Calling for Change vs Actual Change

REFLECTING on all the activities hosted for International Women’s Day- the marches and forums- begs the question of how effective they actually were.

I visited a few of these activities and while they were all excellent initiatives with resounding messages about gender parity, women empowerment and equality, today I ask myself: How do any of these activities make an impact in improving the lives of women?

The popular axiom goes: Knowledge is power. Thus, this would mean that awareness is key.

So let’s take the ‘Justice for our Girls’ solidarity march organised by the University of Guyana Students’ Society Against Human Rights Violation. Quite a few people, many from human rights organisations, showed up to march from the Square of the Revolution to the Stabroek Square. The supporters were taking a stand against persons in positions of trust and power, whose actions constitute violence against women.

It was highlighted that many laughed off the march, calling it wasted effort. But how many persons would take the time to sit and read Guyana’s laws, to equip themselves with the knowledge needed to protect themselves and those around them? How many persons are aware of the myriad functional human rights organisations in this country and the assistance they can provide?

I believe that many citizens can positively respond to these questions yet, many prefer to unleash a diatribe against the event.

Supporting events like these are pertinent because of the wealth of information- concise yet critical facts- that is shared. Again, knowledge is power. You can’t expect change by being an armchair revolutionary- you have to get up and take a stand against what you oppose- even if it means walking and shouting in the Georgetown streets.

Another activity that stuck out to me was the Women in Business Expo. Organised by the Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts (SNFCA) in collaboration with the Women’s Association for Sustainable Development, the third annual expo served as a platform for women- especially young women- to showcase their products and talents.

More than marketing their products, the expo was the climax for the women who liaised with designer Sonia Noel, since the women were engaged in several preparatory activities and forums over the past two months.

“It’s not about just having the expo for two days and letting the women just turn up the night before to get their stuff ready, we have to have them ready from the inside,” Noel said at the expo’s opening and reassured, “I have seen so much growth.”

This growth was fostered because the training experience sought to inculcate holistic skills in the women, where facets such as leadership, technology and business were offered to these women.

Attesting to the merit of these forums was Jennifer Spencer from the Women’s Agro-Processors Development Network, a women’s network of 12 groups spanning from Regions One, Four, Five and Nine, shared that this expo provided them with the opportunity to hone their skills and now market their products. Debbie Argyle from the Mahaica’s women group also shared that with the skills acquired, the group is now poised to improve the crafts and services they offer.

For me, this is actual change. Empowering people; empowering these women to head back to their communities and make a living for themselves.

And finally, another stepping stone for women I learned about was the National Gender and Social policy.

It’s a policy formulated by the Ministry of Social Protection which seeks to mainstream gender issues into all sectors in order to eliminate all negative, economic, social, and cultural practices that impede equality and equity. As explained by the Ministerial Advisor, Alicia Reece, the policy is one of the government’s newest attempts to promote gender equality and it enables the ministry to collect disaggregated data vis a vis women to implement policies catered to them.

Maybe in a few months, this policy will go down as a legacy that would have aided the fight for gender equality and another crack in the figurative glass ceiling.

Change, good or bad, is inevitable. It can come from a simple march, an entire host of forums or in a national policy. As citizens, we have the responsibility to demand the change we want to see. It may not come instantly but it will not come at all if we do not pursue. Be it a march, an expo or a policy- better can come. Better must come.

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