“As experts on population matters, I urge you to engage on this matter, drawing lessons from all our different experiences, in order to further promote gender and reproductive health rights in our countries and the world,” said Minister Dlamini on Sunday in Mpumalanga.A presentation by the South African delegation showed that in South Africa, women are still vulnerable due to exposure to gender-based violence, and the reproductive health rights for black women remain limited. In order to contribute towards addressing these problems, the Department of Social Development is currently piloting a 24-hour helpline which victims of gender-based violence can call for support and guidance by trained social workers.In 1998, South Africa promulgated a Population Policy. The policy advocates a holistic multi-sectoral approach so that efforts to influence fertility, mortality and migration, as well as the size, structure and growth rates of the population are both a means to and outcomes of sustainable development.

Available at: http://allafrica.com/stories/201403030742.html