THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO COMBINED SECOND TO EIGHTH PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN
CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS AND INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE
AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA
and reproductive health as well as sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls and
for primary health care. The Ministry of Social Development has a budget for women in
distress, women with disabilities and elderly women.
GENDER MAINSTREAMING
299. The government of Lesotho regards gender equality as a core commitment towards
human development in Lesotho. Lesotho’s long term National Vision 2020 and Poverty
Reduction Strategy recognise gender inequality as both a major course of poverty and
an impediment to sustainable development in Lesotho. The government also
acknowledges that gender discrimination is the source of inequitable and low economic
growth, of high prevalence of HIV and AIDS, and inadequate governance.
300. In order to mitigate the scourge of gender inequality in Lesotho, the government has
embarked on the process of ensuring that women and men have equal access and control
over resources, development benefits and decision-making, at all stages of the
development process and projects, programmes and policies. In order to achieve gender
mainstreaming in Lesotho, women’s experiences and prejudices based on various factors
including cultural stereotypes are taken into account in policy formulation as well as
enactment of laws.
GENDER AUDIT OF LAWS
301. In 2000, the Law Reform Commission of Lesotho in consultation with NGOs which work
in the area of women’s rights engaged in a law reform process that was aimed at reviewing
laws that do not cater for the rights of women. Consequently, discriminatory laws were
repealed and various laws were enacted to strengthen the protection of women’s the
rights. The laws which were enacted pursuant to this audit are as follows:
302. The Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act 2006 (LCMA) was enacted to remove
marital power of men and minority status of women married both under custom and civil
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