Month-long activities for International Women's Day

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport will be staging a raft of activities during the month of March to commemorate International Women's Day and celebrate Jamaican women and their achievements.

Portfolio Minister, Honourable Olivia Grange, made the announcement at a special post-Cabinet Press Briefing held at Jamaica House on Tuesday (March 4).

International Women's Day is a global event recognised annually on March 8, and this year's theme is 'Accelerate Action'.

Minister Grange said local celebrations will span the entire month under the theme: 'A celebration of Jamaican Women'.

She implored Jamaicans to acknowledge and embrace the women in their lives on the special day.

"This is something that we should do as part of our daily routine, but International Women's Day is an occasion and an opportunity to especially encourage, affirm, celebrate and just embrace the women in our lives, in our workplaces, in our various sectors, in our communities and in our country," she said.

She highlighted the gains made over the years in enabling women to reach their full potential, while noting that more needs to be done.

"You can tell a great deal about a country by the way it treats its women and its children. The status that they occupy in the hierarchy of the society is usually a good indicator of whether the country is progressive or backward. Speaking as someone who has been a soldier in this battle for gender equality, I can attest to many successes in our long struggle," Minister Grange said.

She said that some of the successes are reflected today in society where girls and young women can make choices and decisions without worry that they will be barred due to their gender.

"Things have changed for women and girls, particularly under this Administration. In so many ways we see the fruit of our collective work to create a nation that values women and girls and enables them to achieve their potential and contribute to nation-building in any way they choose. In Jamaica, today, a young girl is free to make her choices and to live as a liberated, confident woman," the Minister pointed out.

Activities for International Women's Day include a 5k/10k run/walk in partnership with the European Union (EU) in downtown Kingston on March 9 to address the issue of gender-based violence.

A delegation of public and private representatives, led by Minister Grange, will attend the United Nations (UN) 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York, United States, between March 10 and 21.

Additionally, an awards ceremony to celebrate outstanding women will be held to mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which a global agreement that aims to achieve gender equality and women's rights.

The Women's Entrepreneurship Expo, to showcase the talents and skills of women in the micro, small and medium-size enterprise (MSME) sector is slated for mid-March.

The month of activities to mark International Women's Day got under way on Sunday (March 2) at the Church of the Open Bible, Washington Boulevard, Kingston.

- JIS

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