Question NW4695 to the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
13 December 2022 - NW4695
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
(1)With reference to one of the priorities of her Office of ensuring that the rights of women, youth and persons with disabilities are mainstreamed across all sectors of society, what is her department’s position regarding the recommendation of the Department of Basic Education that schools provide unisex toilets and change rooms and individual stalls to create a safe, inclusive schooling environment for pupils of all sexual orientations and identities; 2) whether she has found that the introduction of unisex toilets in schools may lead to an increase in teenage pregnancies; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (3) whether her Office intends to collaborate with the Department of Basic Education to work towards the protection of children against sexual abuse in schools; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the collaboration? NW5818E
Reply:
1 & 2 The Department of Basic Education issued the attached Press Statement on 16
November 2022 wherein the department indicated that the matter was taken out of context and the subject of single sex toilets was extracted out of a myriad of issues in the discussion document which is yet to be formally released. These are draft guidelines for the socio-educational inclusion of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) in schools. The official discussion document will be released for comments in 2023.
Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has already corresponded with the Department of Basic Education DBE in preparation for various interfaces and sessions on document that is to be formally released for comments so as to make informed views and subsequently draft our comments as a department, from an informed premise.
2. The Department is collaborating with the Department of Education through implementation of Pillar 2 of the NSP on GBVF where it is allocated the responsibility to lead on prevention of the scourge in the schooling environment, Per se. However, at National level, the Department also monitors progress on interventions that are implemented by the Department of Education.
The Department of Education is expected to submit monthly reports detailing progress on their gender based violence and femicide prevention initiatives they are implementing in schools in order to amongst others prevent sexual abuse in schools.
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Approved by Minister
Ms M Nkoana-Mashabane, MP
Date: