Not long ago, the Europe branch of the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW) convened in Frankfurt, Germany, to conduct its annual activity assessment meeting. The gathering reviewed the progress made, various challenges encountered, and panoply of lessons learned in the course of its work conducted over the past 12 months.
As well, a number of goals and plans for the upcoming year were outlined and discussed in detail, while the President of the NUEW, Tekea Tesfamicael, delivered a virtual message from Asmara, offering deeper insights and further emphasizing the need to bolster organizational capacity and formulate effective initiatives, schemes, and programs to more effectively achieve its broad aims. Notably, several other NUEW and Eritrean officials based in Europe shared their assessments and conveyed messages of solidarity, while reiterating their commitment to implementing plans for 2024. Generally, expectations for NUEW remain high for the upcoming year, with many activities and initiatives in the pipeline.
In addition to showcasing the commendable recent and ongoing work of an important national organization, the recent NUEW gathering offers a useful opportunity to recall its proud history, highlight some of its laudable work, and review Eritrea’s wider commitment to gender equality and empowerment.
A history of equality through struggle
Through the complete backing and firm support of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, NUEW was established in 1979. During the long freedom struggle, it not only helped to organize and mobilize Eritrean women as a core and integral part of the formidable armed liberation forces, it also played a fundamental role in sensitizing Eritrean society to the importance of a range of gender-related issues and promoting gender equality in all its manifestations. Indeed, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, Eritrean women’s valiant contributions to the armed struggle are distinguished and largely unparalleled in the annals of the history of liberation movements worldwide: they comprised approximately one-third of the liberation forces, and they also fought heroically on the frontlines while assuming a variety of strategic and leading positions. As well, despite the challenges of a devastating conflict, the group helped to drive a number of important sociocultural changes.
Following Eritrea’s achievement of independence, NUEW continued in its important work, reconstituting itself as an autonomous non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the status of the nation’s women and girls. Broadly, the organization’s mission aims to ensure that all Eritrean women and girls confidently stand for their rights and equally participate in all aspects of life and sectors of society. Since independence, some of its main objectives have included, among others: ensuring gender equality and women’s rights in political, economic, social, cultural, and all other spheres; increasing women’s social awareness and knowledge; endeavouring for the active participation of Eritrean women in overall development programmes in such a way that they also benefit from their efforts; promoting peace and development; and strengthening NUEW in order to make it more efficient and influential.
Over the course of its decades-long history, NUEW has significantly grown, both with regard to its overall membership, as well as its work and tangible impact on the ground. At present, it has thousands of members, not only within all communities across the nation, but also in numerous countries around the world. (There are active branches in countries in Africa, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Australia.)
NUEW has continued to take on a wide range of social projects over the years to promote gender equality and support the empowerment of women and girls. For instance, it has established several professional training centres, as part of its broader aim of capacity-building, and worked closely with the Ministry of Education to raise female enrolments and eradicate illiteracy. As well, it has maintained a legal counseling department, which has helped increase women’s knowledge and understanding of legal issues and their rights (especially with regard to divorce, alimony, paternity, inheritance, and land ownership, among other issues), while also fighting residual stigma and discrimination. Furthermore, NUEW has campaigned to improve women’s access to healthcare, promote their inherent rights and dignity, and also supported their socioeconomic empowerment through training programs, skills development, as well as financial loans.
Shining the spotlight on wider national context and progress
Rooted in and inspired by the monumental contributions and pivotal role played by women in the independence struggle, Eritrea has made advancing gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and the promotion and protection of their human rights central national priorities. Eritrea’s National Charter, adopted in 1994 and which lays out the guiding vision and aspirations for the country, powerfully declares that “A society that does not respect the rights and equality of women cannot be truly liberated.”
Among other regional and global human and gender rights instruments, Eritrea has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which sets international standards for eliminating gender discrimination. The country has also actively participated at international conferences and gatherings on women, such as the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which have been key catalysts to move the agenda forward on gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and gender rights.
Importantly, Eritrea has also established relevant institutional and policy frameworks, as well as detailed gender action plans, for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, with a particular focus on reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized, in line with international, regional, and national gender equality standards and obligations. Women are reserved 30 percent of seats in regional and national parliaments, with the possibility of gaining more through the process of competition. In addition, they are also guaranteed a similar share of representation within the legal system, with reference to community courts. Given the unequal and discriminatory treatment that women and girls have historically experienced in Eritrea, equality rights and legal protections from discrimination, violence, or other problematic issues are of the utmost significance.
Recognizing different life conditions, and aiming to redress past inequities and historical disadvantages or discrimination, Eritrea has enacted affirmative action measures, most notably within the spheres of education, employment, and public life. In a short period of time these have helped to increase equal opportunity and women’s participation and representation in civil, cultural, economic, political, and social life. Strong national proclamations on labour, citizenship, and land reform have been enacted and enforced to guarantee women equal access to citizenship and allow them the opportunity to access and utilize land without discrimination. Moreover, national laws and firm enforcement measures exist to protect women from violence and also prohibit harmful, traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting, child or under-age marriage, bride price, dowries, and kidnapping. Collectively, these measures are having a far-reaching impact and positively transforming lives.