Saturday was International Women’s Day. As has been customary, we celebrated the women in our societies, and highlighted their virtues and contributions toward making the world kinder, safer, and more just. We remembered the individual women in our lives and how they inspired and influenced us.
The Beijing Declaration – the landmark conference where nations of the world agreed that women’s rights are human rights — is also marking its 30th anniversary this year.
In a speech last Friday to mark IWD, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that “since then, many women have broken barriers, shattered ceilings, and reshaped societies. More women hold positions of power and digital activism has ignited global movements for justice.”
Despite these successes, there remains much to be done, he said, citing the age-old horrors of violence, discrimination, and economic inequality that continue to plague societies around the world.
“At this pace, eradicating extreme poverty for women and girls would take 130 years,” he said.
Aside from these ills, he said, whatever progress there is faces a threat in terms of pushback and reversal, and even digital tools are being used to oppress women, magnify biases, and encourage harassment.
These are challenges on the global level, but they are also apparent in the local sphere. Deep-set biases and fixations on gender-based roles remain prevalent in many places in the country, limiting the potential of girls and exposing them to risk. They are not given proper guidance on how to protect themselves, prevent early pregnancy, or even resort to legal recourse in the event of crises.
Meanwhile, women in the family must remain resilient as they carry both housekeeping and financial functions.
International Women’s Day reminds us that many things remain to be done and that despite nominal gains, genuine gender justice remains elusive. May this propel us to find compelling reasons to act for long-term results, instead of excuses for token celebrations on specific days.