Beatrice Ayikoru: CAA and World Athletics Council Member

«Women's protection and leadership can be a game-changer in Africa»

 

Beatrice Ayikoru, of Ugandan origin, holds important positions on the Confederation of African Athletics Council and the World Athletics Council. She is also the driving force behind the Ugandan Athletics Federation as its Secretary General. Above all, she is the guardian of the temple when it comes to women's protection and leadership.

 

You are known to be very committed to Safeguarding and Gender leadership. Why are you so interested in these two areas?

Beatrice AyikoruSafeguarding and Gender leadership are key ingredients for the growth of any sport. In a competitive environment, there is need for safe and inclusive participation that can attract more people as athletes, officials and coaches. For anyone, especially young people and women to join and stay in a sport, they need to be a part, feel safe, free of abuse, harassment or exploitation.

World Athletics is a leading sport organization that has created good environment for all by implementing safeguarding policy and gender parity at leadership levels. This needs to be reflected in all the Areas and Member Federations.

Africa has a young and vibrant population, a huge opportunity to grow athletics. Unless we provide opportunities for men and women in leadership and ensure safe environment, it will be difficult to attract the population to take up athletics. Safeguarding and gender leadership can be a game- changer for Athletics in Africa.

Have there been any significant advances at the African level?

The Confederation of African Athletics developed and adopted a Safeguarding Policy to ensure safe environment at our events. This is expected to promote and build more confidence in people who attend and participate in our competitions and activities.

The confederation also set up gender leadership taskforce to promote the agenda of equity in leadership of athletics in the continent. We encourage Member Federations to institute and implement constitutions that provide opportunities for all especially women in leadership as well as across athletics structures of athletics in their countries.  

At continental level, at least 40 percent of the Council Members of the CAA are women. While the number of women as Presidents and General Secretaries is still small, it is our hope that through the Gender Leadership Taskforce, and mandatory minimum quota consideration for women, more will take up leaderships positions in the near future.

We appreciate the leadership of the CAA, the President and the Council for adopting Africa Safeguarding Policy and Gender Leadership Taskforce.

How can you maintain the assets?

In order to maintain this development, it is important that every Member Federation has a living safeguarding policy. The CAA will continue to ensure safeguarding is implemented at all its competitions. All officials – coaches and general team officials must undertake essential safeguarding course provided by World Athletics. The CAA is ready to handle any safeguarding issues within its mandate and will continue to monitor and support issues arising within Member Federations to ensure safe environment for all – athletes, women and officials, especially those vulnerable. (young girls and women).

In the area of gender leadership, we expect our Member Federations to consider review and implement Constitutions that have quotas for participation of both men and women in athletics leadership.  At WA level, there is parity; 50% men and women. At Area level, we are at 60% men and 40% women. The Member Federations of CAA can reach 40% women in a period of 4 years.

The above are possible with the support of the CAA Development Centres that train and build capacity of women as part of strategic development agenda and the Gender Leadership Taskforce.

We must remember that the responsibility to sustain a safe environment for all involved and engaged in athletics and encouraging more women to participate in sports leadership in Africa starts and remains with us, the Member Federations and each one of us in the sport of Athletics.


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