She-roes, arise and fight for equal rights - EDITORIAL

aya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement has said it is important for the world to recognize and celebrate not only its heroes but also its she-roes. Maya Angelou’s magnum opus, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” was nominated for the National Book Award in 1969 while in 2001 she was named by  the Ladies Home Journal as one of the 30 most powerful women in America.
Reflecting on the enlightened she-roes, the world today celebrates International Women’s Day, a global day spotlighting the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also stresses the importance of the revolutionary movement towards gender parity.
International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900’s -- a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

"The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights"

“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights,” says world-renowned feminist, journalist and social and political activist Gloria Steinem.

United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon in a message to mark the day has an interesting title, “ From the glass ceiling to a carpet of shards”. He says, “As a boy growing up in post-war Korea, I remember asking about a tradition I observed: Women going into labour would leave their shoes at the threshold and then look back in fear. They are wondering if they will ever step into those shoes again, my mother explained”.

More than a half-century later, the memory continues to haunt me. In poor parts of the world today, women still risk death in the process of giving life. Maternal mortality is one of many preventable perils. All too often, female babies are subjected to genital mutilation. Girls are attacked on their way to school. Women’s bodies are used as battlefields in wars. Widows are shunned and impoverished. We can only address these problems by empowering women as agents of change, he says.

The Secretary General who completes his second and final term this year says that for more than nine years, he has put this philosophy into practice at the United Nations. We have shattered so many glass ceilings, we created a carpet of shards. Now we are sweeping away the assumptions and bias of the past so women can advance across new frontiers, he says in an enlightened reflection. Mr. Ban points out that he appointed the first-ever female Force Commander of United Nations troops and pushed women’s representation at the upper levels of the UN to historic highs.  Women are now leaders at the heart of peace and security – a realm that was once the exclusive province of men. “When I arrived at the United Nations, there were no women leading our peace missions in the field.

Now, nearly a quarter of all UN missions are headed by women – far from enough but still a vast improvement,” he adds.

According to an article published in the Daily Mirror op-ed page today, about 51.6 per cent of Sri Lankans are females but in a 225 member parliament -- the supreme legislative body-- we have only 12 women and at least one of them in the former parliament had the dubious reputation of not speaking a word. Happily the national government has a more enlightened vision on gender equality. As a first major step, a law was passed recently whereby 25 per cent of nominees for the next local council election will be women—though the election, originally scheduled for July this year, may be put off for next year.

Our page 11 article has some shocking negatives which need to be corrected urgently and effectively. One of four women is sexually abused by the time they reach 18 years of age.  More girls than boys drop out of school.  In the labour force less than 30 per cent are females. Many other allegations of discrimination or sexual harassment. The Ceylon Mercantile Union says that in a Kegalle garment factory some 30 women were harassed and intimidated and put under surveillance by CCTV cameras and eventually suspended from work.

Women and girls of Sri Lanka, make International Women’s Day meaningful. Arise and fight for gender parity and equal rights.