PRESS RELEASE IWD2022 #BREAKINGTHEBIAS
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
International Women’s Day entails celebrating Achievements of Women who have broken biases facing them.
Most Women have come a long way from breaking barriers of “women cannot voter and be voted for, Women are needful for child-bearing purpose, Education of a woman ends in the kitchen, women are weaker vessels, to more powerful, industrious, dogged, self-sufficient and highly esteemed women who make changes in the world so other women can enjoy the same opportunities.
IWD2022 tends to address issues on social biases challenging women safe spaces, such include harmful Socio-cultural norms , as female genital mutilation, harmful widowhood practices, sexual harassment, especially in public places, spousal battery and eviction, denial of female inheritance, among others.
Virgin Heart Foundation has contributed to the promotion of women’s rights through her women-led projects, especially SLOC-VAWG Project, funded by Actionaid Nigeria for empowering women/Girls and the Communities towards changing socio-cultural norms that exacerbate Violence against women and girls.
VHF is advocating for fairness and gender balance for women to overcome biases limiting women.
And for that to happen, there should be fairness in the distribution of socio-Political and economical benefits.
VHF, as community based, is raising the bar in the pursuit for social justice, gender equality by instituting Community Committee and groups of trained women groups known as Women Peer Educators who train women in their groups on challenging cultural biases, harmful norms that shrinks women safe spaces.
Through the ongoing Actionaid SLOC-VAWG Project, VHF also created and domesticated peer club activities in project schools on changing mindset of the young on responding to Violence against Women and Girls. This perhaps give the young people opportunity to train their peers to reject limitations and biases that subjugate girls in the societies.
Our work so far, had recorded some outcomes and results, culture of silence is gradually becoming a thing of the past and more women are challenging those cultures that attack their safe spaces.
Today, VHF is joining Organizations, Individuals and Groups around the world to mark the International Women’s Day by networking young people to create public awareness against these cultural biases.
IWD2022 pointed out that to celebrate the 2022 International Women’s Day, Women should live beyond the limitation and biases the society and culture placed on them.
Peace Dike
Facilitator, Virgin Heart Foundation