International Women’s Day – News Agency nabakhabar

‘We are tired, angry and mad’: 180,000 women march in Mexico City

News Agency nabakhabar — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 20:22:12 +0000

By midday on March 8, 2024, small groups of women dressed in lilac, wearing purple bandanas tied around their wrists, hair and necks, started to congregate in Mexico City. Soon they comprised an 180,000-strong crowd, marching and chanting together on International Women’s Day.

The chants were amplified by megaphones or voices directed upward, faces turned to the sky. With arms in the air, they yelled about their strength in numbers, the lack of police protection and their intent to fight for their rights.

“No somos una, no somos diez! ¡Somos un chingo, cuéntanos bien!”
(“We are not one. We are not 10. We are a s***load, count us right.”)

“There are so many women,” said Ileana Alvarez Mendoza, 40, who attended the march with her 10-year-old daughter, Emiliana Leyva Alvarez. “How can the government say we aren’t that many?”

Nearly 10 women were killed every day in Mexico in 2023: there were more than 2,500 female victims of homicide and over 800 femicides, according to the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection. In 2021, more than 40 percent of women over 15 had experienced some form of violence in their childhood, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

A group of women at the side of the march near Mexico City’s opera house, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, stood coated in streaks of purple paint, holding up signs saying “Paint me if you have been abused.”

A never-ending line waited patiently to take a turn with the paint brushes.

“¡La policía no me cuida! ¡Me cuidan mis amigas!”
(“The police don’t look out for me. My friends do.”)

Mehida Perez Martínez, a 45-year-old from Cuernavaca, a town near Mexico City, said she was marching for her children and for herself, explaining that she lives in a safe area in Mexico City but is “constantly aware of the men surrounding me”.

“Anyone could be a predator and I can’t trust the police, especially men,” said the mother of three, who joined the Amnesty International contingent of women. Dressed in a lilac tank top and baseball cap, she marched holding a sign that said, “My mom taught me to fight for my rights”.

“Our judicial system was created by men and is run by men. Even if I wanted justice, I probably couldn’t access it. Therefore, I try to prevent violence and protect myself by avoiding places and times that could be dangerous,” said Perez.

Her fear is justified. Impunity for homicide is around 94 percent, confirmed a study by the think-tank Mexico Evalua in 2021. Women have to be wary of police in Mexico; a government study released in 2022 found that the majority of women who are detained by the police have been abused, a third of them sexually.

The march ended in Mexico City’s central square — the Zocalo — that is overlooked by government buildings and the Metropolitan Cathedral. As the square filled with protesters, people sought relief from the scorching 31C-degree (89F-degree) heat in small pockets of shade under tents run by street vendors offering cups of corn, sliced mangos and potato crisps drenched in lime and chili sauce. Sunstroke was the most common complaint among the 112 patients who received medical attention during the march.

Behind heavy-duty metal barriers with overhanging metal lips, hundreds of police lined up, standing far enough back to avoid the near-constant barrage of plastic cups, rubbish, flashbangs and purple flares being lobbed by angry protesters. Taking advantage of any openings in the barriers, women taunted the police, showing their middle fingers or pushing lit cardboard banners through the gaps.

A group of women dressed in black with balaclavas and ski masks, referred to as the “Black Block”, slammed hammers against the metal fence.

“They represent the part of feminism that is angry,” explained Perez. “We tried to have our voices heard, but it did nothing. Yes, we are angry and we have a right to be so.”

“We are tired, angry and mad”, she added.

“¡Ni una más, ni una más! / ¡Ni una asesinada más!”
(“Not one more. Not one more assassination!”)

It was the first march for 10-year-old Emiliana Leyva Alvarez, but she said she hopes to go to more. Wearing pink socks and a purple T-shirt, she noted it was exciting to be there and “attend something that matters to everyone, not just to one person”.

She said she thinks things will change because of the march, “even if it’s just a small thing”.

