The rationale behind ABANTU’s work is that, whereas both women and men face constraints in participation in policy-making, the specific ways in which women are restricted from policy-making processes as a result of the structural inequalities they face, need to be given sufficient attention and be addressed.

At the same time, lack of adequate access to the needed knowledge and skills also affect the ability of many NGOs working with women to provide an environment that would empower women to articulate their concerns about policies and its implications on their lives. Thus not only are policy- making processes top down, they are also undertaken without women’s views and concerns.