:

Public awareness programmes on rape/sexual abuse as contributing to HIV/AIDS pandemic; Policies and guidelines for Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) programmes are developed and implemented for all cases of rape/sexual abuse; All victims of sexual abuse have access to PEP; Institutions are sensitised to the procedures regarding the implementation of the PEP programme; Revised policies/legislation related to abuse are approved and disseminated to interest groups for dissemination; Teachers, health workers, NGOs, FBO, policemen, parents, young people and children are trained annually on preventing, identifying and dealing with cases of abuse; All known, probable and potential abusers receive counselling; and All condemned abusers have access to rehabilitative services.

The plan also aims “to reduce the vulnerability of young people to HIV/AIDS” through the specific objective of “increasing the life skills of youth regarding sexual issues”. Strategies identified to achieve this include the review of existing curriculum and strengthening of teaching methods for the PSE programme in schools, advocating gender equality, abstinence, negotiation and parenting. Government also works through the Youth Health Centre - YHC (set up in 1995) to provide youth friendly ARH services, including advice, medical care and counselling on reproductive and health issues.

Some of the major objectives for the YHC for 2005 included:

Coordination of a Peer Education programme aimed at conducting an outreach HIV/AIDS programme at the community level; Capacity building of staff to enable them to carry out sensitization talks on Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) skills, support services, and STIs in all post secondary institutions and Initiation of a Parenting Programme.

3.1.14 Gender norms that increase vulnerability to HIV (In what ways do gender norms increase vulnerability to HIV infection, especially in young people (early marriage, virility, virginity at marriage, polygamy etc.)

A few factors have been highlighted by various studies as having „detrimental‟ effects on the sexual behaviour of both women and men in Seychelles. The 2003 KAP study, for example, points to “early sexual intercourse, unprotected sex associated to limited accessibility of condoms, increased trends of substance abuse particularly among youth” as the most obvious ones. It should be pointed out though that circumstances regarding the availability of condoms may have changed somewhat over the last 5 years.

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The above study found that even though 99% of the males had heard about male condoms and most of them knew where to find them, 32% of those who had sex with commercial partners did not use condoms during sexual intercourse - saying that they did not like it or that they thought it was not necessary or simply that they did not think of it at the time. This leads the study to state that “improved knowledge about STI/HIV and AIDS does not necessarily lead to changes in high- risk behaviour.”

As shown below females had a better track record only in regard to non-regular sex partners and in regard to more frequent sex with commercial partners:

the median age for sexual intercourse was 17 for boys and 18 for girls that excluding respondents who were married or living with a partner, 81% (585/724) had experienced sexual intercourse, with no statistically significant difference between males (82%) and females (83%). more males reported having non-regular sex partners (23% for males and 11% for females) and males reported more frequent sex with commercial partners in the 12 months preceding the study.

Another study on Male Involvement in Sexual and Reproductive Health, conducted by the Association of Solidary for the Family - ASFF (2002-2003) showed that 50 percent of 200 students aged 14-17 years were sexually active. Of this group, 15 percent had their first sexual encounter at 14 years, 29 percent at 15 years and 18 percent at 16 years. Furthermore, 49 percent did not use any contraceptive on their first encounter. The report also pointed out that is was very obvious that drugs and alcohol were factors that influenced the decision for sexual activity (Social Development Division, 2003).

Polygamy as a „formal‟ cultural practice, does not exist in Seychelles. Nonetheless the patterns for family formation create complex family situations. A large majority of couples live „en ménage‟ - in other words they just move in and stay together short-term or long-term or they have an ongoing relationship even if they are not living together. A number of the long-term cohabitations do end in marriage (a recent case was that of a couple in their late seventies getting married after about 50 years of cohabitation). The majority of children born in the country are born to unmarried parents - single mothers or couples cohabiting. (Note: As shown in Figure 1 the percentage of nuptial births or „within wedlock‟ in 2007 stood at 21% only of total births.) When a relationship flounders, one or both of the partners will probably start a new relationship where one or more children may again be born. It is therefore not unusual to come across a female-headed household where the woman‟s children have different fathers (the current partner may or may not be one of them) or for a man who is married or in a long-term relationship to have parallel „families‟.

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Figure 1: Status of births, 1990 to 2007

Statistical Abstract, 2007

Virginity at marriage is not an issue in Seychelles (ODEROI, 2007). „Virility‟ may be of concern in some instances but it does not seem to be a strong „cultural‟ issue - the researcher was not able to source any written information on the subject. On the other hand the issue of „potency‟ seems to have become quite significant in the last couple of decades. There is no concrete evidence, but numerous anecdotes, which may or may not be true, about influential, older and usually wealthy , single or married men, choosing young and pretty girls, sometimes underage girls, and keeping them as „girlfriends‟. Such girls may still be attending school but they have little freedom to live like other young people. It is reported that the girls tend to be given everything they want but that a few of them have reached out to express fear of the men who „keep‟ them.

3.1.15 Access to treatment with ARV for pregnant women and women generally (What are the criteria for access to treatment with ARV – do they make it easy or hard for women to qualify for treatment? Is treatment cost-free?)

The Gender Secretariat‟s report for the AU Solemn Declaration (p. 6) states that “prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV programmes include the provision of anti-retrovirals to HIV infected pregnant women and counselling on the risks of HIV transmission through breast feeding.” Furthermore, the Department of Health makes infant formula and/or equipment available to those unable to afford it regardless of their decision concerning ARV treatment.

HIV testing and conselling is voluntary (Govinden et al 2004) but the last few years have seen an increase in the number of pregnant women who agree to take the test. The report quotes figures of less than 1% of pregnant women still refusing testing.

Since the programme of providing free ARV treatment to pregnant women went into operation in 2000, 22 women have benefited from the treatment and all babies, except one, born to a HIV positive mother, were HIV negative.

It should be pointed out that since 2003 treatement with ARV is free at the point of use and available to any person diagnosed with the disease - regardless of gender.

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3.1.16 Men as a vulnerable group

The title of this sub-section and the paragraphs (which are reproduced textually) that follow are taken from the Draft National Health Strategy 2005-2015. It presents some facts regarding the health and life expectancy of men in comparison to women in Seychelles.

“With a life expectancy at birth of only around 66 years compared to that of women whose life expectancy at birth is around 77 years, it is crystal clear that living eleven years less than their female counterparts, the male population of Seychelles needs special attention. Indeed one of the ways to raise the overall life expectancy of the nation is through a rise in the life expectancy of all male cohorts to a figure that is closer to 77 years.

The vulnerability of the Seychellois men to diseases is supported by further statistics. These statistics illustrate that men are more prone to external injuries; they use curative and preventive health services less than their female counter-parts and are less likely to be compliant to treatment. At the same time, they have a higher propensity to abuse substances such as drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. The female to male prevalence of HIV infection in Seychelles at the end of 2002 was at 45% to 55% respectively. Other evidence demonstrate that males have a different perception of ill health than their female counter-parts and tend to seek medical assistance only at the eleventh hour when their condition is probably, already at an advanced stage and, quite probably, irreversible. Statistics of the Youth Health Centre indicate further that an overriding majority of girls use the services of the centre. Boys somehow feel that their needs are not being met and tend to stay away. The Ministry of Health must therefore work to reverse this trend by giving more attention to the masculine sex in our health promotion programmes and by making our health services much more men- and boy-friendly” (pp 23-24).

Statistics also show that in Seychelles boys underperform at school and that men die earlier. Additionally, a study on homelessness in Seychelles (Rosalie and Rosalie, 2006) points out that most of the homeless are men.

The emphasis of Gender and Development (GAD) on gender relations necessitates a focus on men as well as women – at least in theory. The extent to which this conceptual shift has been translated into practice is questionable however, and many initiatives continue to focus on women rather than trying to „transform the unequal gender relations which drive and maintain women‟s subordination‟. There has also been limited acknowledgement of the powerlessness experienced by some men – in relation to women as well as to other men (Cornwall, 2000).

3.1.17 Gender-based violence (Do cultural attitudes condone or sanction gender-based violence? In what specific ways? Figures domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment and traffic? How is violence usually resolved?)

A lot of work has recently been done in the area of Domestic Violence in Seychelles and a National Strategy on Domestic Violence 2008-2012 was launched in July 2008. A few paragraphs from the preamble of the strategy (p.2) describes the current situation in Seychelles.

“At the local level, statistics obtained from several sources indicate a significant rise in the number of cases of domestic violence.

In the whole of 2006 the Family Tribunal registered 172 cases of spousal violence, 95% of which were registered by women. In 2007 this grew to 226 cases, indicating a 31% increase in the number of cases being registered in one year.

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The number of cases of domestic violence reported to the Police has more than doubled over the past 6 years.” (Gender Secretariat, 2008)

The statistics, as described in the above-mentioned strategy, and those for Jan-July 2008 from the Family Tribunal are shown in Table 15.

Table 15: Number of registered cases of spousal violence at the Family Tribunal Spousal violence Spousal violence Total registered spousal reported by females reported by males violence March-Dec 2005 129 13 142 2006 164 8 172 2007 208 18 226 Jan-July 2008 128 8 136 Total 627 47 674

Note: Figures from the Family Tribunal and the Police provide part of the total picture of GBV in statistical terms, i.e. cases where details are verifiable. The results of surveys such as the Domestic Violence Survey provide another point of view, the information is national in scope but it is subjective as the questionnaires were self-applied and the information cannot be verified. Both kinds of information , despite the difference, have their own validity. Therefore the information is presented in the body of the report and not in the tables in chapter 2.

Source: Family Tribunal , Department of Social Development

It has yet to be established whether the increase in annual figures is due mostly to an increase in cases of violence or to greater sensitization that has led to more frequent reporting.

Preliminary findings from the Domestic Violence Survey and other sources, suggest that at the superficial level domestic violence is a significant social ill that affects both men and women, although deeper analysis has confirmed the established theory that the meaning and consequence of violence has a “substantial qualitative difference to women than men.”

The statistics also show that 33% of women surveyed suffered from aches and pains as a direct consequence of violence incidents compared to only 16% of men. There is also the indication that domestic violence directed at women by male perpetrators may have been functional as 17% of women reported bruises to the face compared to only 6% of men. The conclusion of the preliminary results state that “this indicates that perpetrators specifically target the face causing visible injuries as a possible control mechanism, i.e. social isolation caused by embarrassment of exposing signs of violence.” Women from low-income households were also observed to be more at risk.

A 2002 report on Violence against Women and Children, commissioned by SADC, pointed out that many Seychellois women who were abused tended to hide incidents of abuse and preferred to suffer in silence rather than make the issue public and cause embarassment to themselves or close family members including children. 4

4 The increasing number of reported cases may be an indication that this way of thinking is gradually changing. Nonetheless, it should be remembered that the Republic of Seychelles is a very small country: people tend to know each other and news travel fast. Few individuals relish the thought of „washing their dirty linen in public‟ as they feel that it makes them lose face. For example, when the Family Tribunal was set up, great care was taken to locate it in an area that was not too public and where waiting areas were enclosed so that „clients‟ of the Tribunal would not be seen by passers-by.

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The SADC-funded report dealt with violence against women and children specifically while the first report mentioned above deals with domestic violence. There have been reports of cases of violence against women which do not occur in the domestic sphere but there is no formal documentation about these cases. A short TV programme aired about 10 years ago about sexual harassment in the office caused a furore. It was shown once and was not aired again. This could have been caused by the fact that despite considerable effort to disguise the identity of people concerned, the situation being presented as well as the persons being depicted were easily recognized - because the country is so small.

3.1.18 Support to Victims of Gender Violence (What kinds of support are available for victims of gender based violence (legal, psychological, health care, shelters …)

The Family Tribunal established in 1998 under the amended Children‟s Act was also given powers under the Family Violence (Protection of Victims) Act 2000, for the protection of victims of „family violence‟ (actual or threatened violence), by providing them the right to appear in front of the Tribunal to register complaints and apply for protection orders for up to 2 years on behalf of themselves, another family member and property. The Tribunal has the right to order perpetrators of violence to attend counselling and/or rehabilitation programmes, with a fine of up to SR30, 000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 years if perpetrators are found to be in contempt of intentionally contravening orders. The Tribunal also deals with eviction orders and matters relating to the custody and maintenance of children.5

Among other functions, the Probation Services which is part of Social Development deals with domestic violence. Cases are referred to them by the Family Tribunal. Probation Services offer counselling and reconciliation services to those affected by domestic violence. Some of the cases registered are voluntary self-referred clients who register with Probation Services for reasons of psychological, physical and emotional violence stemming from alcohol and drug abuse, violence, communication barriers and infidelity. They point out that most cases (79%) are brought forward by women. The tables below give an idea of the numbers.

Table 16: Probation Services - Number of registered cases of self-referred clients for January to December 2007 Self referred clients No. % No. reported by males 91 39.9 No. reported by females 137 60.1 Total number of registered cases 228 100 Note: Due to discrepancies in the data, it was not possible to compute figures for referrals from the Family Tribunal.

Source: Probation Services, Department of Social Development

5 Part of the role of the Tribunal is to offer mediation in cases relating to custody, access to and maintenance of children. A spokesperson stated that there is a significant number of cases that are solved by way of mediation. On the other hand there is no mediation in case of family violence prior to ??????

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Table 17: Probation Services - Number of registered cases for January to August 2008 by sex Self referred Family violence Total clients (reconciliation) Referrals No. % No. % No. % No. reported by Males 42 26.3 4 6.9 46 21.1 No. reported by 118 73.8 54 93.1 172 78.9 Females Total number of 160 100 58 100 218 100 registered cases

Source: Probation Services, Department of Social Development

The Ministry of Education, through the work of the Student Welfare Unit, the teachers and counsellors who form part of the Pastoral Care programme, offers support to students who may be facing personal, family or social problems.

