GRAND CAYMAN (GIS) – International Women’s Day #PressforProgress was celebrated by around 60 civil servants and members of the public on the steps of the Government Administration Building on Thursday (8 March 2018). A highlight of Honouring Women Month in March, the observance was marked with many of the participants wearing purple.

The crowd was joined by His Excellency the Acting Governor, Mr. Franz Manderson. “International Women’s Day is a great vehicle for helping us redouble our efforts to empower women to be strong collectively and by themselves. As a civil service, we are committed towards further progress towards our goal of being a world-class civil service. We are also increasingly conscious of the integral supporting role that men can play in promoting gender equality in the workplace and at home.”

Other senior civil service managers present included Chief Officers in the Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing Jennifer Ahearn, Community Affairs Teresa Echenique; and Director of the Needs Assessment Unit Tamara Hurlston. Director of the Department of Counselling Services (DCS) Judith Seymour attended with DSC and Family Resources Centre staff. The latter had organised the photo shoot as part of Honouring Women Month activities.

“This observance is one of the highlights of our March observances,” the Director said. “Our Gender Violence Prevention Leadership training workshops earlier this month were dedicated in honour of International Women’s Day. We are heartened to see that our work alongside a number of prominent social media campaigns on gender parity issues in 2018 are getting more people, especially men, engaged in promoting a fairer world. All this continues to drive the momentum for positive societal change but there is still some way to go.”

Sandy Hew, a school’s administrator and mother of 18-year-old multi-medal CARIFTA swimmer Lauren Hew, one of this year’s Department of Sports Honouring Women in Sport honourees, attended on her daughter’s behalf. “Lauren is currently schooling in Florida. She’s gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April so I wanted to come along for her,” said Mrs. Hew. “Sport is so important in promoting gender equality and showing that a level playing field unites rather than divides communities.”