In its message to mark International Women’s Day, the WPO said for some women across the globe having the basic rights to make choices for themselves is near impossible as their societies are steeped in beliefs that have left them without any recourse to their basic human rights. Guyanese women have much to celebrate, the WPO said, though it acknowledges that more is to be done to advance opportunities for them.
The group also saluted its own stalwarts as well as those who have consistently championed the struggle for women’s equality; the foremost among them being late former president Janet Jagan, the WPO founder. The release said a function is set to mark Jagan’s contribution on the first anniversary of her death.
According to the release March 8 marked the 100th anniversary of the decision by the Socialist International in Copenhagen to have a Women’s Day. The date was chosen as an International Day in commemoration of a protest by women textile workers in the US in 1857 who demanded a 10-hour working day, better wages and equal rights for women. The WPO said while women in socialist countries were observing the day it was only when the United Nations agreed to recognise the day that it gained international attention.
“Today, there is much to reflect on,” the WPO said, adding that celebrating the day has taken on a new dimension for women throughout the world in both developed and undeveloped societies. “It has become the focal point for the evaluation of the coordinated efforts of women to secure women’s rights and equal participation in all aspects of life,” the release said. The UN observance of 1975 – 1985, a decade for women was followed by the coming into force of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women in 1981.
