The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the promotion of gender equity, tolerance and inclusion in South Africa.

UNICEF, in a statement, revealed that its partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) would help promote gender equity in the country through cricket.

Development Diaries reports that the country is hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup, from 10 to 26 February; hence, the ICC and UNICEF partnership is committed to girls’ empowerment through cricket.

SDG Five: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

UNICEF South Africa is of the belief that this approach can help to foster tolerance and shared responsibility during difficult times.

It noted that the partnership will mobilise the power of cricket to drive positive social change and to encourage girls and women to play and be empowered by the sport.

UNICEF South Africa Representative, Christine Muhigana, noted that violence and societal pressures have prevented girls and women from realising their full potential of becoming leaders and agents of positive change.

‘We need to do better because when girls and women thrive, we all do’, Muhigana said.

The ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice, said the ‘cricket for good’ sessions at this women’s T20 World Cup will provide a platform for young girls and boys to learn important life skills that will help them in everyday life whilst having fun at the same time.

Allardice said, ‘Harnessing the power of cricket to promote gender equality and bringing societies together is a key objective for our World Cups and we look forward to taking the partnership to the next level here in South Africa’.

According to a report by Statistics South Africa, titled Gender Series Volume IX: Women Empowerment, 2017–2022, women in the country are more likely to be unemployed than men.

It also shows that women are less likely to participate in the labour market than their male counterparts.

A study by UNICEF also revealed that people across the southern African region face the impact of the gendered society in which they live.

Also, women and girls carry the majority of the care and domestic burden in every country in the region, and are less likely to be employed in the formal sector.

Source: UNICEF

Photo source: Gallo Images/2022/Lee Warre