By this time next week, International Women’s Day (IWD) would have come and gone. It has been 100 years since the first IWD events were observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland and according to reports, globally, this year’s events are likely to see the highest level of activity/attendance; fitting for a centenary.
International Women’s Day is intended to be “a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future,” according to www.internationalwomensday. com. Although on a daily basis women are still being subjected to domestic and partner violence; are still being raped (one every two minutes in the US according to the Department of Justice); are still paid meagre wages (half the rate paid to men in some countries); are still denied some basic human rights (mostly in Muslim states); there is still a lot to celebrate. Long before feminism was regarded as un-woman-like and written in italics or enclosed in quotation marks, and before the need to agitate for the right to work, vote and for free speech became obvious, women have ruled and held political power. The best-known facts take us back as far as Cleopatra in ancient Egypt who has been portrayed as both good and evil but more often the predator than the victim.
Since then women as rulers have been both peaceful and warlike, though more of the former than the latter; as have been women as leaders. IWD celebrates women who have been and are competent, brilliant; some quietly so and those who have made a difference.
More than nine months ago, national women’s groups in countries around the world began to plan for this year’s centenary. In countries where the recent American tradition of observing March as Women’s History Month, made official by a presidential proclamation, has taken hold, the activities began on Tuesday last and will run until March 31. Besides the women’s organizations, governments and schools have planned various activities particularly in the 25 countries where IWD is an official national holiday. In the UK, where over the last ten years, the celebration has been low key, a mass march across London’s Millennium Bridge will be held with the proceeds going to charity.
But it appears that the observances here will not include much euphoria. To date there has been no indication either from the government or elsewhere of any significant event being planned to mark the occasion. In fact, the Ministry of Human Services yesterday announced the launching of its Men’s Affairs Bureau tomorrow at three o’clock with a feature address by the President. A bit ill-timed, perhaps? But possibly, by early next week there will be a similar announcement with regard to the national observance of the IWD centenary.
In anticipation of this, if perhaps the government wanted a vehicle (or two) on which to latch its observance of the IWD centenary, rather than any hurriedly called conference or seminar where the same old platitudes would be dusted off and presented, it could make from its apparently deep pockets sizeable donations to organizations which actually assist women – Red Thread and Help and Shelter immediately come to mind. It could also provide the wherewithal for the Guyana Police Force to completely rehabilitate the female lockups at the East La Penitence Police Station to bring it in line with the provision of basic human conditions. Still outstanding too is the need for rape reporting rooms at all police stations. In fact, if the administration took out its of bag forgotten promises it could find a whole wash of unmet ones that would find favour with women and the populace in general.
