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Equal rights in Botkyrka |
by Anna Giotas Sandquist
The photo illustrates the preschool, and how materials are used engaging both girls and boys in the play. Studies show that municipalities play an important role in gender equality. Botkyrka, a Swedish municipality near Stockholm, is emphasizing gender equality as crucial to reach Sustainable Development.
In 2009, the Strategy for Gender Equality was adopted by the Botkyrka Municipal Council. Thus, the platform for girls and boys, women and men, disregarding social and ethnic background, to attain equal rights and opportunities was laid. The purpose is to give all citizens the same powers and rights to have their say in the development of the society and to have the same access to municipal services. The municipal organisation and city companies have adopted gender mainstreaming as its main strategy. A crucial step is to incorporate gender equality in the steering system/budgetary process. The strategy points out important areas to develop, how they should be integrated in the steering system and the actors to be involved.
Botkyrka's Strategy for Gender Equality helps to mainstream and coordinate the gender issues. Here are some examples from different fields:
Lead Office ► The management system in the municipality is developed into being able to identify gender issues by engendering the budgetary process. The objective is that all individually based statistics used in the process are to be presented and analyzed by sex - a part of and foundation for gender budgeting.
Preschools and schools ► The quality system measures means and results with gender disaggregated data and indicators. Incorporating a gender equality perspective in the regular quality work is seen as a means of improving our schools and preschools. Special "gender pedagogues" are also employed as support to the pedagogic development.
Culture and Leisure department ► The Youth Centres Department and local associations have done several gender equality analyses and are now starting development work to ensure that girls, boys, women and men have the same access and rights in these activities.
City Planning department ► Employees are educated on security issues related to girls, boys, women and men in the spatial planning process. Are different city areas secure? Is everybody given the same opportunity to use the public room and facilities?
Service department ► Development work for gender equal citizens service.
Social Services department ► Gender equality analyses have been undertaken and developing its gender equal services has started in several fields of activities.
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