BY: HAJA HAWA KOROMA & HAFSATU Z. BANGURA
International Women’s Day is a day that is celebrated worldwide on the 8th march every year. The first Women’s Day celebration was held in Chicago on May 3rd 1908 and was organized by the U.S Socialist Party that brought together an audience of over 1500 women that demanded economic and political equality.
International Women’s Day is a day of reflection rather than celebration.
This year’s theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” women are hoping to eradicate gender bias, whether deliberate or unconscious makes it difficult for women to move ahead.
The day has become a day to celebrate how far women have come in society, politics and in economics. It also strikes as a day to raise more awareness of continued equality for both men and women.
The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board Mrs. Claire Carlton-Hanciles congratulates the women of Sierra Leone on the International Women’s Day for conquering all the challenges they are constantly faced with in their day to day lives.
She said that this day does not only involve women but men as well and that every woman should be happy and should celebrate because the UN has declared this day as women’s day. She added that men should also celebrate the women in their lives and should provide them with whatever they need.
Mrs. Hanciles stated that women are the real power source of the home since they can multi task.
“They are the first to get up every morning to take care of the children and do other household chores before going to work, they own multiple jobs to help provide for the home, some even shoulder the responsibility of paying house rents and take care of their husbands needs as well, when the home is faced with a difficult problem the women are most times in the fore front to attack the problem relying on their husbands to have their back for support,” She explains.
She emphasized that women should sit back and relax and be taken care of on this day.
She acknowledged the importance of the men in the household as they represent security in the home. She encourages men to work hand in hand with their wives in order to establish a happy and peaceful home.
Mrs Hanciles advised that they must stop engaging in domestic violence and actions that will bring disruption and grief in the home.
She also encourages the men to own up to their responsibility in the home and must always ensure to provide maintenance money for the family and if they fail to do so and the complaint reaches the Legal Aid Board, the board will take action against them without hesitation.
Mrs. Femi-Claudius Cole, a professional I.C.U nurse also the flag bearer of the Unity Party stated that, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day celebration is one of the major topics that are being discussed around the world which is gender equality and empowering women.
She said women empowerment is a major issue in this part of the world (Africa) because the men have been in charge for the longest time. “I think it’s time for us women to start showcasing ourselves, what we can do and accomplish” said Mrs. Cole.
Mrs. Cole advised that the theme must not only be taken at face value but the meaning of the theme should be taken with utmost importance.
“Women should come out strong to support other women, defending their fellow women who have been marginalized or intimidated hence that’s part of being empowered. Believing that you are taking a risk but will have the support of over 1000 or more women, if you should fail they will be there to catch you and they will give you the strength and confidence to conquer and overcome any obstacle”,She advised.
She also advises the influential women i.e. the women in the spotlight to start engaging with more women from all layers in society.
Mrs Cole stated that since the inception of the unity party which she was the flag bearer it was her dream and ambition to really engage women in the political landscape not just at executive levels but at all levels.
She said to her surprise most of the women that she approached with the offer shied away from it thinking that women are not treated with the utmost relevance they deserve in the political field. According to her, most of them offered for her to extend the offer to their husbands as they consider that it is more of a man’s field than a woman’s.
Mrs. Cole encourages more women to participate in the political sector so as to fight for their sit at the table and promote gender equality.
Rugiatu Favor Kanu a Quality Control Coordinator at the Produce Monitoring Board said that she has been working with farmers from 2016 till date.
She stated that she had been a part of the farming process but decided to be in the process last year therefore she started her own farm last year at 6 mile with ten acres of land.
She said she began by planting vegetables and maize and now wants to expand the business with an additional 10 acres of land adding plantain, banana and rice to her farm produce.
The ‘slay farmer’ as she is popular known, narrated the constraints she has been faced with due to her gender as according to her, this type of business is generally associated with the male gender.
“The acquisition of land is one of the major factors for women engaging in this type of business because in most cases they are denied the opportunity of acquiring lands because of their gender unless they involve a man in the arrangements”, she narrated.
She added that in line with the theme of this year if we want tohve a sustainable tomorrow women must be highly involved in every sector because women know how to nurture anything to come to life and the passion they put into everything they do cannot be measured to men as wwomen are design to be nurturers and extremely passionate.
She further stated that women wants the opportunity and crave for the platform to showcase what they are capable of and women are not limited to a certain set of norms and sectors, as according to her all women`s desire is the opportunity to showcase their full potential.
According to her this day is to celebrate women and she is celebrating her female farmers as every woman is equally important.
The slay farmer added that women needs to be celebrated in different ways and not only on a single day as women go through so much and are always multi-tasking.
Women are continuously changing the narratives in this new age as they are now exhibiting and exploring their full potential , they know their strength and importance and what they are capable of achieving if they set their minds to it.
Miss Favour Kanu stated that she has been making contributions in educating women to fully explore their potentials as it is not advisable to be solely dependent on the provision of a man as a woman.
She encourages more women to try farming or try different fields but to at least own something of theirs which they can depend on for their provision because it is an advantage for them.
She added that women can be anything they aspire to be as long as they put their mind to it and that no field is off limits for them to explore. She encourages more women to invest into agriculture for a sustainable tomorrow.
Dr Fatmatta b. Taqi, former president of 50/50 stated that this year`s theme is in line with provision that should be made for equity and equality for both men and women to ensure a sustainable tomorrow so the future will be peaceful, innovative , developing and inclusive.
She added that International women`s day is an important day set aside for women globally, recognizing their efforts and contributions but is also a day of reflection to sit and think about what it means for equality so at the end of the day we all look at our introspects and think about what we do as women and what we do for men vice-versa.
She commented on how far, good or bad or striking the files of patriarchy system that is a political social system that insists that men are inherently dominating , superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially women but to have a balance system and for women to acknowledge themselves.
She encourages all women whether you are an housewife, mother, young, business woman to acknowledge themselves on this day and let it serve as a day for young girls to reflect and think about shaping their lives for the future.
Dr. Taqi stated that it has been a challenge in molding the minds of young people especially men in changing their perception on how they view women as being capable and not to see them as competitors but equals that should be given support to work as team.
Dr. Taqi advises women and girls to respect and acknowledge their fellow women and to support one another, love and accept each other and work as team mates not as competitors.