The Department of Health does not have specific guidelines concerning cases of domestic violence. In such cases, a physician may refer a patient to a counsellor. In cases of rape, the victim may be referred to a psychologist.

The National Council for Children (NCC), an organization established in 1982 (acquired NGO status in 1991) has the mandate to promote the welfare and rights of children. It offers confidential services in psychotherapy and counselling, primarily to children but also to those who go to seek help.

The Association for the Promotion of Solid and Humane Families (APSHF) was established in 1995 under the umbrella of the Catholic Church. The Association organizes relationship skills workshops on both Mahé and Praslin and provides counselling to empower couples to deal with domestic violence. They have about 400 registered members across the various parishes in the country

The Alliance of Solidarity for the Family (ASFF) is a local NGO that was established in 1996. It is involved in the promotion of gender equality, human rights, HIV/AIDS prevention and adolescent reproductive health.

There is currently no shelter/half-way house for victims of gender or domestic violence. One of the above mentioned NGOs does have a small room which can very temporarily accommodate those needing shelter or time away from a partner/spouse/family to deal with difficult relationships but these facilities are insufficient to cater to the demand that exists.

3.1.19 National Plan (Does a national plan to combat gender-based violence exist? Is violence against women considered as a police issue or as a health issue, or is it seen as a multi- sectoral issue that requires interventions at several levels?)

The National strategy on Domestic Violence, prepared by the National Gender Secretariat, has a number of objectives grouped under several stategic aims:

AIM 1: To strengthen and synthesize activities of multiple stakeholders for an integrated and efficient response to domestic violence Understand the extent, causes and consequences of domestic violence in Seychelles Strengthen the legislation and legislative structures on domestic violence, to deal more effectively with perpetrators and provide more comprehensive protection to victims and their families Strenghten Police response to domestic violence cases Enable an integrated and efficient response of existing institutions to domestic violence

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Monitor and evaluate implementation of National Strategy and expected outcomes Advocate for integrated data management between multiple sectors AIM 2: To reduce vulnerability of women and men to domestic violence Risk management as short-term prevention strategy Rehabilitation of known perpetrators and victims of domestic violence Temporary protection and shelter of high risk victims AIM 3: To reduce impact of domestic violence on children Overlap of risk management between intimate partner violence and child abuse AIM 4: To nurture an environment conducive to improved gender equality and equity Public education campaigns as long-term prevention strategy

From information available, it is clear that some of the above objectives have been on the „drawing board‟ for a number of years but somehow no concrete action has not been taken up to now. For example, the idea of a shelter was first discussed in the mid-90 (Minutes of the Gender Steering Committee meetings) and a location was found but according to unsubstantiated reports, the project was never implemented due to „resistance‟ from various quarters. Long-term sensitization campaigns with sepcific targets (along with a number of other measures) were also recommended in the 2002 SADC-funded report on Violence against Women and Childen but so far there has been no such campaign on the subject. It is not entirely clear what the reasons are but several seem likely: the National Gender Steering Committee, while functional, has not been very active for a number of years; the Gender Secretariat has gone through many changes (leadership/structure/physical location) over the same period of time (United Nations, 2007); and maybe the belief that Seychelles is already doing well enough in terms of gender balance, equal access, etc and that gender-related measures aimed at redressing imbalances are not really needed (Rosalie, 2008). The report by Rosalie which was based on a study aimed at gauging levels of awareness and knowledge of human rights and gender rights showed that a high level of respondents in position of responsibility and authority felt that there were no gender imbalances in Seychelles and that there were no violations of women‟s rights.

Most cases of violence are reported either to the Police or to the Probation Services or to the Family Tribunal. These three institutions do liaise to resolve problems or take a case further.

3.2 Economic Aspects – Opportunities

3.2.1 Poverty (What is poverty incidence? What households are most vulnerable to poverty? Characterize the vulnerabilities of female headed households.)

The 1999 Household and Expenditure Survey showed that about 20% of the Seychelles population lived under the poverty line pegged at a working figure of SR 841 per month. These figures applied when the survey was done. There have been a number of economic shocks over the past year which have had a drastic effect on the cost of living and possibly patterns of consumption in Seychelles (see section 3.2.5 for more details).

Results from the more recent (2006/2007) and yet to be published Household and Expenditure Survey shows that 18% of Seychellois households are not able to meet basic calorie requirements. On average, 21% of household income is spent on food purchases.

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Figure 2: Reported income group of households by gender of head

Source: National Statistics Bureau, Household and Expenditure Survey 2006/2007 (report not yet published)

3.2.2 Migration (Is migration an issue? How can migration patterns be characterized? Who migrates (men or women)? What are the effects of migration on men and women?)

Figure 3 shows that there have been very slight fluctuations in female migration over the years. On the other hand, there has been a marked increase in the number of male immigrants over the past 5 years. What is not made clear in this information is that this trend, in fact, is probably due to the high number of male foreign construction workers who travel in and out of the country for realtively short-term contracts. (Most have been brought in by large contruction companies for the new 5-star hotels and resorts being built in the country.)

Figure 3: Net International migration by gender, 2000-07

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Source: Statistical Abstracts 2000-07

3.2.3 Trafficking (Is trafficking an issue, particularly trafficking of women and children?6)

There are Laws that prohibit the traffic of women and children. Nonetheless, unsubstantiated reports reveal that prostitution may be a serious problem in the country. Some rumours that circulate say that there are a couple of well established (but illegal) brothels that operate on Mahé. Other rumours talk of men being solicited by girls and young women in various locations in town. Some stories also tell of networks that operate in resorts and hotels and which make the services of young girls available to tourists. As no study has been conducted in this area, it is not possible to state categorically what the situation is. The National Youth Study of 1998 (which covered 10% of the Seychellois population aged 10 to 24) indicated that 74% of the respondents thought that prostitution in Seychelles was either a problem or a serious problem (Preliminary findings National Youth Study, Ministry of Health, 1998).

3.2.4 SADC Trade Protocol (reduction of tariffs and enabling free movement of labour and capital within SADC countries) What is the (real or expected) impact of the SADC Trade Protocol that aims to reduce tariffs and enable free movement of labour and capital within SADC countries – what effect will it have for women and on gender relations?

Seychelles became a member of SADC in September 1997 and in 2003 it withdrew its membership from the organisation due to difficulties in settling its membership fee. After negotiations in the last two years, the country officially re-joined SADC at one of its recent meetings in South Africa in August 2008.

In Seychelles, men and women have equal opportunities in development. According to officials in the Department of International Trade of the Ministry of Finance, the country will be able to mitigate the eventual possibility of free movement of labour and capital within SADC countries through its application of domestic laws and programmes, which prevent the employment of some categories of foreign labour. The Government‟s localisation policy which has been applied since the 1980s has as its aim to facilitate the transfer of expertise of skilled foreign workers to locals within a specified time-frame.

According to the Ministry of Finance, if Seychelles were to join SADC‟s proposed free trade area (FTA), it will necessarily carry out a comprehensive stock-taking exercise to prevent any negative impact on, among other things, gender relations. Nonetheless, it is clear that a number of policies and regulations need to be updated in view of the new circumstance.

As an island country located 1,000 miles from any other country, there is also the fact that it is difficult and relatively expensive for people from other SADC countries to move easily to and from the Seychelles. Any effect that the Protocol could have will be lessened because of these factors nonetheless, because of Seychelles‟ dependency on imports which include essential food items, the picture is relatively complex. The Agricultural Development Strategy 2007-2011 prepared by the Department of Natural Resources states that:

“drastic improvements/changes in communication, trade facilities and policies (Multilateral Free Trade Agreement), monetary transactions, changes in consumer awareness/trends and branding of commodities, it has and will become ever more difficult for local farmers to compete both among themselves and/or with international

6 During the Seychelles validation meeting, queries arose regarding the use of the expression „women and children‟. Some participants suggested that the term „men‟ be added to the question that appeared on the research tool. In view of the fact that the tool had already been used in the 5 countries of the IOC (August/September 2008), these suggestions for amending the wording came „after the event‟, so to speak.

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suppliers. This is particularly true since local production and marketing (promotional) scale is nothing compared to that of big agricultural countries alike South Africa, Australia, Mexico and China, which are better-off due to economies of scale and specialisation of skills and use of resources.

There is an urgent need for the government and the community at large to encourage local agricultural entrepreneurs to group together so that flow of information and sharing of skills and resources are achieved at a more effective and efficient level. One way of achieving this is by labelling and educating consumers on benefits of consuming locally made produce. The labelling concept “Made in Seychelles” has already been adopted by local artisans. This concept should be introduced and spread throughout the agricultural community. It is to be expected that grouping of different complementary agricultural businesses would result in specialisation of skills and better use of resources (e.g. setting up regional centralised-nurseries that would supply quality propagations and seedlings to farmers instead of preparing and producing them on site – as currently being done)”( pp 37-38).

It should be noted that a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources, when queried about the gender aspect, stated that this dimension was not really looked at as a separate issue because it was felt that there were no real problems in that area in Seychelles.

3.2.5 Cost of living - Food prices etc (Can you please characterize the recent trends in food prices: what foodstuffs have become dearer? Are specific effects visible for women? What are coping strategies and do those employed by female headed households differ those employed by male headed households?)

The July 2008 Consumer Price Index (NSB,2008) indicates that as of June 2008 the All Items Index (includes Fish - a staple in Seychelles, Other Food and Non-Food) stood at 131.2 compared to 99.7 in June 2007. On a year on year basis, this reflects a 31.6% increase in overall prices compared to June 2007. The bulletin also states that all categories recorded significant increases: Fish: 4.6%, Other Food: 34.6% and non-food: 31.7%. The rate of inflation stood at 19.5% as at June 2008.

In order to fully understand the picture, it should be noted as of June 2007 the All Items Index showed increases of 11.0% for fish, 5.7% for other food, 2.0% for non-food when compared to June 2006 prices. The average rate of inflation as at June 07 was 1.1%.

Some of the basic staples for the Seychellois diet are: rice, fish, milk, bread and cooking oil. Apart from rice whose price has increased by about 60%, the price of the other commodities has at least doubled over a period of about 8 months. One litre of sunflower oil which retailed at Secyhelles Rupees (SR) 11 in 2004, increased to SR14 in 2006, to SR 17 at the end of 2007 and currently retails at SR25.

In addition to this, there have been frequent and recurrent shortages of basic imported food items – usually lasting for periods ranging from 1 week to 2 months. The items most likely to be in this category are milk, butter, margarine, flour, onions, potatoes and oil.7

3.2.6 Sectors that are fundamental to the economy (What sectors are fundamental to the economy? What new sectors are emerging? What sectors are declining? Numeric indication of their changed importance.)

The major earners in the Seychelles economy are tourism, fisheries (in particular tuna), and increasingly, the offshore sector.

7 It should be pointed out that the prices indicated in para 3.2.5 are increasing and will probably continue to increase in the near future - due to the measures being taken as part of the economic re-structuring which was launched with the support of the International Monetary Fund beginning of November 2008.

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Earnings from tourism represent about 22% of the country‟s GDP. In 2007, the total number of visitors grew by 15% over the previous year. And as stated by the Central Bank report “consistent with the higher arrivals and a depreciated rupee, tourism earning rose to SR1.9 billion in 2007, a 52% growth relative to the earning of 2006. The ripple effects of a surging toursim industry were strongly felt in other peripheral and downstream sectors of the economy as well as in national employment.” Employment in the tourism industry grew by 8.6% in 2007 and there were still „numerous vacancies unfilled‟.

The Central Bank 2007 Annual Report (prepared in 2008) has this to say about the fishing industry:

“In the fisheries sector, mixed outcomes were observed. While increases in artisanal catch and the semi-industrial sector were achieved, industrial tuna fishing activity slackened due to the cyclical „El Nino‟ weather phenomenon… Notwithstanding the reduced catch of tuna during the year, the value of canned tuna exports was relatively unaffected as the impact of output losses were offset by a draw down on inventories and favourable exchange movements. The susceptibility of the industrial fishery to the vagaries of weather patterns and concerns on stock sustainability dominated policy discussions in 2007.” (pp.64-65)

Agriculture is not directly considered to be fundamental to the economy, it is nonetheless an important sector locally, specially in view of the high level of imported foodstuff. According to the list of registered farmers for 2007 from the Agricultural Extension Services, approximately 88% of farmers are men and 12% are women. This is not an exception for Seychelles as it is typically the case in developing countries. However, when further investigations are carried out, it is normally women who are most involved. One of the key reasons why more men are reported as farmers is because they are the ones in whom the business is registered (Discussions with officials of the Department of Natural Resources).

It should be pointed out again that the gender dimension is not really considered when policies regarding food security are developed as it is taken for granted that there is no gender problem.

The Agricultural Extension Services is currently carrying out a study to, among other things, find out who (men, women and children) are involved in farming and how they contribute. It is expected that the result of the study will help the Agricultural Extension Services integrate gender better in their programmes in the future. The position of officials within the Department of Natural Resources is that while women should carry on engaging in home gardening, they should be encouraged to go into commercial farming. They should also take more advantage of accessing loans for such businesses – an opportunity which is given to both men and women in Seychelles.

3.2.7 Female and male labour force participation (What kinds of jobs are being lost (are those jobs lost mostly filled by women or men) and what kinds of jobs are being created (can women easily access these new jobs or do women face specific barriers to obtaining these jobs)? Female and male labour force participation statistics.)

