International Women’s Day 2014 Messages

Mar 08, 2014 News

---

FIRST LADY DEOLATCHMEE RAMOTAR wrote:
Today I wish to extend greetings to all Guyanese women on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD).  As we observe this occasion it is important to reflect on the advancement women have made worldwide since this day was first celebrated in the early 1900’s.  Since then, the struggle undertaken by countless of ordinary women has today allowed us to live in a country and a world with greater gender equality.  The sacrifice and efforts of many make it a norm today in many countries including Guyana for women to vote, to have access to education, to be leaders of countries and industries just to name a few.
While these are achievements which must be celebrated and which should inspire us as we continue to strive to make our world a gender equal place, it is important that we realize that the struggle for gender equality is not yet over.
The United Nations is observing this year’s International Women’s Day under the theme of ‘Equality for women is progress for all’.  This is appropriate since, it has been proven that when women have access to employment it is indeed progress for all because the entire family is able to benefit since more of the income is reinvested within the home.
In Guyana we are quite fortunate that it is a norm for women to be attending schools – in fact a large percentage of women are graduating from the university and in fields of engineering that were once considered male only sectors – it is also a norm for women to be participating in the workforce and hold high offices both in the private and public sectors.
Sadly, however, notwithstanding these achievements, we find that in their private lives some women are subjected to mental and physical abuse.  This is a serious cancer in our society that is a fundamental violation of women’s rights, and shows that despite the advancements women are still not seen as being equal to men.  While I know that the various Ministries and NGOs have programmes that are attempting to combat violence against women, it is important that there be more education and involvement at community level to eradicate this disease.

THE PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY (PPP)

The PPP salutes all the women of Guyana on the occasion of IWD. The party is proud of the sterling contribution our women have made and continue to make in all facets of national life including politics, culture, sports, administration and in the several other disciplines.
The Party has noted with great pride the fact that a woman in the person of the late Mrs. Janet Jagan had risen to the highest political office of the land, that is, Executive President.
The Party commends the ruling PPP/C administration for putting measures in place both at the legislative and administrative levels to protect and further advance the rights of women. Women today enjoy the same rights as their male counterparts. The adage “ a woman’s place is in the home” is no longer applicable in our context as an increasing number of women are taking advantage of educational and training opportunities and are entering the world of work. Many of them are trail blazers in their respective areas of competence and performing with grace and distinction.
The Party has taken note also of the fact that Guyana is one of the few countries in the region where it is constitutionally mandated that women comprise at least one-third of the list of candidates for national and regional elections. This is an indication of our evolving political maturity and our recognition of the contribution can and do make to national development.

MINISTER OF HUMAN SERVICES, JENNIFER WEBSTER

As we celebrate IWD, we must recognize the progress made towards securing gender equity and the empowerment of women in Guyana. Increasingly, IWD is a time to reflect, solidify gains, charter a different course, inspire change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in our society.
In Guyana, we can proudly celebrate IWD, as there has been much progress made with respect to women’s personal and national development and their continued active participation in the affairs of the home, community and our nation.
Today, we must be proud of our accomplishment as a people, of achieving the millennium Development Goal (3) of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and giving greater attention to the participation of women in the highest echelons of decision making in Guyana.  In this context, I wish to salute Guyanese women who have led the voice of change for all women, past and present, including Guyana’s first female President – the Late Mrs. Janet Jagan, and her colleagues with whom she first entered Parliament.
Today, in our National Assembly, female representation is 32%!  This is a significant achievement.
As an advocate for women’s rights, I concede that our country should be united in its recognition of the rights of our women and girls, as there is still a lot of work to be done.
Today, our women have access to improved social services and health care, and greater access to training opportunities in many fields, including Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Mining, Forestry and Medicine.
As a nation, we must not rest until all women in Guyana can enjoy a better quality of life, and benefit from the same opportunities as men, and where our society creates an enabling environment for women to pursue their dreams and aspirations in the same manner that a husband, brother, father, friend, boss or neighbour would.

UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO GUYANA D. BRENT HARDT
IWD is more than a moment marked on a calendar.  It is a day not just to renew our determination to make the world a more peaceful and prosperous place — but to recognize that a world where opportunities for women grow is a world where the possibilities for peace, prosperity, and stability grow even more.  Countries that value and empower women to participate fully in decision-making are more stable, prosperous, and secure.  The Obama Administration has made advancing the status of women and girls a central element of U.S. foreign policy, and the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown will continue to reach out to the Guyanese community to support and recognize women who are making a difference.
In its early years, IWD honoured the women’s rights movement, including advocating for the right to vote and hold public office, and for ending discrimination in the workplace.  Efforts to ensure equal rights and access for women have achieved notable success.  Throughout the world, more girls are in school.  More women are in the workforce.  More women serve in public office.  And more countries have passed laws recognizing and ensuring women’s equality.  Despite this progress, the struggle continues.  Women are still more likely to be among the world’s poorest, most prone to sickness, and most likely to be lacking in nutrition.  Today, IWD is observed as a time to reflect on progress, to advocate for even more change, and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by women who have made a difference in their communities and countries.  This year’s Department of State theme is “Women, Peace, and Security,” and women in Guyana, and throughout the world, have worked diligently to achieve these noble goals.
The Department of State has multiple and wide-ranging global initiatives to protect women and girls from violence, promote women’s social and economic development, and enhance women’s full participation in civic and political life.  Our Embassy is dedicated to supporting the development and empowerment of women and girls in Guyana.

