ecognising the Role of Women in our society: Let us all be equal.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8. This year, the theme is: “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. The theme is aligned with the United Nations’ Women’s new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

International Women’s Day is a day set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

In the Caribbean, women play an important role in community building, nurturing families, national and regional development, inter alia.

Women live very progressive lives in some parts of the world. Their lives have, however, not been without certain struggles. In other parts of the world, they continue to struggle for equality and remain oppressed, and face specific issues, such as domestic abuse, gender-based violence, and the lack of access to education, jobs and health care.

Women account for more than half the number of People Living with HIV worldwide. Young women (10-24 years old) are twice as likely to acquire HIV as young men of the same age. HIV disproportionately affects women and adolescent girls because of the vulnerabilities created by unequal cultural, social and economic status.

As we celebrate IWD let us, therefore, reflect on the women in our lives: our teachers, our doctors, our nurses, our grandmothers, our mothers, our wives, our sisters, our aunts, our daughters, our nieces, our friends, and recognise the important role that they have been playing to make the world a better place for all of us.

PANCAP recognises the importance of women in our society and their struggle for an equal world.  We support their development and will work to ensure that the rights of women are addressed and advanced, particularly in areas related to HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence.

PANCAP, therefore, salutes all women on this their very special day.