“What kind of small things might change?” Emiliana was asked.

She paused, then said “The same pay for men and women or that fewer women are killed every day.”

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International Women’s Day events highlight gaps in gender equality

News Agency nabakhabar — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 18:27:48 +0000

Millions of people around the world planned to demonstrate, attend conferences and enjoy artistic events Wednesday to mark International Women’s Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet’s population.

While activists in some nations noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence worldwide highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure women’s rights.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that women’s rights were “abused, threatened and violated” around the world and gender equality won’t be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change.

Progress won over decades is vanishing because “the patriarchy is fighting back,” Guterres said.

The United Nations recognized International Women’s Day in 1977, but the occasion has its roots in labor movements of the early 20th century. The day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in different countries.

Women gathered in Pakistan’s major cities to march amid tight security. Organizers said the demonstrations were aimed at seeking rights guaranteed by the constitution. Some conservative groups last year threatened to stop similar marches by force.

Women’s rights activists in Japan held a small rally to renew their demand for the government to allow married couples to keep using different surnames. Under the 1898 civil code, a couple must adopt “the surname of the husband or wife” at the time of marriage.

The activists argued the law contributes to gender inequality because women experience strong pressure to take their husband’s name. Surveys show majority support for both men and women keeping their own names.

In the Philippines, hundreds of protesters from various women’s groups rallied in Manila for higher wages and decent jobs.

“We are seeing the widest gender pay gap,”protest leader Joms Salvador said. “We are seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of women workers who are in informal work without any protection.”

The United Nations identified Afghanistan as the most repressive in the world for women and girls since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The U.N. mission said Afghanistan’s new rulers were “imposing rules that leave most women and girls effectively trapped in their homes.”

They have banned girls’ education beyond sixth grade and barred women from public spaces such as parks and gyms. Women must cover themselves from head to toe and also barred from working at national and international nongovernmental organizations.

In Spain, more than 1 million people were expected to attend raucous evening demonstrations in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities. Big rallies were also organized are also expected in many other cities around the world, while in some countries only minor events are held.

Spain on Tuesday passed a new parity law requiring that women — and men — make up at least 40% of the boards of directors of listed companies and large private companies. The same will apply to the Spanish government Cabinet.

Political parties also must have to have gender equity on their electoral lists, with names of male and female candidates alternating.

Activists and left-wing governments in Spain have advanced women’s rights in areas such as menstrual leave and parental leave over the past two decades. Many European countries also have made strides toward gender equity.

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International Women’s Day: ‘Time is now’ for gender equality

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 23:00:01 +0000

‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’ is the theme for the UN’s commemoration of International Women’s Day on Tuesday, celebrating the work of women and girls in fighting climate change and ending the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior UN officials joined women activists, artists, politicians and others from around the world, for an online event to mark the day, observed annually on 8 March.

While recognizing women’s leadership across all walks of life, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “in too many areas, the clock on women’s rights is moving backwards”, with COVID-19 a prime example.

‘The time is now’

The crisis has kept girls and women out of classrooms and workplaces, and contributed to rising poverty and violence, among other setbacks.

“We cannot emerge from the pandemic with the clock spinning backwards on gender equality,” Mr. Guterres said in a video message played at the event. “We need to turn the clock forward on women’s rights. The time is now.”

Progress towards a more gender-equal world is being undermined by multiple interlocking and compounding crises, according to Sima Bahous, Executive Director at UN Women.

War must stop

“Currently, we are witnessing the horrifying situation in Ukraine where the impacts on women and girls, including the hundreds of thousands displaced, remind us: all conflicts, from Ukraine to Myanmar to Afghanistan, from the Sahel to Yemen, exact their highest price from women and girls,” she said. “The Secretary-General has been clear, War must stop.”

Meanwhile, climate change and environmental degradation are increasing insecurity, for individuals and countries, with women and girls disproportionately affected.

