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Momodou
Denmark
11738 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Mar 2007 : 15:55:48
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Foroyaa Editorial
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
YEAR OF DEMYSTIFICATION OF GENDER ROLES AND FOR EMPOWERMENT
As the world commemorates International Women’s Day, Foroyaa wishes to draw the attention of the people to the significance of the commemoration. It will then become apparent that the purpose of the day is not just to give recognition to prominent women who have distinguished themselves in different fields but to remind us of the rights and duties of women as part and parcel of the world human community.
It is incontrovertible that humankind can only realise dignity and self worth if we win the battle against powerlessness and poverty. Fear and want have been the major scourge of the of the human race. The principal battle of the 21st Century is the battle against fear and poverty.
History teaches us that before the oppression, exploitation and discrimination of women became a focal point humankind had to go through a series of evaluation in their thinking. They had to accept that being a human being entails being imbued with reason and conscience and the capacity to act in a just and fair manner to prove the affinity of members of the human race. This is what gave rise to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Needless to say, the disrespect or disregard of these fundamental rights when dealing with certain groups had caused the emergence of subsidiary conventions to ensure special protection to those whose rights are neglected by virtue of race colour, gender, ethnicity, age, origin or physical characteristics. Such conventions are often preceded by measures to highlight the conditions of such special groups. For example in 1976 the UN Decade for Women, Equality, Development and Peace was launched. Before the end of the decade the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women had emerged. It came into force on 3rd September 1981 to be precise. UN women agencies such as UNIFEM also emerged which gave vitality to women for a, to evaluation and the issuing of declarations, resolutions and plans of action. The forward looking strategies of the 3rd world congress of women in Nairobi emerged. This was eventually followed by the congress of women in Beijing in 1998 which gave rise to the Beijing declaration and platform for action. As we enter the 21st Century, hundreds of resolutions have been issued and countless conventions, protocols and declarations disseminated to equip anyone who wishes to have clarity on the issue of gender.
What is necessary now is action on the side of individuals, communities and states.
Foroyaa maintains that governments which simply count the number of females who occupy top positions through the benevolence of leaders who behave like patriarchs are simply paying lip service to the empowerment of women. True women liberation is to liberate women from powerlessness, fear and poverty. The sovereign equality of all citizens in a country must be transformed from an ideal into a reality. Opportunity to be free from poverty must be available to all on the basis of ability and enterprising initiatives.
Foroyaa therefore calls on all those who are sincerely committed to the emancipation of women and part and parcel of making them genuine partners of men who are imbued with reason and conscience to build a society based on liberty and prosperity to transform the year 2007 into a year to demystify gender roles and engage in civic education to enable each Gambian woman to realise her dignity and self worth and her capacity to the architect of her own dignity side my side with men. This is the only way yearly commemorations of International Women year can have meaning.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No 28/2007, 9th -11th March 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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