Who Holds The Power
Are we aware of what the rights-based arguments may drive away, and what are the most effective ways to make our case on policy tables? We have limited orientation as to who holds the power in the global discourse. Who has the loudest voice and who is determining the global or the national agenda? Such pertinent questions were raised at the Gender and Migration week in South Africa. While we are continuously dealing with complexities, we must find levers of change within the system that are on our site and learn to influence them. We must also not forget the key role of the national treasury, which can make or break our comprehensive action plans. We religiously talk of evidence-informed decision making, when we also need to remember that sometimes this evidence is not politically correct, and sometimes lack of evidence is desirable for scape-goat-ing. More importantly, how do we make sure that the research generated is responding to the evidence need and who needs it. In either case, we need to be cognizant of our complicity and role in this system of control, and our responsibility towards challenging the global narrative in migration and health.
