A NEW Atlantic Council report, “Not without her: A roadmap for gender
equality and Caribbean prosperity”, has been launched, providing clear steps for
Caribbean policymakers and global partners to address regional gender challenges.

According to a press release, this report comes off the heels of an event, which was hosted in partnership with UN Women Multi-Country Office Caribbean for
International Women’s Day which was observed earlier in the month, to celebrate the progress made toward gender equality and as part of an annual call for action to address the challenges women still face around the world.

Caribbean countries, including Guyana, have made important strides to improve the political representation of women, but many still face some of the highest rates of violence worldwide, the release said, adding that the report is an almost year-long effort by the nonpartisan Atlantic Council to highlight and address social norms that widen gender gaps in the Caribbean, including gender-based violence, limited economic empowerment and political influence, and the disproportionate effects women and girls face.

The team conducted on-the-ground surveys and visits to Jamaica and Guyana to
work hand-in-hand with policymakers, civil society leaders, and the private sector.

“The full inclusion of women and girls into society and their effective participation in it will only be possible when social norms and preconceived notions of gender roles are challenged.

Gender-based violence, the lack of opportunities for women’s economic and political participation, and the exacerbated vulnerabilities of women and girls to the effects of climate change require immediate attention and action. Gender inequities hinder not only the inclusion of women and girls into society, but the full socioeconomic potential of the region.

That is why both men and women must advocate for this inclusion; it is not a matter of gender, but one of development and prosperity for all,” Valentina Sader, deputy director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Centre, Atlantic Council, was quoted as saying.