Today, still in the West it is IWD. I woke up in the East with some resignation, accustomed as I am to experiencing this day as one in which the sisters gather in small groups and say the things that we say to each other on every other day.
But on facebook, reflections from the wise and committed much larger community:
Svenn: It’s Inter/Outer-national Women’s Day! Ask yourself… Can she take a walk at night? Does she get equal pay for equal work? Can she access the best reproductive and sexual health services no matter her income? Add more questions here… If the answers aren’t looking so good, just work on it. I am sure we can all find a few organisations working these issues and more.
Keshan: I love my feminist sisters ….who are working towards ending all forms of violence and oppression against women and girls! Let’s celebrate our feminists in society who are the ones in the struggle to end such oppression! They are working toward a positive and beautiful society to live in!
Liana: International Women’s Day is not so much happy as bittersweet. It is a day to help bring awareness to a cause that doesn’t often have a voice, because it is about a group of people, who don’t often have the chance to speak out. Today is about the women who don’t have access to education, reproductive rights, rights to their own opinions. It can be trivialized due to the fact that many people treat it like a big ol’ girls only valentine’s day, but in reality we should be focusing on the women who got us where we are, being grateful for how far we have come, and thinking about how we can be like those women who gained us our rights.
Michelle: ..economic empowerment for our women, means less starvation for the world love and light
CARIMAN:CariMAN takes this opportunity to call on all the governments of the Caribbean to take a stand for improving women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services as well as respecting the rights of women to safely control their reproductive lives. CariMAN further urges our governments to protect women from the unequal treatment they receive in the economies of the Caribbean. …CariMAN remains committed to working in partnership with men, women and all groups who share a deep concern for ensuring the full recognition of women’s rights in the region
Vashty: It’s International Women’s Day! What have you done to to aid in changing the country or the world or your little part of the world (family, friends, fb friends) to help them understand that women and men must have equal rights and equal access? Or that women are not just boobs and butts and pretty faces but thinking, doing, achieving, amazing people who have equal rights to rule the world!
Jacqueline: When all women can believe that we are connect, can you imagine what an awesome world this will be?
Yao: My wish is that we carry International Womens’ Day beyond today, to every day after, into perpetuity. I love you mum.
Aja: While not dwelling on the negative today, particular concern for me is the continual escalation of violence against women and girls around the world – the majority of times by their spouses – by the men in their lives. I plea, therefore, on this day that the World commits to eliminating violence against women and girls.
Alex: Women’s Day you say? Hoorah! For the young women of Barbados I say BE YOURSELF and KNOW YOUR VALUE at all times.
Crystal: Feliz dia internacional de mujer…en solidaridad! And for those who continue to bemoan the need for the day; please educate yourself on its origins and evolution. IWD shines a spotlight on the achievements of women and girls globally, contributes to invaluable discussion and spurs action which advances the agenda of empowerment and equality and facilitates opportunities for sourcing critical funds for those of us working to defend and preserve the rights of women and girls. CLARO???
Gregory: To the Women – Peace & Love
Peter: ….. and wouldn’t it be great if men didn’t have to be reminded of their mothers and sisters and wives in order to be aware of and care about women!
Thanks Ida for alerting me to this
Making a real difference in the daily lives of working women and especially younger and working and not working mothers, to me, is the real challenge here .
Their lives are often so overwrought with a wide range of serious challenges.Many cannot resolve by themselves.This burns them out .Kills their motivation and destroys their dreams.I am sure that they try, try hard ,every day but they need our help to break the cycle they must have somewhere to turn to get help and make a change..
Knowing ,understanding and accepting their value and real worth as women to influence the lives of so many,their children ,families communities and their men must be acknowledged and used as a power for positive change.Women must view their own power in a more positive way, see their contribution as valuable, not need to use sex as a bartering tool or power play and then using this power wisely will bring more positive results to them and their children.
Just my humble and layperson’s view.
Thanks for the comments. I like the comments by CariMAN, which I think a Jamaican – Peter Weller, now living in Trinidad – is involved with. The aim is for greater equity and balance, and for men AND women to ensure that women’s feet are under the table when it comes to decision-making in the public and private sectors – that is, more women on boards! This is the current focus of Jamaica’s one-year-old 51% Coalition of women’s organizations; we are taking action to educate women and promote/recommend them for boards. This would go a far way towards ensuring that gender is always a consideration when framing budgets and planning programs.
Roberta thanks for pulling together these inspiring words. Particularly heartened by the comments of the men… a new world is coming – slowly, but surely.
To Jacqui..I agree..i was making that statement to show that women show more maturity than men..not only gender issues, but on a wider range of problems that affect the whole suffering of our people..thanks for your observatrion..forward ever..backwards never.
All of yesterday I thought of “Transformational Leadership”. Bobbyclarke2012 says we need the change in the political systems, and I agree. I disagree with the statement “IT IS UP TO WOMEN TO DO THIS NOW…” It is up to ALL OF US to do this now. Men and women together will make the difference, when we all come to realise that the legacy we want to leave is about all of us.
During slavery the non-rights of women children and men were the same..no rights, 0nly beatings, sexual abuse of women and young girls, In the present period, the position remains substantialy the same..The womens fight hasbeen long with very limited success. To move forward women must use their instinctive skills of mothering and fathering through the political position of real equality..They must form political organizations with like thinking men and gain political power in order to introduce the necessary laws to bring about the conditions of life that is rightfully theirs..
IT IS UP TO THE WOMEN TO DO THIS NOW..
Good one Peter! Interesting and helpful as usual Roberta. xx