Most of the jobs being created are in the tourism sector with the opening of several large hotel and resorts. It was not possible to get specific figures but women can readily access jobs in hotels and other related businesses.

Most of the jobs being lost are in the manufacturing sector which has shown a decrease in activity recently (Central Bank, 2008).8

8 It is felt that women will be greatly affected by the measures being taken within the recent economic reforms and the continuing downsizing of government. As already stated in the 1994 pre-Beijing report on the Situation of Women in Seychelles and in the more recent 2007 report for the AU Solemn Declaration, women tend to occupy more „expendable‟ posts.

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The status of the labour force (2002) and participation by industry (2007) are shown in Table 178 and Table 19 respectively. Table 19 does not include the private sector. It is clear from Table 19 that the majority of workers in public administration, education, health, social work and other community and personal services are female.

Table 18: Labour Force Participation by Gender, 2002 Male Female Total Government 4591 7801 12392 Parastatal 3396 2273 5669 Private 8775 6878 15653 Employer 310 131 441 Self-Employed 4050 793 4843 Unpaid family worker 135 460 595 Part-time job seeker 584 558 1142 Unemployed job seeker 1544 1615 3159 Total 23385 20509 43894 Source: Population and Housing Census, 2002

Table 19 : Average Employment in Government and Parastatal Sectors by Industry and Sex, January - September 2007 Government Parastatal Industry Males Females Total Males Females Total Agriculture & Forestry 194 190 384 Fishing 40 16 56 Mining & Quarrying Manufacturing 121 157 278 Electricity & Water Supply 879 195 1074 Construction Trade 142 295 437 Hotels & Restaurants Transport, Storage & Communication 165 93 258 1124 642 1766 Financial Intermediation 84 237 321 Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities 235 358 593 Public Administration 2920 3118 6038 Education 481 1845 2326 Health & Social work 419 3390 3809 Other Community, Social & Personal Services 189 555 744 486 355 841 Total 4174 9001 13175 3305 2445 5750 Notes: 1) The actual average employment for the Government sector was 13,537 of which 362 employees were expatriates 2) The actual average employment for the Parastatal sector was 6,143 of which 392 employees were expatriates

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Source: Statistical Bulletin, Employment: 2007 No.4

Table 20 presents the participation of both males and females in various sectors. The information presented is from the 2005 Labour Force Survey which give an indication of percentages on a larger scale.

Table 20 : Labour Force Participation (15 and above) by Sector, 2005 Female Male Total Primary 80 204 284 Secondary 201 413 614 Tertiary 683 442 1125 Total 964 1059 2023 Notes: Primary – Agricultural, fishery and related labourers, Other labourers, Market-oriented skilled agricultural and fishery workers Secondary – Extraction and building trades workers, Metal, machinery and related trades workers, Precision, handicraft, printing and related trades workers, Other craft and related workers, Stationary-plant and related operators, Machine operators and assemblers, Drivers and mobile-plant operators, Sales and service elementary occupations, Armed forces Tertiary – Legislators and senior officials, Corporate managers, General managers, Science professionals, Life science and health professionals, Teaching professionals, Other professionals, Other associate professionals, Office clerks, Customer service clerks, Personal and protective service workers, Models, salespersons and demonstrators

Source : Labour Force Survey, 2005

The table below provides additional data (Gender Secretariat, 2007) on the participation of women in the labour force and in decision-making. Some of this information, gathered from different sources, has already been presented in the tables of Chapter 2.

Table 21: Participation of women in various sectors of the labour force, 2007 Participation of women in decision-making positions in 2007 Ministers 30% Principal Secretaries 38% Members of National Assembly 27% District Administrators 56% Public Service directors 55% Mayor (1 post only) 100%

Representation of women in the corporate world Chief Executives 22% Corporate managers 31% Employers 30%

Participation of women in occupations that are seen as extensions of their gender roles or in the lower cadres Life Science and Health Professionals (e.g. 68% nurses) Teaching Professionals 73% Teaching Associate Professionals 77% Office Clerks 77% Customer Service Clerks 86% Models, Salespersons and Demonstrators 70%

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Participation of women in maths and science-related jobs Physical, Mathematical and Engineering 13% Science Professionals

Overall, the Labour Force Survey (NSB, 2007) found that the activity rate for women aged 15 years or more was 68% compared to 76% for males of the same age group.

3.2.8 Labour legislation (Brief description of the labour legislation: does it guarantee equal wages for men and women, are equal employment opportunities actively encouraged, are female workers´ rights adequately protected by legislation? What is the role of trade unions?)

The Employment laws apply to men and women equally with due regard to the child-bearing role of women.

Female workers who are permanently employed or on contract or working part-time are entitled to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave and 4 weeks unpaid maternity leave. Ten of the 12 weeks of paid leave need to be taken after confinement. If a female worker before or after paid leave is found medically unfit for work or has a disability arising from pregnancy or confinement, she is then entitled to sick leave like other medically unfit workers.

A pregnant worker is expected to give 3 months notice to her employer regarding her expected date of confinement. Furthermore such a female worker is not allowed to return to work before her paid leave is over. The act states that “an employer who permits or induces a female worker so to return is guilty of an offence”.

The employment of minors (male and female) is strictly prohibited in Seychelles. Minors are only allowed to work within special schemes run by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment (Employment Act 1991, amended 1995). These schemes are designed for young people who may not have great interest in purely academic studies.

3.2.9 Informal sector (cottage industries and bazars) Data on the informal sector: what is its relative importance, what kinds of jobs does it offer (is there a difference for men and women), what are the typical conditions and characteristics of the informal sector, is there any evidence that people (and women in particular) are being “squeezed” out of the formal economy and “sliding” into the informal sector? What is the situation of men and women in sweatshops in the informal sector?

The informal sector as it exists in Seychelles is composed of two segments: a larger segment which allows someone to do business or carry any trade which is home-based and on a continuous basis with only a minimal level of regulation and constraint. Such tradespeople need to apply for a permit to operate and need to fulfill some basic criteria at start-up. Once their „project‟ has been approved, they can start operations straightaway, they do not pay taxes (if the earnings are below SR 250,000 per annum) and do not require licences. On the other hand there are (very) occasional „checks‟ by various inspectors. They have been labelled „cottage industries‟ and the scheme started in June 2004.

As can be seen in Figure 4, Tailoring and Handicraft remain predominant in the cottage industries and operators in these areas are mainly women who, in fact, account for about 66% of the total number of cottage industry operators. Had the information received been gender- disaggregated, the graph would have been more meaningful in the context of this report.

To date 1,172 Cottage and Handicraft Certificates have been issued, 408 of them in 2007 only. This is one of the most successful schemes implemented in Seychelles to empower the average person in economic terms.

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Figure 4: Applicants for Cottage Industries since 2004

Source: Small Enterprise Promotion Agency (SEnPA)

The second segment is smaller and operates on an ad hoc basis. This is usually composed of individuals who, for example, may have a surplus of fruits from trees growing on their land at home or elsewhere. They place a small table by the roadside to sell the fruits when these are available. There is also the possiblity for people to prepare foodstuff or craftwork and to sell these at the „bazars‟ (fairs) that are held either on a weekly basis in some locations or for special occasions, such as Church fairs. This segment is not regulated.

3.2.10 Social services spending (Are any services being reduced? What is state provision for child care, education and health) What is the historical trend in social services spending? Are any social services being reduced? What are the consequences of their reduction? What is the state´s basic provision for child care, education and health?

According to a representative of the Department of Social Development, some social services are being reduced both in terms of direct financial assistance (Means Testing) and through state- sponsored carer programme. This, it is hoped will cause a change in mind set about dependency on the state. It is felt that people need to change their lifestyle and become more economically active since there are job opportunities that exist. These steps also aim at a) getting people to reduce the number of loans that they take as it does cause financial hardship, b) getting parents, in particular fathers, to be more responsible in contributing maintenance, c) reducing the dependency syndrome that is a result of alcohol/drug related problems.

The consequences of this reduction are seen as “discontent on the part of the clients but the measures are necessary to achieve the government's objective of assisting the really needy cases and cutting down on spending for welfare assistance.” (Comments from officials of the Department of Social Development)

Under the programme of community development, there are projects for Day Care Centres (built by the state) to be run by individuals so that services can be made available at low rates (fees) nearer to home.

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Government have also introduced a subsidy of SR150/- towards day care fees for low income earners (SR2500-3500). However requests have to go through the Means Testing9 process.

Table 22: National Budget and Allocations to various Ministries - in million SR 2005 2006 2007 Budget Actual Budget Actual Budget Actual Total Budget Outlay 1726 1816 1751 2302 2095 2484 Education and Youth 151 171 181 197 185 190 Health 155 183 184 194 190 212 Defence 69 71 77 88 77 111 Social Security Contributions 143 143 143 147 133 136 Source: Central Bank Annual Report 2007

3.2.11 (i) Economic policies (In what ways are current economic trends impacting on male and female employment respectively? Is there any downward pressure on wages and working conditions? Who is most vulnerable to this: male or female workers and why?)10

Tourism and fisheries are fundamentally the two main drivers of the economy, followed by other service sectors, e.g. financial services which is an important emerging sector. In terms of the labour market this poses major challenges for the country. There is no decline in the different sectors as such because ongoing reforms in the economy mean that there are new opportunities which are arising. For example, rising prices internationally have had the effect of more people taking up agriculture in Seychelles. There are also a number of other changes in orientation within the economy. The challenge is whether there are enough human resources to match demand in these new fields.

There is no visible impact on gender as such: more women are employed in the tourism sector and more men in the construction sector. While in recent months there has been a rise in unemployment, there has also been a rise in jobs. The problem therefore has more to do with human resource management, for example, the need to set a system in place to make it possible to retrain people to meet the growing demands for available jobs. (Comments from officials of the Central Bank.)

(ii) What shocks can rock the economy (natural disasters, market fluctuations etc.)? How do families absorb these impacts – what support is the government providing to reduce the effect of such shocks on households? What is the effect on women´s labour burden?

Officials of the Central Bank were interviewed and asked this question. Their response was that the economy can „re-bounce‟ to meet challenges caused by natural disasters. Although Seychelles was relatively badly affected by the Tsunami and torrential rain during late 2004 and early 2005, the country was able, in collaboration with development partners, to assist individuals and businesses who suffered losses.

In the past, market prices in Seychelles have been more or less stable. However, due to recent changes in global prices, the government has had no choice in the last year or so to gradually pass on the rise in prices of commodities to the population. How this is going to affect both genders it

9 A process allowing the resources of a person/household to be evaluated using weights. The end result shows whether the person has access to a pre-determined minimum level of resources to live. (This is currently being done by a Social Welfare Agency which was set up early November 2008 and which replaces the Means Testing Unit of the Ministry of Health and Social Development.) 10 To date most data relating to the economy, finances and employment have been collected on an aggregate basis. There are now requests to provide data disagreggated by gender to have a better idea of „where men and women‟ are. Data on finances are kept by the Central Bank, those on the economy and employment by the NSB. Employment data are also kept by the Department of Employment.

42 GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB is still too early to tell. The researcher was informed by the officials that “it will take around two years for government to study the situation and come up with alternative ways to accommodate the different needs of the people.”

(iii) What policy research on liberalization measures is being carried out and does this include a gender perspective? What recommendations are made by the research? Do these recommendations support gender equality?

This question was forwarded to a division of the Ministry of Finance. The response was as follows:

“Currently we do not have any specific Policy Research being undertaken by Ministry of Finance. However we are in the process of updating some (of the) research carried out by other development partners, for example research undertaken by World Bank on the impact of re- adjustment of the currency, research/paper undertaken by COMESA consultants (Ammani Consultants) on the impact of joining COMESA FTA.

Both papers/ research (exercises) touch on liberalization measures currently being undertaken in the economy. What the Ministry of Finance (Trade Department) is currently doing is merely reviewing the impact of these two crucial events:

-Floatation of the rupee -Regional integration

The terms of reference of both research (exercises, referred to above) had not factored in the issue of gender equality.”

3.2.12 Capacity for consistent application of gender perspective to policy decision-making in areas related to macro-economics, trade, employment and structural adjustment policies (What capacity exists for the consistent application of a gender perspective to policy decision-making in areas related to macro-economics, trade, employment and structural adjustment policies? Who does what (to ensure that gender perspectives are included in decision-making) and what data exists (is data available to help analysis and as an instrument for decision-making)?

Given that equal opportunity exists for both men and women, gender as such is very seldom raised during policy discussions relating to macro-economics, trade, employment and structural adjustment. However, the vulnerability of single mothers, is an issue that always arises and it is subsequently addressed appropriately ( Summary of comments from officials in the Ministry of Finance).

Nonetheless as the Gender Secretariat (2007) points out “With neo-liberal pressures for drastic cuts to government expenditure and pressures to down size, the economic stability of women is at risk, considering that 63% of all Government employees are women and that they tend to cluster in expendable positions such as clerks and cleaners. This makes women a vulnerable group to economic shock and disempowerment during periods of recession or public sector reform.”

3.2.13 Assessment of equity impacts (To what extent are equity impacts monitored: is there data collected (by whom) on the implications for men and women of changes in employment, agricultural production, income, access to resources, work loads, health, etc.

Even though this question was put to several individuals in various departments, it has not been possible to get a response so far.

3.2.14 Equality advocates in international trade policy discussions (Is there adequate representation and effective involvement of equality advocates in international trade

43 GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB policy discussions? Are the concerns and views of equality advocates represented and gender issues debated?)

Seychelles participates in a number of international trade policy discussion fora. These include among others: the Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Partnership Agreement (ESAEPA), the Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement (BIPA) and the Double Taxation Agreement (DTA).

