As Guyana joins the rest of the world today in celebrating International Women’s Day, discussions are led around gender equality, breaking bias, and empowerment of women.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has hailed the ideas, innovations, and activism that are changing the world for the better, and welcomed more women leaders across all walks of life while highlighting the contribution that women have made to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his message, the UN chief said that women and girls have frequently borne the brunt of the consequences of the virus spreading worldwide, which have included girls and women being shut out of schools and workplaces, rising poverty and rising violence, and women doing the vast majority of the world’s unpaid but essential care work.
It is no secret that women worldwide, including those in Guyana, continue to face unacceptable levels of violence in various forms. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that one in three women worldwide has experienced physical and/or sexual violence, mostly from an intimate partner.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further contributed to increasing risks of violence, particularly domestic violence, against women.
As a matter of fact, Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards in July 2021 emphasised that Guyana, like many other countries, has seen a rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, while adding that domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, and psychosocial abuse have been part of the ills in society and must not go untackled.
UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed some time ago had detailed the many problems women are faced with during lockdown and made recommendations in relation to various forms of support Governments and other partners could provide to ensure women are able to confront these challenges.
According to Mohammed, women bear the brunt of increased care work during this pandemic. School closures further worsened this burden and placed more stress on women. The disruption of livelihoods and their ability to earn a living – especially for those women who are informal wage workers – decreased access to basic needs and services. This situation increased stress on families with the potential to intensify conflict and violence.
Violence against women and children has tremendous costs to communities and can remain with women and children for a lifetime. If not dealt with effectively, it can also pass from one generation to another.
Over the years, the UN has been pushing countries towards implementing proactive measures to combat domestic violence. These measures have included criminalising gender-based violence; holding massive public awareness campaigns; providing training to equip both men and women to act as first responders and supporting victims of the scourge at the community level.
As a matter of fact, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry in Guyana some time ago launched a campaign, #enoughwiththeviolence.
However, not many women admit to being victims of violence.
Everyone must work in every home, school, office, community in every part of our country to expose violence against women where it exists, support the women, work with the perpetrators, create safe spaces, educate persons, and share solutions.
To remedy the situation facing women around the world, the UN chief in his 2022 IWD message called for guaranteed quality education for every girl, massive investments in women’s training and decent work, effective action to end gender-based violence, and universal health care. Other measures recommended by the UN chief include gender quotas, that could result in the world benefiting from more women leaders. We endorse this message.
Happy International Women’s Day!
#breakthebias
