The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security joined with UNDP and USAID/GEP on Tuesday to host a number of programmes recognising and celebrating the achievements of women in Guyana.
At an artistic programme co-organised with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and hosted at Theatre Guild, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand said she was pleased to be at a gathering of women celebrating women of substance in Guyana and further afield. She said on a personal level, she had great difficulty imagining a world where women couldn’t vote and their opinions didn’t matter, a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release said. The minister saluted such women as Janet Jagan, Winifred Gaskin, Kowsilla and Desiree Bernard, who blazed a trail of success for women to emulate.
This year’s International Women’s Day observances are being held under the theme ‘Equal Access to Education, Training, Science and Technology, the pathway to decent work for women.’ In his address, Head of UN Systems in Guyana M. Kiari Liman-Tinguiri noted that women in Guyana have come a long way and must be celebrated. He pointed to the ratio of serving parliamentarians in Guyana, noting that Guyana ranks at 25 of 186 countries with the percentage of female members of parliament, faring better than many developing countries and Caribbean counterparts. However, he also acknowledged that despite the strides made in the last hundred years, women are still being marginalised and discriminated against.
GINA said a series of artistic expressions titled ‘Phenomenal Woman’ and featuring poems, dances and songs and directed by Dr Paloma Mohammed set the stage alight at Theatre Guild. Women from all walks of life performed to the capacity crowd of mostly women. This was followed by an inter-generational discussion, featuring Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira, UNDP representative Patrice La Fleur, Head of the Commission on the Rights of the Child Aleema Nasir and two attorneys.
Meanwhile, at a conference hosted by the Women and Gender Equality Commission and the United States Agency for International Development/Governance Enhancement Project (USAID/GEP), Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said that though the struggle for women’s rights locally may not match the pace of efforts in developed countries, their achievements are still noteworthy. He noted that over the last 100 years, there have been changes in the attitudes of society regarding women, as they have become emancipated and now have equal standing in the workplace, outside of managing their homes,
Hinds noted that throughout the world, women are drawing abreast of men; fighting beside men in armies and assuming the highest offices in companies as well as the highest political offices. At the same time, the prime minister said he is disheartened over the daily beating and brutalising of women at the hands of men. To stem this, he said, the Human Services Ministry has the support of President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Cabinet to put in place a number of laws, institutions and agencies for ending violence against women and ensuring their protection. The recent launching of the Men’s Affairs Bureau is also expected to help stem the tide of abuse by putting programmes in place to redefine masculinity in the society.
In addition, Chairperson of the Commission Indra Chandarpal said the PPP/C administration has instituted a number of actions, including the passing of the domestic violence legislation, supporting the establishment of Help and Shelter and Legal Aid, passing the Termination of Pregnancy Bill, establishing the Women’s Leadership Institute, National Commission on Women, and the Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 to provide protection and equality for women.
According to the release, Hinds bestowed an award on Magda Pollard for her outstanding contribution to the Women and Gender Equality Commission.
