Bahrain celebrates International Women’s day

Manama : Bahrain Women Union and Awareness team in collaboration with the United Nations yesterday organised a cultural programme at the Argan village to mark International Women’s day.

The programme focused on celebrating the importance of women in a society and spreading awareness on the importance of equality. 

“UN is pleased and proud to be collaborating with  Bahrain Women Union and other participating bodies to celebrate the international women’s day,” Head of UN Information Centre (UNIC) Samir Al Darabi told DT News. 

Al Darabi said that one of the main initiatives of UNIC for 2018 is women development and to transfer the momentum to relentlessly working towards giving them equal rights in the society.

The cultural programme included traditional dances, traditional musical activities, or for that matter providing a platform for aspiring women entrepreneurs. 

“We believe that the society can only move forward if we are promoting equality in all the sectors and we call everyone to put in the effort to promote equality,” stressed Al Darabi. 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in a statement on the occasion, said: “We are at a pivotal moment for women’s rights. Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world.”

“Gender equality is enshrined in countless laws, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage have been outlawed in many countries. But serious obstacles remain if we are to address the historic power imbalances that underpin discrimination and exploitation.

He pointed out that more than a billion women around the world lack legal protection against domestic sexual violence. “The global gender pay gap is 23 percent, rising to 40 percent in rural areas, and the unpaid work done by many women goes unrecognized.”

Women’s representation, Guterres said, in national parliaments stands, on average, at less than one quarter, and in boardrooms, it is even lower. “Without concerted action, millions of more girls will be subjected to genital mutilation over the next decade.”

The UN, Guterres said, is working closely with countries around the world to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse by staff in peacekeeping missions, and to support victims. “Women’s empowerment is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals means progress for all women, everywhere,” he stressed.