| Response to editorial of 8/3/2000 |
The Editor
Fiji Times
SUVA.
Dear Sir
I find your editorial (FT 8/3/00) offensive and insulting and also illustrative of your ignorance of the actual achievements and empowerment of women both in the urban and rural areas that are taking place in this country now. You could have played your part in the empowerment of women today of all days to ensure that women made it to the front page of your newspaper. You chose to mostly ignore the press statements made by 3 major women’s groups in this country at a press conference on 7/3/00, particularly comments made regarding the media reporting on gender issues.
Before you embark on such an ambitious editorial, please do take time out to get your facts right. The Department for Women has been conducting a micro-credit scheme for disadvantaged women for nearly 8 years now – and of course like any scheme it is only able to cover some women, but it does act as a source of inspiration for other women and depending on resource availability and government’s commitment a lot more women can benefit from this. As for reaching out to rural women please click on to our sit Fijiwomen.com; talk to Fiji Women’s Rights Movement; National Council of Women; Soqosoqo Vakamarama and many other groups who are and have been contributing towards the empowerment of women in both urban and rural areas for many years now. Our work would be a lot more easier if the media played its part. For your information also, marches, computers, speeches, are all strategies working towards the same vision for all women – our rights as human beings.
Within the Women’s Movement, the women contribute at different levels – the feminist level believes in and practices participatory research and empowerment strategies based on women’s experiences of oppression. And please do not threaten us about the entrenchment of patriarchal values – we have managed to unravel a lot of these and there are many men who support our work and who have no fear or insecurity regarding women’s rights – these are men who respect women.
Yours sincerely
Shamima Ali
191 Princes Rd
SUVA |
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| Fiji Times editorial, March 8th |
Day For Women
Today is International Women’s Day.
Around the globe women of every race, colour and creed will mark the event in government or United Nations-sponsored activities.
There will be the token speeches about how women should be empowered. The usual marches will take place to show solidarity. Workshops and seminars will seek to give people greater insight into the obstacles that women face in their daily lives.
Among these obstacles are violence in the home, sexual harassment in the workplace, cultural restrictions, denial of equal opportunities in business or careers.
Today a huge emphasis will be placed on barriers to development. And blame will be apportioned to individuals and organisations perceived to play a role in the degradation of women. This serves no real purpose.
Indeed, in many instances such criticism and finger-pointing leads instead to further entrenchment of radical ideas held by a patrilineal society. There is every likelihood that International Women’s Day will come and go with no real benefit to anyone.
That would be a tragedy.
At selected centres around the country today, women will meet, discuss issues, share meals and return to their homes. How much of what they learn will be put to practical use? What benefit will their deliberations have on society in general and women in particular?
Women’s issues and empowerment is not confined to writing books, installing computers and marching through the capital. Rural women will not benefit from any of these activities. Empowerment of women will only start when the emphasis shifts to how they can make life better for themselves.
Programmes must be implemented to allow small loans for women to start their own businesses farming vegetables, selling sweets or supplying milk to the neighbourhood with the family cow. In this way, women empower themselves, provide for the family and gain respect in the community.
This is empowerment.
Women deserve respect, decent standards of living and equal opportunity. But this should not be received through token handouts. That would only demean womanhood and every woman. |
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16 Days of Activism 2004
Friday December 03, 2004
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands 16 Days of Activism kicked off with a religious leaders' workshop in Honiara. Organised by the Family Support Centre (FSC), the local organisation behind the 16 Days celebrations, the seminar was the first time the organisation has organised such an event for the religious leaders.
FSC personnel, Ian Aujure, says excepting for the Catholic Church, a majority of the religious bodies represented in Honiara attended the workshop. The seminar concluded on Friday 26 November with a pledge of commitments drawn up by the religious representatives. The Honiara version is modelled after the Naviti Commitment - a pledge to advocate activities against gender violence which was put together by the participants of Fiji's first male advocacy training session in 2002.
The Honiara workshop, which made it to the headlines in the Solomon Islands media, also marked the beginning of the White Ribbon Campaign in the group. Religious leaders were given white ribbons and t-shirts to mark the occasion.
In conjunction with the Welfare Unit of the Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP), FSC is organising various activities to feature during the 16 Days of Activisms, which will end on 10 December, including:
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