BASSETERRE St Kitts (9 March 2011) - In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day on the 8 March, the Rotary Club of Liamuiga invited Ms. Celia Christopher, Acting Director of the Department of Gender Affairs to address the Club’s Breakfast Meeting held at the Royal St Kitts Golf Club, on Wednesday, 9 March 2011.
In her presentation Ms. Christopher gave some background information about the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Gender Affairs and presented her Department’s message issued for International Women’s Day 2011.
She lauded the successes of Project Viola run by her Department for teenage mothers, adding that this project was a model for the Caribbean and that it was viewed as a best practice project by the United Nations. She sighted domestic violence as the main problem with which her Department had to grapple and advised of the progress being made since 2007 to address the problems encountered by women as well as men with the addition of male staff member with specific responsibility for male related issues to the Department. She also indicated that collaboration was being sought/achieved with other arms of Government in the execution of her Department’s duties including with the legal fraternity and national security. She emphasized the need for proper examples to be set in the homes by parents, guardians and caregivers.
Ms. Christopher advised that Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the Socialist Party of the United States on 28 February 1909, but that it was not until 1975, the International Year of the Woman, that the United Nations proclaimed 8 March as International Women’s Day.
She stated that International Women’s Day is an occasion for “nations worldwide to celebrate the contributions of women to nation building, and the courage of women who sacrificed for the realization of their rights”.
She noted that the theme for this year’s celebration and 100th anniversary is “Equal Access to Education, Training, Science and Technology: A Pathway to Decent Work for Women.”
Ms. Christopher challenged our women, “whether they are part of a group in the faith based community, or other special interest groups, to continue to articulate the issues that affect our lives, since women’s empowerment and equality are at the core of the realization of the millennium development goals”.
In closing, she admonished that as we celebrate International Women’s Day 2011, we “should conjure in our minds, images of a society in which men and women share equally in every area of national endeavor, from the private to the public sphere” and be “determined to work towards that state of equality, development and peace within our country”.
Ms. Christopher fielded questions from Club Members and engaged them in a short enlightening and thought-provoking discussion after her presentation.
Her introduction to Club Members was done by Secretary Elect Julie Gumbs and the vote of thanks by Rotarian Kaii Mills-Dias.
The Department of Gender Affairs is one of the departments of the Ministry of Social & Community Development, Culture & Gender Affairs in St. Kitts & Nevis.
