Post by mecca on Mar 12, 2007 9:41:35 GMT -5
Year of Demystification of Gender Roles And for Empowerment
FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
EDITORIAL
March 9, 2007
As the world commemorates International Women's Day, Foroyaa wishes to draw
the attention of the people to the significance of the commemoration. It will
then become apparent that the purpose of the day is not just to give
recognition to prominent women who have distinguished themselves in different fields
but to remind us of the rights and duties of women as part and parcel of the
world human community.
It is incontrovertible that humankind can only realise dignity and self worth
if we win the battle against powerlessness and poverty. Fear and want have
been the major scourge of the of the human race. The principal battle of the
21st Century is the battle against fear and poverty.
History teaches us that before the oppression, exploitation and
discrimination of women became a focal point humankind had to go through a series of
evaluation in their thinking. They had to accept that being a human being entails
being imbued with reason and conscience and the capacity to act in a just
and fair manner to prove the affinity of members of the human race. This is
what gave rise to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Needless to say, the disrespect or disregard of these fundamental rights when
dealing with certain groups had caused the emergence of subsidiary
conventions to ensure special protection to those whose rights are neglected by virtue
of race colour, gender, ethnicity, age, origin or physical characteristics.
Such conventions are often preceded by measures to highlight the conditions
of such special groups. For example in 1976 the UN Decade for Women, Equality,
Development and Peace was launched. Before the end of the decade the
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women had
emerged. It came into force on 3rd September 1981 to be precise. UN women agencies
such as UNIFEM also emerged which gave vitality to women for a, to
evaluation and the issuing of declarations, resolutions and plans of action. The
forward looking strategies of the 3rd world congress of women in Nairobi emerged.
This was eventually followed by the congress of women in Beijing in 1998
which gave rise to the Beijing declaration and platform for action. As we enter
the 21st Century, hundreds of resolutions have been issued and countless
conventions, protocols and declarations disseminated to equip anyone who wishes to
have clarity on the issue of gender.
What is necessary now is action on the side of individuals, communities and
states.
Foroyaa maintains that governments which simply count the number of females
who occupy top positions through the benevolence of leaders who behave like
patriarchs are simply paying lip service to the empowerment of women. True
women liberation is to liberate women from powerlessness, fear and poverty. The
sovereign equality of all citizens in a country must be transformed from an
ideal into a reality. Opportunity to be free from poverty must be available to
all on the basis of ability and enterprising initiatives.
Foroyaa therefore calls on all those who are sincerely committed to the
emancipation of women and part and parcel of making them genuine partners of men
who are imbued with reason and conscience to build a society based on liberty
and prosperity to transform the year 2007 into a year to demystify gender
roles and engage in civic education to enable each Gambian woman to realise her
dignity and self worth and her capacity to the architect of her own dignity
side my side with men. This is the only way yearly commemorations of
International Women year can have meaning.
Forward Ever (by any means necessary)!
Karen C. Aboiralor
FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
EDITORIAL
March 9, 2007
As the world commemorates International Women's Day, Foroyaa wishes to draw
the attention of the people to the significance of the commemoration. It will
then become apparent that the purpose of the day is not just to give
recognition to prominent women who have distinguished themselves in different fields
but to remind us of the rights and duties of women as part and parcel of the
world human community.
It is incontrovertible that humankind can only realise dignity and self worth
if we win the battle against powerlessness and poverty. Fear and want have
been the major scourge of the of the human race. The principal battle of the
21st Century is the battle against fear and poverty.
History teaches us that before the oppression, exploitation and
discrimination of women became a focal point humankind had to go through a series of
evaluation in their thinking. They had to accept that being a human being entails
being imbued with reason and conscience and the capacity to act in a just
and fair manner to prove the affinity of members of the human race. This is
what gave rise to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Needless to say, the disrespect or disregard of these fundamental rights when
dealing with certain groups had caused the emergence of subsidiary
conventions to ensure special protection to those whose rights are neglected by virtue
of race colour, gender, ethnicity, age, origin or physical characteristics.
Such conventions are often preceded by measures to highlight the conditions
of such special groups. For example in 1976 the UN Decade for Women, Equality,
Development and Peace was launched. Before the end of the decade the
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women had
emerged. It came into force on 3rd September 1981 to be precise. UN women agencies
such as UNIFEM also emerged which gave vitality to women for a, to
evaluation and the issuing of declarations, resolutions and plans of action. The
forward looking strategies of the 3rd world congress of women in Nairobi emerged.
This was eventually followed by the congress of women in Beijing in 1998
which gave rise to the Beijing declaration and platform for action. As we enter
the 21st Century, hundreds of resolutions have been issued and countless
conventions, protocols and declarations disseminated to equip anyone who wishes to
have clarity on the issue of gender.
What is necessary now is action on the side of individuals, communities and
states.
Foroyaa maintains that governments which simply count the number of females
who occupy top positions through the benevolence of leaders who behave like
patriarchs are simply paying lip service to the empowerment of women. True
women liberation is to liberate women from powerlessness, fear and poverty. The
sovereign equality of all citizens in a country must be transformed from an
ideal into a reality. Opportunity to be free from poverty must be available to
all on the basis of ability and enterprising initiatives.
Foroyaa therefore calls on all those who are sincerely committed to the
emancipation of women and part and parcel of making them genuine partners of men
who are imbued with reason and conscience to build a society based on liberty
and prosperity to transform the year 2007 into a year to demystify gender
roles and engage in civic education to enable each Gambian woman to realise her
dignity and self worth and her capacity to the architect of her own dignity
side my side with men. This is the only way yearly commemorations of
International Women year can have meaning.
Forward Ever (by any means necessary)!
Karen C. Aboiralor