Call for equal education, employment for women

By HELEN TARAWA
WOMEN must be given equal education and employment opportunities for the country to achieve sustainable and rapid economic growth, lawyer Eleina Butuna says.
Butuna, also a demographer, told The National that PNG had a pool of women workers who must be harnessed.
“We need to build on the women workforce to have equal access to education and employment,” Butuna said.
“We need to make the Government see that to achieve Vision 2050 and the sustainable development goals, we need to invest in women.”
Butuna made a presentation at the national dialogue workshop on the demographic dividend with a gender dimension in Port Moresby yesterday.
She said it was not about population control but to ensure that girls attended school and completed their education.
At the same time, they must control their fertility.
“Natural instincts indicate that boys and girls are already sexually active – about 3 per cent, according to surveys.
“The government has to ensure that family planning contraceptives are available to school-age boys and girls,” she said.
“Family planning can help them control and regulate their fertility so that they can complete their education.”