ESAEPA consists of five clusters which are: market access, fisheries, agriculture, development and services. Both sexes (individuals who are mainly from the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs) are well represented in these groups. The lead negotiator (Chair) for Seychelles on the ESAEPA is female and the co-Chair is male.

The local committees for the above international fora are also well balanced in terms of gender composition. The researcher was also informed that there are in fact more women than men on the BIPA local committee (Comments from officials of the Ministry of Finance).

3.2.15 Main environmental challenges and role of women (Characterize the main environmental challenges: effects of climate change, erosion, deforestation, depletion of natural resources. What is the role of women in the management and use of natural resources?)

As a small island developing state (SIDS), Seychelles is characterized by the inherent vulnerabilities of SIDS, i.e., its small land area and population, remoteness from major markets, limited natural resources and environmental vulnerability. The major environmental issues include increased urbanization of the main granitic islands, threats from invasive species, pressures on natural resources, low storage and retention capacity of freshwater resources, wastewater problems, and the environmental impacts of tourism, climate change and sea-level rise.

Given that the main engine of growth rests on tourism and fishing and the limited success from diversification efforts, future economic growth will come from expansion of these two industries, both of which are inextricably linked to the quality of the natural and physical environment (United Nations, 2002). The role of women in the management and use of natural resources cannot be under-estimated as a number of them occupy senior positions in both governmental and non-governmental organisations and participate in conservation activities at different levels. In recent years, special campaigns have also been launched among women to sensitize them as to the need to preserve the environment.

3.2.16 Measures that exist to mitigate impact of climate change (Do any specific measures exist to mitigate the impact of climate change, natural disasters, environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources – and do they include gender perspectives?)

The 2000-2010 Environmental Management Plan for Seychelles (EMPS II), has a gender component which its predecessor (EMPS 1990-2000) did not. It also emphasises the need for private sector, NGO and community involvement in efforts to preserve the environment and natural resources. It would seem however that the implementation level of proposed projects on gender in the EMPS II is very low (Comments received from Department of Environment).

The issues related to climate change, natural disasters, environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources have been and are still being well addressed in the United Nations country programmes for Seychelles. The four key areas of the UN country programme for Seychelles for 2003-2006 were: Institutional and human capacity-building for EMPS II; Integrated water management; Bio-diversity conservation, including community participation; and Climate change and energy efficiency. Specifically under the first key area, a diagnostic study and specific strategy for mainstreaming gender issues in environment and poverty alleviation among women was envisioned. To what extent this has been implemented is not very clear. Funds allocated under the ninth European Development Fund agreement currently support a human rights training programme, capacity building for the police as well as sensitization on gender and human rights

44 GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB for civil society, the judiciary and the media. The latter programmes are being implemented through the UN country programme document for Seychelles for 2007-2010 (United Nations, 2002, 2006).

3.3 Political Aspects - Empowerment

3.3.1 Women‟s participation in politics (What are the constraints for women´s participation in politics (culture, confidence, child care, cash?)

Women‟s participation in politics has always been high, specially at the lower levels. There are no cultural constraints nor is there a lack of confidence. Child care is usually available through numerous crèches or for the more moneyed families, through the employment of a nanny. There are 3 political parties in Seychelles and once a person joins one of the parties in view of a political career, the issue of cash does not arise. There are no „independent‟ politicians as such. Nonetheless a quick look at the figures in terms of female participation at decision-making level (central committees of various parties) shows that so far they represent only about 22% of the total (Information obtained from head offices of the Seychelles Progressive People‟s Front, the Seychelles National Party and the Democratic Party).

3.3.2 Effects of administrative decentralization (Describe how administrative decentralization has been accomplished. Has decentralization brought new opportunities for women to participate in decision-making (local government or advocacy groups)?

The government has always seen the need to decentralise a number of services to facilitate access for the population. However, in spite of the introduction of the community life programme in 1999, the move towards decentralisation to improve service delivery in the districts has been slow. In 2006 the structures of districts were reinforced and in this process the district team, which is an action-oriented body, was consolidated. The team works in partnership with the private sector and NGOs in order to ensure the participation of everyone in the new community life approach. The composition of men and women on the district teams and other committees is shown in the table below.

Table 23: Participation in District Administration by Gender District Committees Males Females Total Members of the District Teams 143 252 395 Members of the District Social Committees 74 201 275 Members of the District Committee Councils 130 245 375 Total 347 698 1045 Note: The District Social Committee functions as a programming body and the District Committee Council as advisory.

Source: Department of Local Government

According to the Department of Local Government, there is a need to educate and empower both men and women so that a) they understand the rationale behind decentralisation and b) learn to find solutions to their problems, as far as possible, within their own community. To date, it has been more difficult to get the participation of men than women in community activities and to take leadership roles. Women have always been at the forefront in community development and despite a number of challenges, they continue to seize the opportunities to respond positively to district needs. For example, most of the volunteers on the neighbourhood recreational activities (NRA) are women.

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Based on discussions with senior officials from the Department of Local Government - the perception is that the process of administrative decentralisation has also contributed to economic and political stability.

3.3.3 Access to justice (Comment briefly on women´s access to justice (legal advice and courts) and the main types of cases they bring to the courts.)

Information received from the Registrar of the Supreme Court‟s office indicates that many of the litigants, particularly in civil cases are women. Women without means have access to legal aid. This is a service also available to men. However, most of the applications for legal aid in crimininal cases (aproximately 95%) are men. This is because the majority of those commiting criminal offences are men.

Many women file for divorce and are involved in suits pertaining to non payment of debt (eg. housing loans). A fair amount of breach of contract involving building contractors are initiated by women. Women spend a considerable time in Court litigating over matrimonial property in cases of divorce (Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court).

Most cases filed in the Family Tribunal which have to do with custody, access and maintenace of minor children, and family violence, are instituted by women.

There is a perception that the Courts are sometimes more sympathetic towards women than men.

3.3.4 Initiatives to promote women‟s leadership (What initiatives exist to promote women´s leadership (community level, national level, regional level?)

The Seychelles Young Leaders programme which was launched in January this year is an intensive two-year programme which aims at preparing a small group of young Seychellois graduates with the potential to become leaders and innovators. The programme intends to provide these young people with the skills and experience needed to take up key leadership position in the public and private sectors. (It should be noted that a 3-year programme was set up in the late 70s for young Seychellois in order to prepare them for leadership positions. The only major difference is that back in those years there were very few Seychellois graduates.)

The programme director (who is female) stated that there was no affirmative action needed to choose the first cohort as the ratio of male to female applicants for the programme was 1 : 1. The best 32 applicants were admitted to the programme based on specific criteria. The programme currently has 11 women and 16 men.

Since the start of the programme there have been two female drop outs (one because of work and family commitments and another because of not having signed the bonding agreement). There have also been 2 male drop outs - due to work load/work transfer to another island (Information received from Coordinator of Seychelles Young Leaders Programme).

3.3.5 Religion and Public Life (What is the influence of religion on women’s participation in public life?)

There are no known religious factors influencing women‟s participation in public life in Seychelles.

3.3.6 Role of civil society (How actively is civil society involved in setting the national gender agenda? What are the constraints and enabling factors? Lessons learned? Best practices?)

In Seychelles the term civil society is also applied to NGOs. In fact, there are no real distinctions between an association, an NGO or a charity.

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The Liaison Unit for Non-Governmental Organisations (LUNGOS) is the main collaborative platform for the NGOs and Civil Society organisations. Its role is to “coordinate efforts and consolidate common identities across the civil society sector; disseminate information and foster networking amonsgt the differerent stakeholders. LUNGOS is currently implementing a key capacity building project for local NGOs. It is also in the process of setting up sectorial commissions to advance collaboration and promote networking”. (Comments received from LUNGOS Secretariat)

3.3.7 Coordination mechanisms for NGOs (What are the coordination mechanisms among NGOs: does a national platform or coalition of NGOs exist? What is its role, how does it function, what are constraints, what are weaknesses, what are best practices?)

The Liaison Unit of Non-Governmental Organisations (as above) describes itself as the „umbrella/platform organisation for Civil Society in Seychelles, through its mission and as concluded through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Seychelles Government.‟ Its mission is: To support the growth and development of Civil Society in Seychelles leading to organisations which are dynamic, organized, effective, reseourceful and operating at high standards of excellence, thus achieving sought after sustainable and unifying results for individuals, communities and the nation.

LUNGOS states that constraints are mostly along the lines of a lack of funding partners/donors on the ground.

Weaknesses are seen as the resources constraints and the fact that people are not overly attracted to this sector.

They mention transparency, accountability and the fact that members of LUNGOS are all registered under the Registration Act, at the Office of the Registrar as best practices. (Comments from LUNGOS)

3.3.8 National and regional networks (to promote gender equality)

The Seychelles Women‟s Commission, affiliated to LUNGOS was set up in 1995 to be the association of gender NGOs in Seychelles.

Two well-known regional networks aimed at promoting gender equality have chapters in Seychelles: a) The Forum for African Women Educationalists: over the years this organisation has provided funds for a number of projects in Seychelles in particular research projects in the area of Education through the Seychelles Association for Women Professionals. They also regularly hold training activities in Kenya or elsewhere and there are scholarships regularly given to Seychellois participants. The current Chairperson of FAWE is a former Seychellois Minister of the State. b) Gender Links: The South African-based NGO operates in the area of gender in the media. A local chapter (GEMPlus) was set up in 2003. There have been a number of activities and projects over the years. Moreover the Department of Social Development has also been liaising with Gender Links since 2002 in order to organise local activities such as a study on gender and governance and the 16 Days of Activism against Violence which is organised annually.

In an interesting study done by Gender Links in 13 Southern African countries, only 21% of people interviewed are of the opinion that women are well represented in the media. This was very different from the findings in Seychelles where the research showed that 75% of respondents think that women are well represented in the media (Gender Links, 2004).

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3.3.9 Concertation mechanism between civil society and government

As briefly mentioned above, a Memorandum of Understanding between LUNGOS and the Seychelles Government was signed in June 2008.

The MOU is meant to provide a „framework for collaboration between government and the NGO community as partners in development‟. This is meant to be done through the following methods:

The maintenance of an effective communication network between government and NGOs.

The provision of an effective consultation and collaboration process.

The reduction of a duplication of effort and maximisation on the use of limited resources.

Ensuring an acceptable standard of ethics and good governance.

Ensuring the role of government as facilitator, enhanced and supported by civil society.

In terms of government support to NGOs, the document states that Government will continue to support the administration and operations of LUNGOS though an annual operational grant while at the same time providing an appropriate framework to facilitate the self-sufficiency on NGOs (Memorandum of Understanding, Government of Seychelles and NGOs in Seychelles, 2008. See also Annex 4 listing women NGOs in the country).

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Chapter 4: Analysis of National Strategies for Gender

4.1 National framework for the promotion of gender equality and parity

The National Gender Machinery is currently headed by the Gender Secretariat, housed within the Social Development Policy Division of the Ministry of Health and Social Development which is the Ministry holding portfolio responsibility for gender. The role of the unit is to act as the permanent Lead Agency within the Gender Management System (GMS) with the goal of facilitating gender mainstreaming in all policies, programmes, and activities of the government, the private sector and civil society.

In recent years the Secretariat has done the following:

Initiated the first stage of a nationwide gender situational analysis through the National Gender Steering Committee Launched the Domestic Violence National Survey and published preliminary findings Organised capacity building programmes in collaboration with partners on: - Gender mainstreaming and good governance - Gender Analysis and planning, and Gender-sensitive Indicators Held a series of senior-level gender sensitisation forums with local partners and stakeholders Reported on the implementation of the AU Solemn Declaration Formulated the National Strategy on Domestic Violence, which was validated by a wide- spectrum of stakeholders before gaining Cabinet approval Developed material for and facilitated women‟s human rights training for the Police

It should be noted that the Secretariat was originally established to be the implementation arm of the National Gender Steering Committee (UNDP, 2007). While the Committee still exists, it would seem that the Secretariat is now very much a „section‟ in a department within a Ministry.

The Gender Secretariat which is presently staffed by 2 fulltime senior researchers and one research assistant, is multiplying its efforts to ensure than gender has its place on the national agenda but its current administrative location seems to indicate that it may not have much clout or autonomy, nor does it seem to have direct access to decision-makers who can commit to the implementation of collective decisions made by the Gender Steering Committee.

This situation is far from ideal. The Common Country Assessment of 2007 points out that:

“A major concern is the lack of a coordinated plan of action and monitoring of gender progress. Responsibility for the gender portfolio has shifted back and forth from various ministries over the past ten years. The National Gender Steering committee set up in 1993 has been largely inactive since 1998… Seychelles has signed international instruments, yet has not always been able to fulfill obligations, including writing reports. With increase in staffing levels in respective ministries, it is hoped such situations will be rectified however there is a need to capacitate human resources. In this light there is also an urgent need to collect, store and disseminate disaggregated data for gender dimensions” (p. 39).

In addition to increased staffing, it might also be necessary to consider the commitment to gender that exists across the board.

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4.2 Sectoral strategies and gender

4.2.1 The Plan of Action for Gender Equality in Education 2002 - 2015

The Plan of Action for Gender Equality is part of the larger National Education for All (EFA) Strategic Plan and more specifically to respond to Goal no. 5 of the EFA Plan which reads as follows: “Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2010 and achieving gender equality in education by 2015 by ensuring full and equal access to and achievement for both genders at primary and secondary levels of education”.