GUYANA ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN LAWYERS
On this IWD, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers stands in solidarity with women in every corner of the world for human rights, dignity and equality. We salute and applaud those women who are working for positive change in their families, their communities and their countries as well as every individual, government and organization working for and supporting women’s empowerment and gender equality.
We celebrate the many achievements accomplished along the road to gender equality, and resolve to continue fulfilling the mandate of the Association, that is, supporting justice and equality, with a view to supporting the fight for the rights and opportunities of women and girls in Guyana.
Each of us has a role to play in this struggle for equality and GAWL believes that the genesis of efforts should be with parents who need to teach their children that all human beings are created equal and should be treated as such.
Although progress in women’s empowerment and gender equality in Guyana has been tremendous, particularly over the past two decades, gender-based discrimination is still very much a part of our society. One glaring reflection of its existence in our society is the continuing violence against women in all its forms. Until this issue is genuinely seen as a violation of human rights and an impediment to the achievement of equality, development and peace, as was identified by governments in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference for Women, the persistence and prevalence of violence against women would be unabated. It takes more than condemning the scourge and requires leadership and political will backed by action and resources.
In this regard, GAWL believes that the time is ripe for the establishment of a Women’s Caucus in the National Assembly and stands ready to support any such initiative. In keeping with the theme for this year let us encourage advocacy for women’s advancement in every way.

RED THREAD
For IWD 2014 Red Thread has circulated a card calling on other grassroots women to join us in the following pledge: “The more those of us who are poor remain divided, the richer, more powerful and more exploitative those at the top become! In 2014, let’s fight those who are keeping us down instead of fighting each other!”
We also launched a pilot TV talk show “Grassroots women; real issues” to mark the day. The topic of the first show, which aired live on Channel 2 on Wednesday March 5th, was economic violence. We explained that while we will always continue our activism against all forms of violence – domestic, sexual, racial/political, and state, as well as corporal punishment at home and in schools, we believe that it is at least as important to oppose the growing inequality between rich and poor in Guyana. All forms of violence are connected.
For us March 8  is not a day just to exchange greetings but a day to demand recognition of the ‘caring work’ women do to build and rebuild the economy, the work without which no other work is possible. This is the work that is clearly invisible to all those who behave as though grassroots women’s demand for a living income is a demand for a handout. It is a demand for our rights!
The Government has announced $35,000 a month as the new minimum wage from July 1st 2013. This meagre wage cannot cover all the basic necessities that women and children and families need to live a decent life and not hand to mouth.
On this IWD, let’s organize and demand a better minimum wage and affordable housing for grassroots women and their families as a beginning step towards breaking the system that keeps us poor while the rich get richer.

GUYANA HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION
Whether women’s status and rights are in better shape than they were the previous year is an understandable question to ask on IWD 2014, although perhaps a year isn’t long enough to assess the issue. Over a longer period, however, there is clear evidence that rights of women are being progressively realized in Guyana at the legal level, but, alarmingly, are more unpredictable and insecure in their implementation.
Over the past two decades, human and women rights activists have been successful in securing modern legislation on a number of women’s issues.
The more pertinent question then becomes, what is preventing vigorous implementation of these laws?
The easy targets for criticism are bodies such as the police and the courts, but the problems may also relate to their capacity rather than their willingness to embrace change. This then calls for different strategies on the part of civil society. Naming and shaming remain effective tactics for generating emergency responses to individual cases of victims of trafficking or police brutality, but leaves the inefficient implementing legal or administrative machinery largely intact.
A point frequently overlooked is that every case of abuse that attracts national attention takes place in a locality or neighborhood and the lack of institutional capacity to address it is usually located in local police stations, health centres, magistrates’ courts and village councils.
The obvious first response is that a far larger number of women need to be encouraged to become active.
A second consideration is that since women spend more time than men in their neighbourhoods, their activism will also be predominantly based in the communities. All of this points in the direction of greater involvement of women in local government and administration. This is the most sustainable and effective starting-point to secure women’s security, rights and status.

---

---