International Women’s Day …Minister Webster notes progress of Guyanese women
-First Lady urges – help domestic violence victims
Georgetown, GINA, March 7, 2012
First Lady, Mrs Deolatchmee Ramotar.
International Women’s day will be celebrated on tomorrow under the theme dedicated by the United Nations- ‘Empower women-end hunger and poverty’.
First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar in a message to mark the international occasion said that poverty is not always physical or related to material needs likewise, hunger is not always about the primal longing for food, but rather there is poverty of spirit and the hunger for affection and support.
First Lady – Help domestic violence victims
“Within our society there are many women who have found themselves in desperate circumstances…who are victims of domestic abuse, be it verbal, physical or emotional…my heart bleeds for them…they need our attention, love and support…we must help them to summon courage to step away from their abusers before it is too late,” the First Lady said.
Mrs. Ramotar said that many abused women endure the terrors of domestic violence because of fears about who will provide for them, a thing no woman should have fears about as Guyana overflows with generosity and has always been willing to help those in need.
She therefore urged all Guyanese to stand together and let those who suffer from domestic abuse know that within the wider society, support and help can be found, as no woman should be forced to continue to live in physical and emotional torment because she is unsure of where help will come from.
Human Services Minister – women better off today
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster in her message said that one should recognise the progress made towards securing gender equity and empowerment over the years.
“We can see the results of our cumulative efforts today…Guyana has a strong and robust legislative and policy framework for the protection of women which includes our national constitution that enshrines the rights of women, several international treaties… and national legislation such as the Equal Rights Act of 1990 and more recently, progressive pieces in the areas of domestic violence and sexual offences,” Minister Webster said.
Minister of Human Services Jennifer Webster.
She added that the country also benefits from a set of institutional arrangements designed to advance the gender agenda, including the Women’s Affairs Bureau and a number of non-governmental women’s organisations, with the recently established Commission on Women and Gender Equality being another positive step which will ensure that women’s issues are represented and addressed.
Minister Webster noted that government successfully achieved high levels of access to education thereby achieving its Millennium Development Goal of gender equity in education at the primary and secondary levels.
“We have improved the health of our women…life expectancy for women has increased and maternal health has improved…today women are able to access better health care and an expanded range of services across the country, including specific women-related health-care intervention in the areas of HIV/AIDS, and cancer diagnosis and treatment,” Minister Webster said.
“Women are today able to access training programmes to enhance their marketability and benefit from micro-credit schemes in an effort to supplement their incomes and generate sustainable livelihoods,” Minister Webster said in relation to women and labour.
She added that at the highest decision-making levels, women are today better represented than ever before. She illustrated this statement with the fact that there are five female Cabinet Ministers, four Permanent Secretaries, and many others at various other tiers of decision-making.