2007 International Women’s Day

2007 International Women’s Day
This year, the United Nations observed the International Women’s Day on March 8 under the theme
We can stop this pandemic by acting together to hold perpetrators accountable, bring about justice and provide remedies to victims. We can no longer tolerate these continued violence against the girls by adult men and women in their continuing the practices of female genital mutilation, rape, selling of girls in human trafficking and for sex-trade industry. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reminded us that violence against women and girls makes it hideous imprint on every continent, country and culture and it doesn’t care about the person’s income, class, race or ethnic background. I agree with Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, UN General Assembly’s President that most sexual and physical violence against women and girls happens at home. That is where I think change of attitude must begin. Father, husband and brother have to be re-educated to stop their violent behavior in abusing wives, daughters and sisters. This can be done through sensitive learning programmes on gender equality and human rights education for parents and adolescents. UNFPA has been doing a good job worldwide on this aspect. But just to protect the girls by teachers and polices working together is not good enough. Young women and girls themselves have to be motivated to fight for their own safety. Training in martial arts and self-defense would be useful for girls. There have been many good practices and examples of solutions to eliminate violence and end impunity from local to the global levels that can be used as model project. I could not agree more with my friend, Rachel Mayanja, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women that discrimination persists in all cultures in violation both of the United Nations Charter itself and of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. To change this, global action is required.

Filed under Gender Issues, United Nations, World Affairs |