The plan has nine targets, each of which is to be attained through a series of activities:

 Become a model of good practice in mainstreaming gender  Acquire adequate funds and resources to sustain gender development work and implement the gender action plan  Strengthen the capacity of gender trainers to implement the gender action plan  Conduct gender research in key areas where disparities exist  Create gender inclusive teaching/learning environments in primary and secondary schools which enhance academic success for both genders  Create school environments where both genders feel safe and where they are respected and valued  Ensure that the new national curriculum addresses gender equity principles which meet the needs of both girls and boys  Sensitise parents and the general public  Establish productive links with partners/agencies working with women and children.

This plan is thorough and practical but most of all it is eminently applicable to the Seychelles context. It is unfortunate that, as stated earlier in this report, much of it has, so far, not been put into practice.

4.2.2 The Domestic Violence Strategy

A 2007 publication (informational leaflet, Domestic Violence: The facts) from the Gender Secretariat states that “as a sign of Government‟s commitment to adressing the problem of domestic violence, the President announced a proposal for a Domestic Violence Act and National Strategy”. The national Domestic Violence Strategy was launched in mid-2008. A full version of the document can be found on the Gender Secretariat‟s website: www.genderseychelles.gov.sc

4.2.3 The Environmental Management Plan of Seychelles 2000 - 2010; Thematic area 1: Society, Population and Health (including Gender)

This thematic area had 3 major goals and the third goal was as follows:

Goal 3: Maximizing gender efforts to protect and maintain the environment Objective 3.1: To financially assist women in setting up recycling projects Objective 3.2: To increase the number of professional women in environmental fields

The support programmes designed to achieve the above were:

 Population-Environment Research and Information Programme  Environmental Awareness and Advocacy Programme  Gender Empowerment Programme  Environmental Health Sanitation Programme  Environmental Health (Hygiene) Education/Sensitisation Programme  Sustainable Resources for Environmental Health (Human, Material and Financial Resources)” (pp. 29-32)

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Comments regarding the implementation of the gender components make it rather clear that not much has actually been done - as stated earlier in this report (section 3.2.16 above). One comment on item 3.2 of the above list states: “In schools there are careers guidance programmes that help and guide children on their future careers. There have been programmes that encourage girls to take up jobs that are associated with males. As stated the campaign to end gender stereotype covers a wide spectrum of sectors which include environment. There is no specific programme to increase the number of women in environmental fields” (Internal document, Department of Environment).

The lack of gender-disaggregated information regarding women in the environment areas is seen as a major obstacle in making a proper evaluation of the situation.

One of the lead consultants in the preparation of the EMPS believes that much of what is in the strategy has not been implemented and that the activities which were implemented were done so more by accident than anything else.

4.2.4 The National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy

The National Policy document on ICT of the Ministry of Investment, Industries and Technology, in a section relating to human resource development states that part of the aim of the policy is to “promote the use of ICT to enhance education and skills development and build a growing ICT- savvy nation”.

In terms of more specific statements, item Xl under human resource development states “Encourage gender mainstreaming in ICT programmes and development.”

4.2.5 Health Strategic Framework 2005-2010, Second Draft

The gender related section of the health strategic framework focuses on men as the vulnerable group. The information from the document has already been reproduced in section 3.1.16.

4.3 Application of CEDAW and other international/legal instruments

Seychelles acceded the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on 5th May 1992 and signed its Optional Protocol on 22nd July 2002. At present steps are being taken towards acceding the Optional Protocol which came into force on 12th December 2000.

Seychelles acceded without reservation to the African Union Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People‟s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (AU Protocol) on 9th March 2006, which had already come into force on 25th November 2005.

Seychelles signed the Southern African Development Community Declaration on Gender and Development (SADC Declaration) on 8th September 1997. The SADC Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Children and Women was signed on 14th September 1998.

Seychelles acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 7th September 1990 and signed its Optional Protocols - Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts, 2000 and Sale of Children, Prostitution and Pornography, 2000 - on 23rd January 2001.

In Seychelles, an international convention does not automatically become legally binding, even after signature and accession, until it has been „translated‟ into local laws. Nonetheless, the 1993 Constitution „provides scope to include a large number of the principles contained in these instruments in the form of Constitutional guarantees regardless of conflicting existing legislations‟ (Gender Secretariat, 2007).

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The Gender Secretariat is currently writing the report on CEDAW (1-4). It should be noted that work on the first report started in the late nineties but this, along with a number of other projects, was never completed because the National Gender Committee has, according to a relatively recent report, been inactive for a number of years, due to the „out-movement of key people committed to gender‟ (CCA, 2007).

4.4 Summary of current national projects (Inventory of projects and programmes of government, civil society, financial and technical partners, domain of interventions with a short summary of the progress of these projects as well as a gender audit of these projects and programmes).

A sample list received from the Ministry o Foreign Affairs is attached to the report at Annex 5.

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Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Progress made, lessons learnt and gaps that still exist

The comment most frequently encountered when researching gender in Seychelles is probably the following: “Men and women in Seychelles have equal opportunity in all areas.”

Nonetheless, there still seems to be much misunderstanding regarding gender in the country. (A rather telling anecdote: during another survey in which this researcher participated earlier this year, respondents were asked whether they had heard of gender rights. One member of the general public, frowned slighlty upon hearing the question, then asked “Is that the same as the rights of the disabled?”)

The Seychelles, to a great extent, has been able to fulfill the basic needs of men and women and to provide equality in the public sphere to women, men, girls and boys, for example

equal access to free education equal access to free health care services the right to vote the right to own land and property, and full economic participation of women in the labour market etc

Nonetheless, the Gender Secretariat in its website (homepage: www.genderseychelles.gov.sc) points out that certain gender related problems persist, for example

domestic violence risky sexual behaviour teenage pregnancy illegal abortions HIV/AIDS alcohol and substance abuse gender stereotyping in schools gender stereotyping in the labour market etc

The Secretariat adds that “this is because equality in higher strategic needs have not yet been achieved between the genders. This has resulted in the fact that the condition of women and men have changed, i.e. economically active and educated, but their position has not. A symptom of this is the high prevalence of domestic violence, even amongst highly educated and wealthy women. This is because sustainable empowerment is facilitated by not only the provision of equal rights in public life but also equal rights in private life, necessitating a change in the beliefs and attitudes of every individual. Otherwise we will fail to effectively address the underlying root causes of these gender related problems and continue to put our efforts and resources into addressing their symptoms.”

The Secretariat also thinks that the major factors constraining gender mainstreaming is the lack of clear policy guidelines and available up-to-date sex disaggregated data (Gender Secretariat, 2007).

Despite the fact that Seychelles has done well (even though it falls far short of parity) in terms of gender participation and gender representation - the question remains regarding the extent to which gender issues are taken into consideration in national decision-making and the development of national policies. Responses made by people interviewed indicate that it is often believed, for example, that including women in committees and boards which design/decide

53 GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB national strategies and policies automatically means that gender mainstreaming has taken place and that gender concerns will be addressed. Furthermore, even though there may be a „critical mass‟ of women at „decision-making‟ level, they may not all be gender-sensitive.

As stated by the Seychelles Common Country Assessment 2007 a “major factor constraining the achievement of gender goals in Seychelles is the lack of clear understanding of gender and its role in development. The lack of disaggregated data for specific gender dimensions is another major drawback in efforts at monitoring progress. A lack of qualitative research is the basis of this inefficiency. Similarly, data collection systems and processes urgently need to be gender sensitized.”

The issue of keeping relevant disaggregated data is particularly problematic. In 1998, a booklet entitled Men and Women in Figures was produced giving gender disaggregated data across a range of socio-economic indicators. This was recently described to the researcher as a „one-off exercise‟ and disaggregated data is still difficult to access. The fact that accurate data is crucial to the design of appropriate policies and their implementation does not seem to be obvious. For example, what is the likelihood of developing effective and valid awareness programmes on rape/sexual abuse (as described in the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2005-2009) if it is not possible to have access to accurate and appropriate data regarding cases of rape/sexual abuse as well as trends over the years? The Domestic Violence Survey did ask questions of members of the public in 2005 but the results (which are respondents comments) cannot be readily compared to anything else or to other points in time.

Futhermore, much of the energy and dedication to the „cause‟ of gender which characterised the decade of the 90s has virtually disappeared because of various factors: laws that have already been amended to cover the needs of females, statistics that show equal access and opportunity in most areas and the prevailing current view that much has already been done to establish gender equality and parity, that there are no real gender problems in the country and that in fact it may be the males who have been and are being neglected in the process.

Should this state of affairs be attributed to the fact (or belief) that too much attention has been given to the needs of women and not enough to the needs of men? Is it justifiable to believe that policies aimed at helping to empower and give access to women have ultimately done a disservice to men?

As a matter of interest, and after having worked on this report, the researcher went through the chapter on gender mainstreaming of the 1994-2000 Seychelles Human Resources Development Plan (HRDP). It was interesting to note the differences as well as the similarities which exist between the findings of this current report and the recommendations of the 15-year old document. A scanned copy of one of the relevant sections of the plan can be found at Annex 6.

5.2 Priority areas and recommendations

It seems clear from the information presented above that a few specific areas seem to be in particular need of attention, either to build on work that has already started or to initiate work. These are:

5.2.1 Women in decision-making

The participation of women in decision-making in Seychelles compares well with the other member countries of the IOC, nonetheless, it seems rather peculiar that the statistics show that female participation in various instances of decision-making have remained essentially the same for the last 15 to 20 years. None of the documents used as sources, nor the individuals met during this exercise seem to note this unusual feature. Moreover, some areas have been and still are lacking in terms of significant female participation at decision-making level: the judiciary, the Police, the Army. Further investigation would be required to understand the dynamics at work.

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A UNDP report on Women‟s Political Participation and Good Governance (UNDP, 2000) states that „the concept of critical mass -30 per cent or more - emerges as central to women‟s agency on governance‟ (p.11). The document further gives examples of how the level (in terms of numbers) of participation of women in decision-making bodies may influence national agenda in helping to bring about development that matters as well as greater equality and parity.

 It is recommended that further studies be undertaken i) to fully understand why the level of participation of women has remained static over the years and ii) to see whether the past and current participation of women in various instances has had an impact that is favourable to gender. (To find out, for example, whether a greater number of female parliamentarians has resulted in more gender-sensitive legislation.)

5.2.2 Gender-based violence or Domestic violence

There has been some debate regarding the appropriateness of each of the above terms but it is interesting to note that cases of violence referred to in the Seychelles Domestic Violence survey are usually male/female incidents.11 The preliminary results do not mention female on female (adult and/or child) domestic violence or male on male (adult and/or child) domestic violence. Furthermore, the information provided by the Police records show that in the first 6 months of 2008, the number of cases of sexual offences on juveniles was 53 (as compared to 11 for adults: 9 female victims and 2 male victims) and that the breakdown of victims in terms of gender was 49 girls to 4 boys. This, by any standard, is cause for concern.

Seychelles now has a Domestic Violence Strategy but it needs to ensure that this strategy is acted upon.

 It is recommended therefore:

. that the Gender Secretariat be strengthened, on a project basis (if permanent recruitment is not possible), i) to implement the proposed activities of the Domestic Violence Strategy which are within their control, in a timely fashion; ii) to advocate for the implementation of activities which are the responsibility of other organisations and iii) to monitor the effect of the activities on various stakeholders and to evaluate results.

. that greater financial resources be made available to the Secretariat, taking into account, especially, the programme of activities described in the Strategy.

. that the role and function of the National Gender Steering Committee be reviewed in order to revitalise this mechanism and re-focus its energies.

. that NGOs with the appropriate mandate be given support to implement the idea of a half-way house or shelter for victims of domestic violence.

5.2.3 Economic empowerment of women

Women have equal access to education and work. Female students outperform male students in school and yet the disparity in average earnings of male and female workers is as present today as it was 10 or more years ago. Why does the disparity still exist?

Women also form the bulk of cottage industry operators, micro-industries which are usually low in terms of capital investment, where the work can be demanding but where the revenue is

11 The researcher was informed that this was done because of methodological limitations.

55 GENDERCOI/SEZ/JB relatively low. It should be acknowledged nonetheless that it is an important step on the way to economic empowerment and financial autonomy.

Concerning the current situation, we note that a) there are more women who claim to be heads of households, b) there are more women in positions which earn lower salaries, c) there are more women in low-investement/low returns cottage industries and d) there are more women who are receving means-tested welfare support. Taken in isolation these factors can be explained in various ways but when seen in conjunction with each other, they seem to indicate that there might be „something‟ that is being overlooked in terms of the economic empowerment of women. This is another multi-dimensional area that needs to be focussed on.

 It is recommended:

. that an in-depth study be initiated to investigate the causes of the disparity between the earnings of men and women with a view of establishing national programmes to rectify problems which may be identified.

. that NGOs, specially those focussing on economic empowerment in one form or another, for more vulnerable groups, be given greater support and assistance by relevant bodies.

5.2.4 Food security

As shown in the report, Seychelles relies on imports to satisfy a number of the food needs of the population. Many economic factors impact on the retail price of these foods and thus determine the ability of a family to feed itself properly. Steps have recently been taken to provide agricultural land to those who want to carry out farming and to provide them with various forms of support so as to ensure a steady supply of agricultural produce at least. Nonetheless, there might be a need to design/establish some form of market-friendly mechanism to monitor supply, to facilitate the sourcing of food imports as well as to regulate the quality of the imports. This could, if the right approach is taken, temper the problem of the periodic unavailability of various items as well as ensure that some goods have a longer shelf-life because of their better quality.

 It is recommended

that the Department of Natural Resources consider working with NGOs in order encourage the creation of groupings of women farmers or women with an interest in farming. As mentioned earlier in this report, women constitute a larger proportion of the total number of students continuing their studies at the Agricultural and Horticultural Training Centre. The exercise could start by initiating contact with alumni of the school who may no longer be working in agriculture and are therefore not using the knowledge and skills which they have . This would be an additional step towards greater food security and self- sufficiency. National sensitization be carried out to get households to engage in gardening to meet some of their fresh food needs. This would also help them with income generation when they have surplus produce.

