Tuesday, March 08, 2005
International Women's Day
My heart broke to hear about the story yesterday in Toronto (not very far from where I live) about the estranged husband/father who attempted to kill his 5 year old little girl by throwing her off of a highway overpass into the oncoiming traffic of highway 401, which running through Toronto is probably the biggest, fastest, 8 lane highway in Canada. After that, he jumped and killed himself.
It was at which point I found myself thinking, "thank God", the bastard is dead. I don't usually wish anyone ill, but at least now this man cannot terrorize his ex-wife and children for years to come.
Luckily the little girl survived and is recovering in hospital. This story is so disturbing because not only was it an act of violence against the little girl, but also her mother, who was attempting to escape a life of abuse and violence by separating from this man.
International Women's Day started with the first Women's Conference held back in 1975. Since then, many things have improved for women, at least in western countries. But there is still so far to go.
This article talks about what has and hasn't changed over the years.
Ten years later... women are more visible, gender equality "has become a working concept worldwide," and "women and men are now mobilized to see women's issues as societal issues, whether they like it or not."
Former U.N. assistant secretary-general Angela King, who was Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites)'s top adviser on women and organized the 2000 U.N. women's conference, said the challenges of five years ago are the challenges of today.
A growing number of women live in poverty, women are lagging behind in economic advancement, globalization is hurting many women, the incidence of HIV (news - web sites)/AIDS (news - web sites) is rising among young women and violence against women is increasing in armed conflict, at home and through trafficking, she said.
King said progress is slow for a host of reasons — no budgets for gender programs, only four female prime ministers of independent countries and the difficulty in changing stereotypes of women's limited roles.
"In 1975, the Mexico conference ignited a spark of awareness among women of their shared hopes and common problems," King said. "With each successive conference, the spark grew until it became a living flame in Beijing."
"Let us pledge today as the United Nations (news - web sites) community, as governments, regions and individuals, that the flame for women's freedom and equality become a shining beacon for action to fully realize gender equality, development and peace," she said.
Let us all take a moment to think about all of the women who have been harmed by violence, poverty and shame in this world.
Let us each take one action to help a woman who is suffering.
It was at which point I found myself thinking, "thank God", the bastard is dead. I don't usually wish anyone ill, but at least now this man cannot terrorize his ex-wife and children for years to come.
Luckily the little girl survived and is recovering in hospital. This story is so disturbing because not only was it an act of violence against the little girl, but also her mother, who was attempting to escape a life of abuse and violence by separating from this man.
International Women's Day started with the first Women's Conference held back in 1975. Since then, many things have improved for women, at least in western countries. But there is still so far to go.
This article talks about what has and hasn't changed over the years.
Ten years later... women are more visible, gender equality "has become a working concept worldwide," and "women and men are now mobilized to see women's issues as societal issues, whether they like it or not."
Former U.N. assistant secretary-general Angela King, who was Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites)'s top adviser on women and organized the 2000 U.N. women's conference, said the challenges of five years ago are the challenges of today.
A growing number of women live in poverty, women are lagging behind in economic advancement, globalization is hurting many women, the incidence of HIV (news - web sites)/AIDS (news - web sites) is rising among young women and violence against women is increasing in armed conflict, at home and through trafficking, she said.
King said progress is slow for a host of reasons — no budgets for gender programs, only four female prime ministers of independent countries and the difficulty in changing stereotypes of women's limited roles.
"In 1975, the Mexico conference ignited a spark of awareness among women of their shared hopes and common problems," King said. "With each successive conference, the spark grew until it became a living flame in Beijing."
"Let us pledge today as the United Nations (news - web sites) community, as governments, regions and individuals, that the flame for women's freedom and equality become a shining beacon for action to fully realize gender equality, development and peace," she said.
Let us all take a moment to think about all of the women who have been harmed by violence, poverty and shame in this world.
Let us each take one action to help a woman who is suffering.
