The year 2020 had been characterized with fiendish happening’s that leave the world dumbfounded.
The pandemic that happened last year affects all aspect of human endeavors and bring nations to their
knees and even the world greatest nation. It affect the economic sector as nations resort to borrowing
money from other countries, it also affect the academic sector as students were asked to stay home and
affect their academic plans, also it affect the aviation industry as movement were temporarily
suspended and affect the basic lifestyle of everyone. The coronavirus was first detected in late 2019 in
Wuhan, China and from them it spreads to all nations of the world and bring the world into a great
mourning as presently we have 11,403,43 cases, 2,562,694 death and 91,200,273 recovered and still
counting more.
As we celebrate international women’s day celebration today march 8 2021, I want to use this
platform to acknowledge the valorous women that took it upon themselves to stand up and fight
against the spreading of this plague. Coincidentally the theme for this year international women day is
called “Women In Leadership: Achieving An Equal Future In A Covid 19 World” , celebrating the
tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery
from covid 19 pandemic and highlights the gap that remain.
Women full and effective participation and leadership in all human sectors drive everyone forward
and bring about a new order. In the affairs of men women has played a major role in bringing about
positive changes and using their God given intelligence to bring about good and better things. Though
with this positive participation, women are still underrated in some part of the world as they are
excluded in the general affairs of men and were denied their basics right. As reveled in the UN secretary
General recent report, women are heads of state or Government in 22 countries, and only 24.9 per cent
of national parliamentarians are women.
Women are also a front runner of the battle against covid 19, as frontline and health sector
workers, as scientists, doctors and caregivers, yet they get paid 11 per cent less globally than their male
counterparts. An analysis of covid 19 task teams from 87 countries found out only 3.5 Per cent of them
had gender parity.
Some of the effective and exemplary responses to covid 19 were led by women and especially young
and vibrant girls. They led movement online and fight against social injustice, climatic change and other
important sectors and we are witnessing positive changes. Before we discuss other issues, I want to use
this opportunity to celebrate four women that took it upon themselves to curb the spread of
coronavirus in their respective countries.UN women field assistants Amal Mahayrah and Hadeel Dabaibeh: These brave women took it upon
themselves to provide urgent and lifesaving services for vulnerable Jordanian women and Syrian
refugees every day. They share important and relevant information to the refugees by giving them
psychosocial support and give them reliable information on covid 19 prevention and services. They are
involved in providing digital technologies for the vulnerable women and refugees in Jordan during the
outbreak. They also provide a 24 hour hotline for women experiencing gender based violence and also
using the UN innovative block chain cash disbursement system to deliver funds to the Syrian refugees.
- Yan Shenglian (China): she stands proudly behind the check point in her rural village of xiarueyao, in
china’s northwestern Qinghai province, as people come and go from village; Yan checks their body
temperature and records their vehicle information. Her duties are essential to reducing the spread of a
new coronavirus, but the task are new to her: she is one of the many women without a medical
background who have joined the fight against covid 19 in china. Yan is a pig farmer trade, and it wasn’t
long ago that she, like many women in her village, thought taking part in public affairs was a man’s job.
After participating in a skills training sessions in 2019, her perspective changed. As part of her UN
women supported programme, Yan learned how to raise pigs organically, discovered how to sell her
livestock on online platforms and received leadership training. - Dr. Runa Jha: She is a chief pathologist and Director of the only laboratory authorized to conduct
Covid 19 testing in Nepal. She and her team are testing roughly 70 samples a day, which arrive at
irregular interval and make for around the clock work. Staying late at work had become the normal
addition to the technical work, she also have to manage logistics, such as arranging transportation and
food for her team. Taking care of her team became a priority for her and it all began in mid-February
when her team was the first to enter a quarantine facility housing 175 Nepali students that was brought
from Wuhan, China. She does her best to support the workers and boost their morale and help in
fighting against Covid 19. - Dina Smailova: Before quarantine, the helpline operated by the NeMolchi (Don’t Keep Silent)
movement in Kazakhstan received calls mainly from survivors of sexual violence. Now, the phone rings
10 to 15 times a day and almost all the calls are from women who were suffering from domestic
violence. Due to the containment measures in place to reduce the spread of the virus, women with
violent partners increasingly find themselves isolated from the people and resources that can help. She
had provided a fee legal support for 120 women; with 47 cases resulting in rape convictions, but the
covid 19 crises poses new challenges that worry Dina. During quarantine, the courts do not work, claims
are not accepted, abusers are not isolated, and women have to continue living with their abusers.
Despite the dire circumstances, Dina continues to push for justice and policies that better protect
women.
