Tomorrow is International Women's Day and This year I have been reflecting on the progress women have made with regard to human rights ,reproductive and sexual health ,agriculture and many other areas so far. Although we have made great strides I believe there is still a very long way to go before we can come close to a world with real gender equity.Today I participated on a panel to discuss International Women's Day and related issues on a TV program here in Guyana called The RoundTable with several other strong independent women and I was also invited to do a radio program on the same.
What came out of our televised discussion most strongly was the need for all members of society to take a holistic approach to tackling the challenges faced by women, girls, men and boys with regard to Gender based violence,rape and all other kinds of violence and the need for solutions to be developed and streamlined to suit the urban and rural environments in which people live. We need to realize that both working and non-working women care for children and their households and that empowering them and facilitating their full participation in society and at every level at school can help them make educated decisions in their lives . By Raising more women and girls out of poverty the world will better be able to tackle inequality,domestic violence,human trafficking and other forms of human insecurity.
By supporting the employment and promotion of women into senior and CEO positions big business and SME's will benefit tremendously because the further inclusion on women will increase world economic growth. As the Head of UN Women said in her speech for intl womens day this year " We will sustainably and significantly reduce extreme poverty worldwide".
In Guyana we have on the face of it met the Universal Education Requirement for the MDG'S however there are many young girls who are falling through the cracks because their parents don't have enough money to send them to school and can't afford the basic items needed for their children to attend school. We need to encourage girls to stay in school and move away from the traditional ideas of "what women should do " i.e the stay at home ,mind the house and only have babies for the rest of our lives plan!! . We need to let girls know there is a huge world out there where WE CAN DO ANYTHING!! WE CAN BE ANYTHING!! That we shouldn't let discrimination ,harassment and gender inequality hold us back from achieving our dreams!
We must empower women to take control of their lives so that they can support their children as single parents too so they can build stronger families and fully participate in their communities and all spheres of development.The group discussed the need to advance equal access to jobs,opportunities and how we can work to remove barriers in the board room, the glass ceilings,equal pay for equal work and other barriers women are facing. The issues of political representation and a judicial system that can bring justice to women was also discussed and we all agreed that more needs to be done in Guyana .the Caribbean and the world to have equal representation in parliament and other leadership positions across the board. The Judicial system is failing women and not just in Guyana and the Caribbean.
Most importantly the group discussed the importance of educating and working with men and boys as they are and always will be part of the solution .We need to reeducate,re-socialize our children in the home but also in the schools . It needs to happen at every level.
I end this post with some more words from the Director of UN Women on the "SHE Imperative" which goes like this :
Together we MUST make sure that :
SHE is safe & secure from gender based violence
SHE has human rights that are respected including reproductive rights
SHE is empowered economically and in every way through education,equal opportunity,participation and leadership
I commit to this !! DO YOU??
Let us all cross the line and stand on the right side of history
Equality for WOMEN is truly PROGRESS FOR ALL !!
The Video above highlights some of the ideas presented in this piece and ties them in wonderfully with agriculture in an easily understandable and informative way .I hope you do enjoy it and see why it is so important to empower women and girls no matter where in the world you live !
Happy International Women's Day!!
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