A Statement from the Women's Progressive Organisation
Stabroek News
March 8, 2007
The Women's Progressive Organisation salutes all Guyanese women on the occasion of International Women's Day.
It is perhaps the most widely celebrated International Day in the calendar of special days observed by women and men alike. There are a number of factors, however, about this particular day, which we should always focus on, especially significant is that it is a day on which women from all continents, separated by geography, language, culture, ethnicity, religion and social standing - come together in their respective countries to celebrate this important occasion.
IWD was born out of the sacrifice of garment and textile workers from East Side New York who made history by struggling for better conditions of work and for improvements in their economic well-being.
This struggle was taken up by two revolutionary German women Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemborg who successfully persuaded the declaration of International Proletariat Women's Day, which was celebrated on March 11. That was the occasion when more than one million women and men demonstrated in Austria, Denmark and Switzerland demanding the right to vote and to hold office. They also demanded the right to work, to be trained and for an end to discrimination.
Unfortunately, the momentum was not maintained due to many factors and it was only in 1975 that the UN placed the women's issue on the international agenda with the proclamation of a 'Decade for Women'. This was the catalyst that propelled many governments around the world to take appropriate actions in providing the enabling environment for the growth and development of women in all spheres of life.
The WPO is extremely proud that Guyanese women have benefited from the enabling environment that was created as well as the various mechanisms, programmes and policies that have placed our women in a very enviable position. We feel confident that the strides that were made will develop constantly and that more opportunities will be provided to resolve some of the outstanding issues that manifest in various ways.
We would like to see a reduction in violence in forms and urge all Guyanese to work together in bringing down the number of persons who are affected with HIV and AIDS. We believe that peace is essential to our rapid development and call on all Guyanese to work together to maintain peace, stability and harmony in our country.
The WPO is confident of a brighter future for all Guyanese but realizes that we all need to work harder in order to accelerate the pace of development. Let us all work together to make Guyana a warm and friendly destination for those who will be coming to our shores for the World Cup Cricket and a safe and productive land for those of us who live here.
Let us use this day to encourage greater respect for women and for greater involvement in our country's development.
A Happy International Women's Day.