These women out of love they had for people volunteer to bring about a better change during the
time of covid 19. Though it might not be easy for them, as they might face some challenges and
difficulties but they were persistent and determined to curb the spread of coronavirus. There are also
countless women out there that are making positive changes in their society. These are women to be
remembered and celebrated for the role they played in curbing the spread of the virus.
As we are celebrating the international women day, it is imperative to know that despite the good
actions performed by women in our society and the positive effects they had in our present society, in
some parts of the world there are still gender discrimination against women, girls not allowed to go
school, girls trafficking and sexual abuse. Though there had been a lot of actions taken to bring this to
an end but still it is getting more rampant daily and which signify that there are still more work to do.
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
This act is still recognized in some parts of the world like the Arab world. They see women as an
inferior creation. They perceive them to be less active and unable to possess the required skills. They
were denied their basics right such as right to vote in some countries, right to work, right to drive and
right to hold any political office. According to a statistics, 143 out of 195 countries guarantee equality
between women and men in their constitutions as of 2014, yet discrimination against women persists in
many areas, directly and indirectly through: law a and policies, gender based stereotype, social norms
and practices.
This led the UN to create a single UN body tasked with accelerating progress in achieving gender
equality and women empowerment in July 2 2010. The Body is called UN WOMEN, and since its creation
it has been working effortlessly around the globe to bring about gender equality. This is a challenge to
everyone as we celebrate international women day that we should all join the fight against gender
discrimination and bring about change in our society. As we celebrate todays women international day
;let us think about what we can do or contribute to help our society grow and end gender
discrimination.
GIRL’S EDUCATION
There is also this belief and mindset in peoples mind that young girls don’t deserve a western
education. They believe they will end their life in the kitchen and taking care of their children, so they
don’t deserve to go to school. And this has denied millions of young girls around the world western
education. According to statistics 132 million girls are out of school, including 34.3 million of primary
school age, 30 million of lower secondary school age, and 67.4 million of upper secondary school age. In
countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school as girls living in no
affected countries.
Note that girls who get a complete education are likely to be successful and better prepared to
enter into the workforce. Education for girls will give them more opportunity to stand up for their own
right and fight against gender discrimination. They will use the platform and the opportunity to see what
is needed to be done in the women’s world that will enlarge their influence, also giving girls a quality
education will reduce gender inequality and put a stop to child marriage or girls trafficking. It will ignite
the passion in other young girls to go to school therefore reducing girl’s illiteracy. There is still a major
rise in girls lack of education in Countries like: South Sudan, Afghanistan, Niger, chad, Mali and Burkina
Faso etc.
GIRLS TRAFFICKING AND SEXUAL ABUSE
This is a case whereby young girls are compelled to labor work. They are shipped all over the world
to work for money and as a result of that they are subjected to sexual abuse and rape. Most of these
victims find themselves in coercive or abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and
dangerous. In 2012, international labor organization reported that 20.9 million people were subjected to
forced labor, and 22% (4.5 million) are victims of forced sexual exploitation. The ILO reported in 2016
that of the estimated 25 million persons in forced labor 5 million were victims of sexual abuses.
The insider monkey report about the girl trafficking that Bangladesh has the highest rate of human
trafficking with about 800 legally recruitment agencies where they traffic young girls. Also it report that
Ghana, Uganda, Sri Lanka, India, and Haiti have an extremely high rate of women and children forced
into prostitution, free labor and begging, the case of Thailand is severe because children are not only
forced into prostitution, but also shipped all around the world.
These are issues that need urgent intervention. As we celebrate international women’s day it is
imperative to know that there women out there that are subjected under sexual abuse, trafficking and
gender inequality, so let us come together more than before and fight against this so as to make the
world a more better place
In conclusion I want to use this medium to make references to some women that have make changes
and are still making in our generations such as: Harriet Tubman, Tarana Burke, Oprah Winfrey, Rosa
Parks, Wangari Maathai, Maya Angelou, Janelle Monae, Angela Davis, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ngozi
Iweala, Lavere Cox Beyonce, Serena Willians, Wilma Rudolph, Marsha P. Johnson, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
etc. These women had made a change in their various aspects and put an end to inferiority complex.
They open the door success for women.
I end with a quote from Phumzile Mlambo Ngouka ,the UN Women Executive Director That Says:
“There is a role for leadership and legislators to make violence against
women illegal and to punish offenders. Many countries already have
appropriate laws in place, but they are not fully enforced. That has to
change. States have a primary role to play in implementing current laws and
conventions and in introducing new legislations where it is lacking.”
REFERNCES: WWW.UNWOMEN.ORG, WIKIPEDIA
WRITTEN BY ADEBAYO PHILIP MARSHAL
08149942420
BOLUWATIFEADEBAYO161@GMAIL.COM
Site Title 