5.2.5 Gender-disaggregated data

There has been much discussion, over the years, about the necessity to keep gender disaggregated data but in practice this remains a rarity. When a question was raised regarding the issue, the response was along the lines that there are no real gender problems in Seychelles and that therefore there is little need to keep gender disaggregated data.

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As mentioned earlier, gender is not just about women, it is also about men. Gender disaggregated data would provide important information as to where needs or gaps exist on either side and would allow decisions to be made to fulfill those needs as appropriate.

This problem is not just local. In fact, it is reported that statistics available for developing countries fail to provide information on the full extent of women's participation in economic, political and social life and their true status in terms of income, health and education. This is partly due to the choice of conceptual categories used in data collection. It is argued that a gender model of data collection and analysis should be developed to obtain quantitative and qualitative information about men and women and reveal basic differences within and between the groups (Evans, 1992).

There is also the issue of the reliability of the data. Researchers and other consumers of data, rely on organisations to provide internal information based on their day to day operations. This information when analysed, serves to provide a picture of a particular situation at organisational, sectoral, national or regional level. If the data is inaccurate or incorrect, the picture drawn from the information is misleading. The reliability of data therefore is of primary importance for all data collection exercises and organisations.

This area stands, to all intents and purposes, as a prerequisite to the other priority areas.

 It is recommended:

. that an exercise be launched to look at the methods used for data collection in all sectors, at national level, and in particular in regard to national statistics to ensure that i) collection methods, ii) approaches for processing data and iii) approaches for analyzing data are gender sensitive.12 The exercise would describe „what to do‟ as well as „how to do it‟. (It is clear that many know they have to keep/have gender-disaggregated data but few have the tools that would help them collect and keep such data in standard formats.)

. that the function of data collection and manipulation of data at the level of the Police and other key institutions such as Probation Services, the Family Tribunal, Social Services and relevant NGOs be given immediate support in the form of projects that would include the design and establishment of simple-to-use electronic databases. Such a database would be set up to have, among other things, parameters that require the entry of information on a gender- disaggregated basis. Appropriate staff would be trained in the use of the databases which should allow relatively instant access to information and easy retrieval of data as opposed to a labour intensive approach requiring many hours or days. Consideration could also be given to disseminating non-confidential information in, for example, the form of electronic bulletins - as the Department of Health currently does it (see 5.3.5).

. that the National Statistics Bureau be given additional capacity to enable it to follow-up on the sourcing and keeping of gender-disaggregated data across all the

12 The point is not simply to collect/keep/use gender-disaggregated data/indicators but to use approcahes for all of these steps that are gender sensitive. A. Evans in „Gender and Development: Apractical Guide‟ (1992, publisher: Routledge,) argues that a gender model of data collection and analysis should be developed to obtain quantitative and qualitative information about men and women and reveal basic differences within and between the groups. He believes that the statistics available for developing countries fail to provide information on the full extent of women's participation in economic, political and social life and their true status in terms of income, health and education and that this is partly due to the choice of conceptual categories used in data collection.

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sectors that they cover, on a permanent basis. A useful guideline to follow for setting up formats for such data could be the African Gender Development Index (AGDI) of the Economic Commission for Africa - ECA (ECA, 2004). This data framework could also be linked to the NSB website.

5.3 Examples of good practice and gender strategies

5.3.1 Cottage industries

The cottage industry scheme was launched by the Small Enterprise Promotion Agency in 2004. Growth over the first three years was steady with a record number of businesses starting up in 2007. It is felt that this was due to the change in the international and national economic climate.

A cottage industry is a category of business operated by 1 to 5 Seychellois who „use their skills and ingenuity to generate a product or service which can be sold‟ (SEnPA promotional material). They can operate on a full-time or part-time basis and must be based at the domicile of the operator or lead partner. It is allowed to operate at any time as long as it does not create a disturbance for the neighbours. It is expected that the annual revenue of such a business will not exceed SR 800,000.

The activities which are encouraged are: art, craft, small scale manufacturing, agro-processing, basic equipment repair/maintenance, laundry, textile, food processing, fibre work, woodwork, book-keeping, electricals and electronic repairs and computing services.

The registration process is usually quite straighforward. The operator completes a SEnPA application form and submits it for processing. A team composed of SEnPA staff and government officers makes a visit to the home where the business will operate in order to ensure that basic criteria are met. These criteria include: cleanliness, adequate waste disposal facilities, proper ventilation, basic fire-fighting facilities, conducive working premises and sample of products/services - which must be of good quality. In the case of food-processing, the products also need to be submitted to tests by the Department of Health and the Seychelles Bureau of Standards.

It is possible for cottage industries to get financial support as well as business-related training through SEnPA.

Even though the scheme is only a few years old, it has proved very popular because:

it allows easy entry into money-generating activity it requires a low level of capital investment, it has relatively low operational overheads, it has the added advantage of providing the business with an officially recognised business „certificate‟, according to SEnPA, it also provides the „social benefit‟ of allowing women in particular to invest time in home and family care as they can operate from home and are free to organize their schedule as they see fit.

Moreover there are no specific personal qualifications required.

As at end of August 2008, there were 1,333 such businesses registered, the majority of them (66%) operated by women.

(Despite the apparent success of these various schemes, a number of women entrepreneurs have stated that the „officers‟ who work within these agencies are not sympathetic to the needs of their target „market‟ and do not understand what these entrepreneurs have to face. It might be useful to look at the situation and offer some solutions.)

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5.3.2. Concessionary Credit Agency

The Concessionary Credit Agency (CCA) of the Department of Finance describes itself as a one- stop shop for all existing concessionary credit facilities in Seychelles. Set up in November 2005, its role is to assist small entrepreneurs to start a small business or to expand their existing business. The CCA is more flexible than commercial banks on securities offered for a loan as it does not require guarantors to be employed: they can either be employed or be self employed. The CCA also does not request for personal contributions in most cases.

The different schemes currently under the CCA were previously managed by different organizations, they were placed within one organization in order to help entrepreneurs. The schemes include the following:

 Young Enterprise Scheme (YES)  Agriculture Development Fund (ADF)  Export Marketing Scheme (EMS)  Refinance Scheme for Export  Small Business Finance Facilities (SBFF)

The YES scheme, for example, is „geared towards providing job opportunities to unemployed and school leavers‟ (CCA promotional material). The maximum YES loan amount is SR 50,000 and the maximum for a cottage industry under the same scheme is SR 10,000. Repayment is on the capital only, there is no interest rate applicable on the loan. Repayment periods range from 2 to 4 years. Security is required in the form of a mortgage or qualified guarantors or an assignment of insurance policy or shares. It also provides a grace period of 6 months.

Under the other schemes listed above the level of interest ranges from 2.5% p.a. to 4% p.a. Repayment periods are from 3 years to a maximum of 5 years.

In 2006 the total number of loans provided through the CCA was 286 and not surprisingly, the highest number of loans (223) was provided under the YES scheme.

The number of women taking loans under the various loan schemes for 2006 was 187, representing 65.4% of total loans disbursed.

5.3.3. Health care for pregnant women

The Strategic Framework for the Department of Health had this to say about the above:

“Our core programmes of Maternal and Child Health, Expanded Programme of Immunization, Family Planning, Antenatal and Post Natal Care, Environmental Sanitation, Oral Health, Domiciliary Care, Treatment of the Common Ailments, Health Promotion, Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, Secondary Care and Tertiary Care have succeeded beyond all our expectations to improve the health status of our people and consequently the quality of life of the individuals, the families and communities that we are mandated to serve. The far-reaching achievements of these programmes have been amply documented and are no-where in dispute.”

According to information available on the department‟s website (www.moh.gov.sc), the hospital has well-trained and experienced midwives, a dedicated medical team, state of the art diagnostic equipment and well equipped labour room and obstetric theatre. Coverage is 100% if one excludes exceptional cases where a baby may „be born prior to arrival at the hospital‟.

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Antenatal care is decentralized and daily clinics (ANC) are held at the following hospitals and health centers:

 Victoria Hospital  English River Health Centre  Anse Royale Hospital  Anse Boileau Health Centre  Baie Ste Anne Hospital, Praslin  Logan Hospital, La Digue

The Ministry‟s website states that “midwives carry out the routine booking, examinations and laboratory investigations as per protocol, the emphasis being on thorough counselling of each and every client about the pregnancy and labour. Each client is routinely referred to an obstetrician at the second visit and later on at around 28 weeks. In the event of any complications there are further referrals. High-risk ANC is held on Thursday mornings. High-risk patients needing closer observation are admitted to the recently renovated antenatal ward. Each client has 3 routine ultrasound examinations, once in each trimester.”

Postnatal care includes support for breast-feeding, regular visits by pediatricians and family planning counselling.

As a result of the above, Seychelles infant mortality rate is among the lowest in the world - from 46 per 1000 in 1976 to 10.7 per 1000 in 2007.

5.3.4 Education Programme to improve the performance of boys at school (Integrating gender into school and classroom processes)

Research carried out in 2007 identified the practice of ability streaming as one of the root causes for the persistent gender gap in performance between boys and girls in Seychelles. It was also felt that segregated seating arrangements in classrooms did not favour healthy relationships and exchange between boys and girls. A project was launched in 2008 to attempt to reduce or eliminate the gap in performance. The aims of the project are as follows:

To create more gender-friendly school and classroom environments To empower management, teachers, staff, parents and pupils on gender so as to challenge stereotyping and sexist attitudes and structures

To promote gender responsive teaching and learning

To document experiences and exchange successful interventions through networking structures

Two schools were chosen to pilot the approach being proposed: Mont-Fleuri Secondary and Anse Boileau Secondary. Activities include 1) de-streaming classes and introducing more gender balance, 2) drawing up school/classroom vision for gender equity in collaboration with schools, 3) assisting schools in drawing up action plans, monitoring and evaluation plans as well as checklists for monitoring gender responsiveness of school and classroom environment, 4) providing technical assistance for setting up gender disaggregated statistics, etc.

Even though the project has only been running since the beginning of 2008, preliminary reports from both schools report a number of positive changes. At one of the schools for example, “the headteacher and teachers have remarked a significant change of ethos in Secondary 1 classes as noted in diary entries and minutes of meetings. The noise level has reduced and classes remain on task even when left unsupervised. Some parents have already noticed a positive change in the attitude of their boys” (Pardiwalla, 2008: 3)

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5.3.5 Health Information and Data System

The current health data and information system of the Department of Health (formerly Ministry of Health) was initially set up in the mid-80s using one computer donated by the Child Development Study which had been started in Seychelles in conjunction with the University of Rochester (USA). The system evolved over the years and could be considered as a full database for health information as from 1994. It collects and makes data available on births, deaths and patient statistics.

Staff level which stood at 7 originally has gradually been reduced to the current 3 individuals who update and disseminate information and maintain the system.

The various units of the Department of Health provide information using different forms for different areas. Some of the information is provided on hard copy while others send soft copies. All forms are standardized to facilitate processing of the information.

The section produces several electronic bulletins which are distributed to people on their circulation lists. These are the Annual Health Statistics, the Monthly Health Statistical Report, the Monthly Health Bulletin and the Weekly Health Bulletin for Notifiable Diseases. Some of the publications can also be accessed through the department‟s website.

The efficiency of the system means that it is possible for a worker in that section to extract information from the system extremely quickly and to send it electronically at virtually no additional cost.

The only serious concern at this point is that most of the staff are mature individuals and that young people do not seem interested in being trained to maintain the system in future. It might therefore be useful to „showcase‟ the work of the section in order to attract young would-be statiticians and information technology students.

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ANNEX 1

Elaboration d’une Politique et d’une Stratégie Sous-Régionale Genre de la Commission de l’Océan Indien Termes de Référence, Consultant(e) national(e), Seychelles ======

Objet de la Consultation : Elaborer une politique sous-régionale genre et une stratégie genre à l‟échelle de la Commission de l‟Océan Indien Durée : 30 jours Période : Juin-août 2008 Lieu : A domicile (et en ligne), atelier à Maurice Livrables : 1. Un document d‟analyse de la situation genre et développement pour les Seychelles. 2. Résumé des consultations multi acteurs menées aux Seychelles. Effet attendu : La politique et la stratégie nationale genre entraîne l‟inclusion des objectifs de l‟atteinte de l‟égalité entre les sexes et l‟autonomisation des femmes ainsi que des indicateurs de performance au niveau de chacun de ces axes stratégiques d‟intervention.

======

1. Contexte

Introduction

La Commission de l‟Océan Indien [COI] est une organisation régionale créée en 1984 par l‟Accord Général de Victoria. Elle regroupe cinq pays membres : Comores, France (Réunion), Maurice, Madagascar et Seychelles. A sa création, la COI s‟est fixée comme objectif de resserrer les liens d‟amitié et de solidarité entre les peuples de la région et de favoriser le développement économique.

Après plus de 2 décennies d‟existence, ses missions ont progressivement évolués pour tenir compte de la naissance des Organisations Régionales (COMESA, SADC, EAC) et des nouvelles orientations stratégiques adoptées par les Ministres en janvier 2005 à Saint-Denis, la Réunion, lors du Conseil et réaffirmées par le Sommet des Chefs d‟Etats ou de Gouvernements en juillet 2005.

