…on the occasion of International Women’s Day
I extend greetings and best wishes to all women on this International Women’s Day 2012. The theme dedicated by the United Nations for this year’s observance is ‘Empower women-end hunger and poverty’. Poverty is not always physical or related to material needs. Hunger is not always about the primal longing for food. There is poverty of spirit and the hunger for affection and support.
Within our society, there are many women who have found themselves in desperate circumstances.I refer here to those who are victims of domestic abuse, be it verbal, physical or emotional. My heart bleeds for these women. They need our attention. They need our love. They need our support. We must come to their rescue. We must help them to summon courage to step away from their abusers before it is too late.
Many abused women endure the terrors of domestic violence because of fears about who will provide for them. No woman should have such fears. In a country which has always overflowed with generosity, in a country in which people have always been willing to help those in need, in a country in which we still value the specialness of womanhood, no woman should be forced to continue to live in physical and emotional torment because she is unsure of where help will come from. We the women of Guyana must send a message that help can be had.
On International Women’s Day, I call on the women of Guyana to stand together, and let those who suffer from domestic abuse know that within the wider society, support and help can be found. We cannot just condemn domestic violence. We must work to provide the assistance to those in need.
I urge every woman to be her sister’s keeper, to look out discerningly for signs that someone they know is in a troubled relationship, and to help that person liberate herself from abuse.
May International Women’s Day 2012 renew our conviction to do what is humane and right to bring an end to the abuse of women.

Deolatchmee Ramotar
First Lady