Saint Lucian women celebrate 100 years of observance of international women's day
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Saint Lucian women celebrate 100 years of observance of international women's day |
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Contact: Shannon Lebourne
Monday 7 March 2011 – The Government of Saint Lucia salutes all women as the island joins the rest of the international community in the centenary observance of International Women's Day on March 8, 2011.
Director of the Department of Gender Relations Charms Gaspard says the observance is a great milestone which clearly indicates the long journey which women have been through.
She says after coming from a period when women did not have many rights and privileges, the 2011 observance of International Women's Day is one in which all Saint Lucian women should take much pride and honour.
“I wish to congratulate all the women of Saint Lucia on the observance of International Women's Day. As women, we have a lot to be grateful for and a lot to be proud of; we have taken tremendous strides in our personal development and we have also contributed significantly to the development of our country.”
One hundred years after International Womens’ Day was first observed, there are still many issues like poverty and the lack of full representation in positions of power and decision making which continue to place women at a disadvantage.
Ms. Gaspard believes that violence of all forms against women is one of those lingering issues which Saint Lucia as a nation must see not just as a personal matter but rather an issue which can possibly undermine our development as a democratic state.
“Violence against women has been a problem for some time now and women have a right to be free from fear of violence in their homes, in the streets and in the workplace. Violence against women is really a violation of their human rights. “There is legislation in place but we need to strengthen the legislative process to make the justice system more efficient when it comes to bringing closure to cases of violence against women particularly sexual violence. We need as a nation to continue to speak out against such cases of violence that takes place at all levels within our society.”
International Women's Day (IWD) was first declared in 1910 with the first event being held in 1911. This year`s theme is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women”. |
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