Les orientations stratégiques s‟inscrivent dans une perspective de développement durable et de lutte contre la pauvreté. Elles sont conformes avec les Objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement (OMD), le Sommet mondial sur le développement durable de Johannesbourg, le plan d‟action de la Barbade et à la conférence internationale sur les Petits Etats Insulaire en Développement (IEID) qui s‟est tenu à Maurice en janvier 2005.

Elles se définissent selon quatre axes prioritaires axe n°1 coopération politique et diplomatique, axe n°2, coopération économique et commerciale axe n°3 le développement durable axe n°4 le renforcement de l‟identité culturelle.

Sous l‟axe n°4, il y est fait mention que la COI appuiera le renforcement de l‟identité culturelle régionale par l‟accroissement des liens entre les organisations de femmes de manière à favoriser le rapprochement des peuples.

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Cependant le Secrétariat Général ne dispose pas d‟une politique régionale explicite et énoncée en matière de genre et d‟égalité entre les sexes. L‟absence d‟un engagement formel et solennel au niveau politique par les Chefs d‟Etat en matière de l‟égalité entre les sexes et de l‟autonomisation des femmes se fait sentir. Sans une politique clairement énoncée et affirmée pour guider et orienter la définition des orientations stratégiques, l‟élaboration et la mise en œuvre des stratégies régionales, les programmes et projets ne reflètent pas un éclairage, une perspective genre et des résultats attendus en matière d‟atteinte de l‟égalité entre les sexes.

Les états membres, par contre, ont soit des politiques nationales en matière de l‟égalité entre les sexes ou sont en train de les définir. Ils ont de stratégies et plans d‟action nationaux en matière de genre et participent en ce sens dans d‟autres instances régionales ou sous régionales telles l‟Union Africaine, la SADC( un Protocole Genre et Développement) et le COMESA.

Les agences des Nations Unies intervenant au niveau de ces états membres, à l‟exception de la Réunion, région ultrapériphérique de l‟Union Européenne, ont élaboré des programmes pays au niveau de quatre pays de la sous-région, à savoir les Comores, Madagascar, Maurice et les Seychelles - la Réunion étant une région ultrapériphérique de la France et de ce fait non appuyé par le Système des Nations Unies [SNU]. Leurs programmes pays ont appuyé la prise en compte de la dimension genre et les engagements en faveur de l‟égalité entre hommes et femmes et se retrouvent dans le Plan Cadre des Nations Unies pour l‟Aide au Développement [UNDAF]

Consciente de cette lacune par rapport à une politique et stratégie nationale genre et fort de la dynamique créée par les femmes entrepreneurs de la région, le Secrétariat Général de la COI a initié un processus d‟élaboration d‟une politique genre.

Dans le cadre de l‟appui au processus de préparation d‟une politique et d‟une stratégie régionale genre à l‟échelle de la COI, les agences du Système des Nations Unies, ont commandité une note conceptuelle.

Cette note, ci-joint en annexe, fournit des éléments pertinents à prendre en compte dans l‟élaboration d‟une politique et d‟une stratégie genre pour la COI. La Note passe en revue les principaux documents disponibles à la COI. Elle conclut que tous les axes d‟orientation stratégique de la COI pêchent par l‟inexistence ou la faiblesse de prise en compte d‟une perspective genre, alors que cette dernière est très pertinente au niveau de chaque axe. Cette note a également brossé un tableau sommaire de la situation en matière de genre au niveau des 5 états membres s‟appuyant sur une revue de la documentation disponible en ligne émanant du Système des Nations Unies et qui a permis d‟éclairer et de situer les enjeux en matière de genre. Elle met également en exergue les spécificités et les dynamiques de politique genre différentes au niveau de chaque pays, trace la dynamique menant au présent projet d‟élaboration d‟une politique et d‟une stratégie genre à l‟échelle de la COI, et fournit quelques pistes stratégiques à suivre.

2. Stratégie d’élaboration.

Une politique et une stratégie genre devrait avoir un caractère transversal, mais également spécifique à chacun des axes d‟intervention de la COI. Elle devrait également faire ressortir les problématiques et éléments communs et spécifiques à la sous région tout en retenant les spécificités propres à chaque état membre. Cette politique et stratégie devrait s‟articuler autour de la réalisation de tous les OMD et selon les principes de la Déclaration de Paris sur les nouvelles modalités de l‟aide. Elle devrait viser non seulement la transformation des mécanismes, règles et structures existantes. Elle devrait également se fonder sur le volontarisme et la concertation entre multiples acteurs, agir au niveau des mentalités et des pratiques, s‟appuyant sur les dynamiques actuelles de mobilisation autour du chantier de l‟égalité entre les sexes et la réalisation effective des droits humains des femmes.

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De ce fait, elle devrait être développée de manière participative, associant les parties prenantes à chaque étape du processus, donner lieu au renforcement et à la gestion des connaissances et du savoir-faire au niveau sous-régional, favoriser la mise en réseau, le partage des bonnes pratiques et leçons apprises, selon une démarche d‟apprendre en faisant. Ce processus devra contribuer à renforcer les capacités de mise en œuvre de la stratégie élaborée, dans l‟esprit qui a animé la création de la COI.

La démarche méthodologique et le processus sont donc les suivants :

Dans un premier temps, il serait question de procéder à un état des lieux,

de capitaliser les connaissances existantes, de rassembler la documentation et l‟information pertinente à une revue genre de la situation afin d‟établir une situation de référence, au niveau de chaque pays, pour chaque axe d‟intervention de la COI, et de comparer cet état des lieux aux standards, normes et objectifs visés et ciblés, aux engagements pris en matière de l‟objectif de l‟égalité des sexes et l‟autonomisation des femmes. Il s‟agira de déterminer l‟état des lieux des rapports sociaux de genre, des écarts et des spécificités entre les sexes à l‟échelle nationale et sous-nationale, de mesurer l‟écart à combler, d‟identifier les réponses apportées par les états, leurs partenaires techniques et financiers, ainsi que la mobilisation de la société civile, et notamment les organisations de femmes, les leçons à tirer et les avancées et bonnes pratiques. Cette partie sera réalisée essentiellement par les consultant(e)s nationaux au niveau de chaque pays, appuyés à distance par le/la consultant(e) international(e).

Dans un deuxième temps, le/la consultant(e) international(e) devra

Examiner, mettre en commun et réaliser une synthèse multi-pays, relever les pistes stratégiques pour une politique et stratégie régionale genre, identifier les aspects devant faire l‟objet de mise en commun, de renforcement de capacités, d‟affinement du cadre conceptuel genre, d‟outils de recherches sensibles au genre

Dans un troisième temps, il sera organisé un atelier méthodologique à Maurice où est situé le Secrétariat de la COI, auquel participera l‟équipe de consultants ainsi que le Secrétariat de la COI.

Les objectifs de l‟atelier sont les suivants :

examiner et partager les résultats des travaux à ce jour, harmoniser et renforcer les capacités en matière d‟analyse genre et de développement de stratégie genre, procéder, sur la base de ces informations, à une analyse plus poussée des facteurs explicatifs et déterminants de ces états des lieux, relever les facteurs de blocage et les opportunités existantes, identifier des pistes stratégiques potentielles où le niveau sous-régional est une valeur ajoutée, repérer les déficits d‟informations à combler, ainsi que les thèmes devant faire l‟objet de consultations plus poussées identifier les bonnes pratiques qui feraient l‟objet de dialogue et de discussions éventuelles avec les multiples parties prenantes, et enfin sur cette base développer ainsi des guides méthodologiques ainsi qu‟un plan d‟action pour l‟étape suivante de consultations multi-acteurs au niveau de chaque pays.

Dans un quatrième temps,

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une équipe composée de le/la consultant(e) international(e) et des consultant(e)s nationaux respectifs réalisera, dans chaque pays et au niveau du Secrétariat de la COI, des entretiens semi-directifs individuels et des discussions de groupe, sur la base des outils méthodologiques développés et les connaissances acquises à partir des étapes précédentes.

Dans un cinquième temps,

Les premiers documents provisoires de la politique genre ainsi que la stratégie genre seront élaborés par le/la consultante international(e) et circulés pour commentaires.

En final,

Ce document provisoire sera examiné et validé au cours d‟un atelier sous-régional de la COI réunissant toutes les parties prenantes vers octobre-novembre 2008. Cet atelier devra élaborer un plan indicatif de mise en œuvre à partir de 2009.

Arrangements de gestion.

Le projet sera géré par le Secrétariat de la COI, basé à Maurice, en collaboration avec le Bureau du Coordonnateur Résident du SNU à Maurice, qui sera en liaison avec le Bureau Régional de l‟UNFPA à Madagascar, couvrant Madagascar et les Comores. Un/une consultant(e) international(e) sera recruté(e) pour les quatre pays. Madagascar aura deux consultants nationaux vu sa taille/spécificités, volume de travail et la dispersion des régions. Comores, Maurice et les Seychelles auront chacun un consultant national.

Il est envisagé que dans chaque pays, une équipe projet sera créé, composé d‟un point focal du chef de file au niveau du SNU, le point focal de la COI et les consultants nationaux. Le soutien d‟ordre logistique, administratif et substantif pour les missions pays sera fourni par le Bureau du Coordonnateur Résident du SNU à Maurice pour Maurice et les Seychelles, tandis que le Bureau Régional de l‟UNFPA à Madagascar, couvrira Madagascar et les Comores. Le Bureau Régional de l‟UNIFEM à Johannesbourg, Afrique du Sud, assurera le recrutement de le/la consultant(e) international(e) et fournira l‟appui technique nécessaire.

3. Rôles et responsabilités et activités de le/la consultant(e) national(e).

Le/la consultant(e) national(e) des Seychelles bénéficiera de l‟appui à distance de le/la consultant(e) internationale qui sera le chef d‟équipe et devra assurer la supervision thématique, substantive et méthodologique de l‟équipe de consultants nationaux.

Le canevas de présentation des résultats sera fourni par la consultant(e) international(e)

Activité 1 : Réaliser un état des lieux en matière d’intégration de la dimension genre aux Seychelles et couvrant les tâches suivantes :

1. Compiler les études existantes, les rapports de mission, les rapports d‟analyse devant servir de fonds documentaire à l‟élaboration, la mise en œuvre, la revue à moyen terme et évaluations de projet et de programmes, émanant de partenaires techniques et financiers bilatéraux et multilatéraux de l‟état, de la société civile, dans les axes stratégiques d‟intervention de la COI. 2. Procéder à une revue de cette documentation, indiquant si et de quelle manière les questions de genre ont été prises en compte, une analyse genre a été faite et quelles ont

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été les recommandations en matière de l‟atteinte de l‟objectif de l‟égalité entre les sexes et l‟autonomisation des femmes. 3. Identifier, compiler et classifier les politiques, projets et programmes aux niveaux nationaux et locaux (en cours et passés), en indiquant la couverture spatiale, le domaine d‟intervention, selon qu‟ils soient des projets séxo-spécifiques ; ciblant la réduction des écarts ; des mesures d‟actions positives visant l‟autonomisation des femmes ; des projets individuels ou des volets ou composants de programmes. 4. Réaliser un inventaire des projets et programmes de la COI, en y associant un bref résumé et de l‟état d‟avancement et un audit genre de ces projets et programmes (sur les 5 dernières années). 5. Obtenir et indiquer si cette documentation est disponible en version électronique et/ou version papier, et envoyer les versions électroniques à la consultant(e) international(e). 6. Identifier les personnes ressources, point focaux, relever leur coordonnées pour les programmes et projets en cours, particulièrement au niveau de l‟Union Européenne, le Système des Nations Unies, incluant la Banque Mondiale. 7. Réaliser un répertoire des associations de femmes par domaine d‟intervention, région, adresses, appartenance aux réseaux, nombre de membres et autres caractéristiques jugées pertinentes. 8. Envoyer toute documentation recueillie ainsi que des informations pertinentes, ainsi que répondre aux requêtes provenant de le/la consultant(e) international(e) 9. Sur la base de cette documentation et des indicateurs disponibles, procéder à une analyse de la situation de l‟état actuel des rapports sociaux de genre, des écarts entre les sexes et le progrès accompli en matière d‟autonomisation des femmes. Ventiler ces informations par région et par thématique clé, notamment dans les axes d‟intervention de la COI. 10. Produire des résumés, incluant les progrès accomplis, les leçons tirées et les manquements et lacunes, ainsi que des aspects et questions méritant un traitement plus approfondi, en amont de l‟atelier méthodologique 11. Repérer des éléments susceptibles de constituer de bonnes pratiques et pistes de stratégie genre au niveau de la sous-région.

Activité 2 : Participer à l’atelier méthodologique sous-régional en agissant comme personne ressource pour l’élaboration de la suite des travaux aux Seychelles.

Le/la consultant(e) national(e) participera pleinement à l‟atelier, au regard des objectifs attendus. Il/Elle agira en tant que personne ressource pour les Seychelles et définira en collaboration avec le/la consultant(e) international(e), le plan de travail aux Seychelles.

Activité 3 : Réaliser les consultations (entretiens et discussions de groupe)aux Seychelles, en étroite collaboration avec le/la consultant(e) international(e).

Il est prévu que les consultations au niveau de la COI et de Maurice auront lieu immédiatement après l‟atelier méthodologique en collaboration avec le/la consultant mauricien(ne).

Le/la consultant(e) des Seychelles se chargera de préparer les entretiens en étroite collaboration avec l‟équipe pays.

Il/elle devra réaliser un résumé succinct des principaux résultats et le remettre au consultant(e) international(e)

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Activité 4: Fournir des commentaire/suggestions sur le document provisoire de politique et de stratégie sous-régionale genre de la COI.

