I GREET, with affection and understanding, all the women of my country on this International Women’s Day 2013.

Each year, a day is set aside to focus on issues of concern to women and to highlight the social, political and economic advances they have achieved. There can be no doubt that much progress has been made by women in these spheres.  However, in many parts of the world, this development has been uneven. As such, there remains a great deal of unfinished business, including the urgent need to safeguard our women from abuse in the home.  While International Women’s Day affords us all the opportunity to recognize these gains made by women throughout the world, it should not distract from the special role that women also play within the home.
Women play an irreplaceable and unique role in family life. The woman is the source of stability within the home, offering protection, comfort and unconditional love. She is the rudder that steers the family along the right course, the shoulder that is always there to lean on, the ear that is ever receptive, and the hands ever willing to cradle soothe and comfort.  Women play a foundational role in family-life, inculcating, through personal example, the values of security, trust and responsibility. It is hard to find a better role model for these values than women.
This role that women play in family life must therefore not be readily taken for granted. Their significance in the nurturing of bodies, the moulding of minds and in fostering positive relations within society should not be understated or devalued. Sound and stable families are the hope for the afflictions of today’s world. We know that the scourge of violence is a scar on our humanity.   If we are to confront the levels of violence that are on the increase, we must act on many fronts, not the least of which is at the level of family.
It is for this reason that, on this International Women’s Day, I wish to urge that a concerted effort be made to rediscover the beauty of family life; and in so doing, begin to appreciate more the special role that women play in securing this vital institution.
It is my privilege, one that I assume with great humility, to extend, as I hereby do, greetings to the women of my country on this International Women’s Day 2013.