OTJIWARONGO: More than 50 members of a national gender task force attended a five-day training workshop on men’s and women’s rights based on the National Gender Policy here this week.

The Deputy Director of Research and Legislations in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Penoshinge Shililifa told Nampa on Friday that the training was aimed at capacitating the newly founded gender task force on the gender policy.

“We expect them to start implementing and driving the National Gender Policy along with the National Gender Plan of Action,” Shililifa noted.

The National Gender Policy for 2010 to 2020 was launched in March 2012, while the national gender task force was established on 10 September this year.

During the policy’s launch earlier this year, it was indicated that the document will address the changing and evolving gender issues, some of which are reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, issues of the girl child, legal affairs and human rights, and gender equality in the family context.

Shililifa said the gender task force has a duty to accelerate processes related to the achieving of gender equality in the country, and to oversee the implementation and monitoring of the National Gender Policy.

“The ministry felt it necessary to give them this training on how they can carry out their duties since they specialise in different fields and sectors of employment,” said the deputy director.

The task force members are from different ministries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations.

A specialist consultant on gender matters and theories from Uganda, Dr Aramanzan Madanda conducted the training on behalf of the ministry.

The workshop ended on Friday.