Le document de politique contiendra les principes directeurs et les objectifs à atteindre. Le document de stratégie devra couvrir

Les domaines potentiels d‟intervention de la COI qui assurent une valeur ajoutée La déclinaison de la stratégie en objectifs et sous-objectifs et indicateurs y afférents Les modalités de mise en œuvre Une estimation des besoins de financement Une identification des défis majeurs et des risques

Le/la consultant(e) des Seychelles fournira des commentaires en temps utile sur les documents provisoire de politique et de stratégie genre de la COI

4. Produits/livrables.

1. Un document d‟analyse de la situation genre et développement aux Seychelles. 2. Un Résumé des consultations multi acteurs menées aux Seychelles.

5. Qualifications et expertise requise.

 Un diplôme universitaire au moins au niveau de maîtrise en sciences sociales/politiques/économiques et au moins 5 années d‟expérience dans le domaine du genre et du développement;  La capacité d‟intégration de la dimension genre dans les domaines thématiques tels l‟environnement, la lutte contre la pauvreté, les politiques commerciales et la libéralisation du commerce international sera d‟un net avantage ; Une bonne compréhension de l‟environnement politique, économique socio culturel des Seychelles;  Excellentes compétences en analyse et en dialogue politique. Maîtrise parfaite du français écrit et oral.

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ANNEX 2

Resource persons and contact details

Names Designation Contact details 1 Head of Research and Caroline Abel Statistics Division Central Bank, Tel. 225200 2 Gina Ally Statistician Central Bank, Tel. 225200 3 Seychelles Women's Commission/Action group of Seychelles Women Parliamentarians, Florence Benstrong Chairperson Tel. 514199 4 Mr. Bauer UNDP, Tel. 225914 5 Special Adviser to the Department of Social Development, Tel. Marie-Josee Bonne Minister 281500 6 Promotion of Solid and Humane Families Edwina Adrienne Chairperson (APSHF), Tel. 225300/321823 7 Principal Secretary Special Duties - Young Lucy Athanasius Leaders Programme Vice President's Office, Tel. 225509 8 Family Planning Peggy Azemia Programme Manager Department of Health, Tel. 388000 9 Probation Services, Department of Social Marc Bonnelame Senior Probation Officer Development, Tel. 281500 10 Barbara Carolus- Human Rights EU-UNDP Project/Min. Foreign Affairs, Tel. Andre Programme Manager 226064 11 Health Information and Statistics Section, Director Health Division of Health Systems Development, Joachim Didon Information Statistics Department of Health, Tel. 388000 12 Helena Deletourdis Principal Statistician National Statistics Bureau, Tel. 611663 13 Director General Merida Delcy Schools Division Ministry of Education, Tel. 283283 14 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Jeanette D‟Offay Technical Advisor Cooperation, Tel 283500 15 Special Adviser to the Selby Dora Minister Ministry of Education, Tel. 283283 16 Superintendant Crime Reginald Elizabeth Record Bureau Police Headquarters, Tel. 288000 17 Seychelles Association of Women Fiona Ernesta Secretary Professionals Tel. 283283 18 Department of Public Administration, Tel. Jessy Esparon Principal Secretary 383000 19 Department of Local Government, Tel. Daniel Frichot Director General 225477 20 Anne Gabriel Director General Department of Health, Tel. 388000 21 APANA (NGO focusing on recycling), Tel. Lucy Hickerson-Luc Chairperson 361107 22 Flavien Joubert Technical Adviser Department of Environment, Tel. 670400 23 Steve Lalande Executive Director LUNGOS, Tel. 225376 24 Andre Leste Technical Advisor Ministry of Education, Tel. 283283

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25 UNDP National Rebecca Lalanne Programme Officer UNDP Office, Tel. 26 Jean-Claude Matombe Vice-Chair GEMPlus, Tel. 224390 27 Gina Michel Chairperson Les Li Viv, Tel. 323535 28 Director General, Charles Morin International Trade Ministry of Finance, Tel. 382077 29 Agricultural Extension Services, Department Antoine Moustache Special Adviser of Natural Resources, Tel. 378252 30 Begum Nageon de National Projects Lestang Coordinator Department of Environment, Tel. 670400 31 Mahrookh Pardiwalla Consultant Tel. 247041/523275 32 Ruby Pardiwalla Director National Council for Children, Tel. 224390 33 Director General (Multilateral Affairs Selby Pillay Division) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel. 283500 34 Counterpart Programme Joseph Rath Manager Department of Environment, Tel. 670500 35 Steven Robert Clerk Family Tribunal Family Tribunal, Tel. 322223 36 Director for Family Sarah Romain Health and Nutrition Department of Health, Tel. 388000 37 Director of Economic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international Beryl Samson Affairs Cooperation, Tel. 283500 38 Business Promotion Small Enterprise Promotion Agency, Tel. Kevin Samson Manager 323151 39 Gender Secretariat, Social Development Policy Division, Department of Social Tessa Siu Senior Research Officer Development, Tel. 281500 40 Sharon Telemaque Chairperson GEMPlus, Tel. 768330 41 Secretary Family Josette Thelermont Tribunal Family Tribunal, Tel. 322223 42 Jean Toussaint Public Relations Officer Police Headquarters, Tel. 288000 43 Agricultural Extension Services, Department Uchenna Uzokwe Technical Adviser of Natural Resources, Tel. 378252 44 Seychelles Women's Commission/Association Germaine Valentin Chairperson - ASFF of Solidarity For the Family, Tel. 321333 4 Small Enterprise Promotion Agency, Tel. Sylvianne Valmont Chief Executive Officer 323151 46 Gabriel Victor Senior Probation Officer Probation Services, Tel. 281500 47 Population and Development Section, Social Development Policy Division, Department of Jane Victor Senior Research Officer Social Development, Tel. 281500 48 Master & Registrar of Melchior Vidot Supreme Court Supreme Court, Tel. 224224 49 Director for Social Department of Social Development, Tel. Linda William Services 281500

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ANNEX 3

Population by Administrative Division, 2002 Administrative Area in km2 2002 Division Population Density Central Bel Air 4.41372 2900 657 English River 1.38069 3624 2625 Les Mamelles 1.67536 2352 1404 Mont Buxton 1.18731 3107 2616 Mont Fleuri 1.7872 3611 2020 Plaisance 3.37392 3399 1007 Roche Caiman 0.942352 2652 2814 St Louis 1.42017 3325 2341

East Anse Aux Pins 2.4544 3535 1440 Anse Royale 7.18207 3688 514 Au Cap 8.28006 3168 383 Cascade 10.04542 3439 342 Point Larue 3.373953 2715 804 Takamaka 14.3418 2589 181

North Anse Etoile 5.85143 4272 730 Beau Vallon 4.60563 3797 824 Bel Ombre 9.37918 3538 377 Glacis 6.68237 3576 535

West Anse Boileau 12.06355 3994 331 Grand Anse Mahé 15.7516 2587 164 Baie Lazare 12.06837 2957 245 Port Glaud 26.6759 2174 81

Praslin Baie Ste Anne 22.553 3665 163 Grand Anse Praslin 15.05671 3335 221

La Digue 14.6 2099 144

Other Islands 248.1 1079 4 Total 455.5 81177 178

Note: Other Islands include Silhouette and the Outer Islands. Outer Islands has a floating population with temporary inhabitants.

Sources: Population and Housing Census, 2002

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ANNEX 4

List of women’s associations and other related associations by area of intervention, region, address, participation in networks, number of members and other valid characteristics

Name of Contact No. of organisation person Contact details members Activities/Current status c/o SECTI, Roche Caiman, The aim of the NGO is to get Action Group of Mahé, Seychelles young women interested in Seychelles Tel. 514199 politics. According to Women Florence Email: spokesperson it is not working 1 Parliamentarians Benstrong [email protected] 16 as it should. c/o P O Box 885, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles Tel. 321333/ Strengthening and promoting 723460 family values. Has core Alliance of Fax: 324963 programmes on parenting Solidarity for the Germaine Email: skills, reproductive health and 5 Family (ASFF) Valentin [email protected] 25 domestic violence Counselling/parenting sessions for couples on relationship problems. Needs a place to organize activities – has only a small office with 3 full-time staff and volunteers. Has live-in camps. Gets some c/o P O Box 61, Victoria, Mahé, support from the Roman Association for Seychelles Catholic Church to which it is the Promotion of Tel. 225300/ attached. Increasingly greater Solid and 321823 contingent of men Humane Families Edwina Fax: 324045 participating in the 3 (APSHF) Adrienne Email: [email protected] 400 programmes. c/o Police Headquarters, P O Box 46, Victoria, Mahe, Working with different Association of Seychelles partners, organizes Fathers Tel. 288000/ sensitization programmes Promoting 722318 using radio, TV, roundtables Responsible Reginald Email: and workshops to promote 4 Parenthood Elizabeth [email protected] 50 good family values. c/o P O Box 885, Victoria, Working with small groups of Mahe, Seychelles rural unemployed youth in the Atelye Pour Tel. 361107/ West region of Mahe to train Aprann Nouvo Lucy 767181 them to generate products Artizana Hickerson- Fax: 361107 based on recycling - which can 5 (APANA) Luc Email: [email protected] be sold. c/o P O Box 1263, Victoria, Aim is to bring up the standard Mahé, Seychelles of day-care while keeping it Day Care Stella Tel. 323122 affordable for parents also 6 Association Marie Fax: 225266 preparing children for crèche.

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Email: Not currently active. Being re- launched. A gender-based media NGO c/o P O Box 2009, Victoria, and the local chapter of Mahé, Seychelles GEMSA/Gender Links, it uses Sharon Tel. 768330 the media to advocate for 7 GEMPlus Telemaque Email: [email protected] 14 social change. c/o P O Box 12, Victoria, Mahé, Gina Seychelles Pro-life NGO. No current 8 Les Li Viv Michelle Tel. 323535/513236 20 projects. Aim is to bring together professional women and women in positions of responsibility to contribute to the development of the country and in particular to education. Two current projects funded Seychelles from overseas: a) lowering risk Association of of HIV/AIDS infections which Women involves training for peer Professionals educators(nearing completion) (local chapter of and b) setting up of girls clubs FAWE - Forum c/o Ministry of Education Mont in primary and secondary for African Fleuri, Mahé, Seychelles schools (those for primary Women Fiona Tel. 283283 schools are already 9 Educationalists) Ernesta Email: [email protected] 53 completed). Note: Extracted from LUNGOS NGO Membership List (August 2008)

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ANNEX 5

Sample of current projects in Seychelles funded by Multilateral and Bilateral Donor Agencies: Environment and Agriculture

Name of Funding Organisation Name of Project Focal Point/Coordinator Rolph Payet, Special Advisor, UNEP ICRAN President‟s Office Rolph Payet, Special Advisor, UNEP Cordio University Kalmar President‟s Office Jude Florentine, Department of UNEP Stockholm Convention Environment Finish Denis Matatiken, Department of Government Seychelles Endemic Plant Species Environment Rolph Payet Special Advisor, UNEP Coral Reef Task Force President‟s Office Rolph Payet Special Advisor, President‟s Office and Didier Dogley, Principal Secretary Department of UNEP Country Support Programme GEF Environment Rolph Payet, Special Advisor, UNEP UNEP RCU Nairobi Convention President‟s Office Selby Remie, Department of UNEP CBD parties for preparation of 3rd national report Environment Justin Prosper, Department of UNEP AIEN Environment Inese Chang Waye, Department GTZ Proklima-RMP of Environment Inese Chang Waye, Department UNEP Montreal Protocol of Environment Joseph Rath, Department of UNEP National Report Marine Coastal Environment Environment Alain Decommarmond, UNESCO Environment Sandwatch Department of Environment Daniel Confait, Department of GEF Second National Communication Environment Joseph Francois, Department of UNEP Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism Environment Justin Prosper, Department of UNEP WIOLAB Clearing House Mechanism Environment Begum Nageon de Lestang, COI Recomap Department of Environment National Water Sediment Quality Monitoring Jason Jacqueline, Department of UNEP Programme Environment Jason Jacqueline, Department of UNEP WIOLAB PMUNational Summary Report Environment Cliff Gonzalve, SWAC (Solid EU Solid Waste Management Waste and Cleaning Section)

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Alain Decommarmond, UNEP Mangrove for the Future Department of Environment GEF Sustainable Land Management Audrey Zelia, UNDP Office GEF Biodiversity Jan Ripjma, UNDP Office GEF Biosecurity Jan Ripjma, UNDP Office Jason Jacqueline, Department of UNEP Small Grant Project WIOLAB Environment Establishment of an agricultural Geographic FAO Information System (GIS) Information not provided TCP/SEY/3101 (A) National Medium Term FAO Priority Framework (NMTPF) TCP/SEY/3102 (D) Information not provided Formulation of the Agricultural Development FAO Strategy 2007-2011 TCP/SEY/3102 (D) Information not provided Emergency assistance for early detection & prevention of avian influenza in Eastern & FAO Southern Africa OSRO GLO/504/MUL Information not provided Avian Influenza Workshop TCP/RAF/3017 FAO TCP/RAF/3016 Information not provided EU/COI Melon Fly Eradication Project Information not provided EU/COI Regional Plant Protection Project Information not provided Development of improved nutrient and water management practices using nuclear and related techniques for enhancing sustainable agricultural IAEA productivity Information not provided Asian Vegetables Research Development Centre Bilateral cooperation with countries in east Africa Information not provided China Bilateral cooperation with Seychelles Information not provided Mauritius Bilateral cooperation with Seychelles Information not provided Egypt Bilateral cooperation with Seychelles Information not provided

74 ANNEX 6 Copy of section on Gender Mainstreaming, HRDP 1994-2000

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ANNEX 7

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