From CaribFlame

The Caribbean joined the international community in marking International Women’s Day March 8, but for many countries the observance will continue.

In Dominica, rights groups say they will continue to lobby for tougher sentences for those convicted of rape and other forms of sexual assaults and abuse against women and children.

Opposition Senator Monell Williams expressed solidarity with Dominica’s theme, “Stop Sexual Abuse Against our Young People.”

“I was 12 when I was a victim of attempted rape,” she said. “Though the actual act was not visited on me, it changed my life forever. Despite the fact that I had not been physically deprived of my innocence, mentally I went through a stage of maturity that no 12 year old should have to go through.”

“My heart bleeds for the youth,” said Williams, “particularly the young women of this country that are being made to go through the mental and physical changes that they should not have to go through before they’re ready. I am angry, very angry that those who ought to know better and do better subject the future of our society to acts of hate and deprivation and violation of their rights.”

Dominica’s Bureau of Gender Relations recognised outstanding women who have contributed to the development of women’s rights and gender equality in the country.

For Barbados and Grenada, the ongoing focus will be on tackling domestic violence. In a European Union project launched Tuesday, “None for Three,” the “persistent challenge” of domestic violence in Caribbean countries is noted.

EU officials say research indicates that one in three women in the Caribbean will experience physical and/or sexual abuse in their lifetime. The two-year project is based on Caribbean-specific interventions to tackle the problem and hopes to boost access to justice and social services among the most vulnerable groups of women.

“There are far too many silent sufferers and for way too long, we have been providing protection to the wrong people. Victims must realise that leaving is a viable option,” said Mikael Barford, the EU’s representative to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Guyana observed Women’s Day with a conference on gender equality. Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence noted that Guyana remains challenged by male chauvinism, discriminatory practices, human rights violations and denial of opportunities for work and education.

“We must commit to a future where women are equal, where individuals’ rights are not violated because of their sexual persuasions and orientations, where remuneration is fairly structured and access to resources is free of gender bias,” she said.

The country’s President David Granger expressed confidence that the barriers associated with gender disparity can be broken down in “less than 14 years.”

A judge at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court, Vivian Taylor-Alexander, told a function in Castries, Saint Lucia, that the pace of gender parity in the Caribbean has slowed and must be re-energized.

“Common issues include age-old gender stereotypes, where men and women are expected to perform different social and economic roles. Family responsibility and male-dominated corporate cultures are two other concerns,” she said.

Caribbean countries are celebrating the strides made in gender equality, but the activists and gender relations organizations say there is much more work to be done in this Region.

Source/teleSUR

CF/IC

IMAGE: Women’s Rights Advocates and Female Leaders in Grenada take the ‘Pledge for Parity/Photo: teleSUR

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribflame.com/2016/03/in-the-caribbean-celebrating-women-takes-more-than-a-day/