Ms. Bahous said the international community has the chance to put them at the centre of planning and action, and to integrate gender perspective into global and national laws and policies.

Re-think and re-frame

“We have the opportunity to re-think, re-frame and re-allocate resources. We have the opportunity to benefit from the leadership of women and girl environmental defenders and climate activists to guide our planet’s conservation. We need indigenous women’s inter-generational knowledge, practices and skills,” she added.

International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to renew commitment to gender equality as the strong foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed.

“It is only with women and girls at the centre of our efforts that we have our best chance to succeed in addressing our current, and pressing, global challenges – from the climate emergency, to political divisions, to a sustainable recovery from this global pandemic.”

The President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, noted that a sustainable future is possible because governments have adopted frameworks such as the SDGs, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Remove the barriers

Earlier, he had pointed out how despite their contributions, women remain “under-represented, under-supported, and unrecognized” in the social, economic and political fields needed for sustainable recovery.

“We must strengthen mechanisms that provide pathways and support for ingenuity, ambition, and creativity, from all people who have the skill and the drive. And we must remove the barriers that prevent women from engaging,” said Mr. Shahid.

Next week, the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) begins its annual session, which will also examine gender equality in climate change, environmental, and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes.

“For a sustainable tomorrow, the gendered impacts of climate change must be confronted decisively and urgently,” said Commission Chair, Ambassador Mathu Joyini of South Africa.

She underlined commitment towards realizing “a robust set of agreed conclusions which will place women and girls firmly at the centre of climate and sustainability solutions.”

Worth fighting for

American poet and activist, Amanda Gorman, was among the artists who contributed to the UN commemoration.

Now 24, she gained international acclaim for her poem ‘The Hill We Climb’, delivered at the inauguration of US President Joseph Biden in January last year.

In her poem ‘Earthrise’, played at the UN event, Ms. Gorman emphasizes how “Climate change is the single greatest challenge of our time”, and everyone has a role in protecting the planet.

“All of us bring light to exciting solutions never tried before/For it is our hope that implores us, at our uncompromising core/To keep rising up for an earth more than worth fighting for.”

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International Women’s Day: Four Women Who Are Leading the Way and Making a Difference in the World of Tech

News Agency nabakhabar — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 18:52:53 +0000

On International Women’s Day, we look at women who have broken the glass ceiling and are leading the way in the tech industry. Before you dive right ahead, we would like to remind you that this is not a list of the ‘best women achievers in tech’. Every achievement is important and it would be futile to measure the achievements of one person against the other.

We have compiled the list trying to make it as diverse as possible so that you can learn about these women from various walks of life and get inspired to go ahead and do your best work. In no particular order are women we look up to.

Roshni Nadar Malhotra

Photo Credit: LinkedIn/ Roshni Nadar Malhotra

Roshni Nadar became the first woman to lead a listed IT company in India when she became the chairperson of HCL Technologies in July, 2020. Nadar took over the tech empire founded by her father Shiv Nadar, after he stepped down last year.

In 2020, Nadar was ranked 55th on the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. She is a communications graduate of Northwestern University and also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Kellogg School of Management.

Nadar worked with Sky News in the United States before starting her career with HCL Technologies as the CEO and Chairperson Executive Director. According to the Kotak Health Hurun Leading Wealthy Women 2020 list, Nadar is the richest active woman in business in India, with a wealth of Rs. 54,850 crores.

Kimberly Bryant

Photo Credit: LinkedIn/ Kimberly Bryant

Kimberly Bryant is an African American woman who founded Black Girls CODE in 2011. Black Girls CODE is a non-profit organisation that aims to impart technology and programming knowledge to African-American girls between the age of seven and 17.

For her service to increase opportunities for women in the tech industry, Bryant was named by Business Insider on its list of the 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology. Bryant was also a White House as a Champion of Change for work for helping to close the technology opportunity gap for young girls of colour.

Sheryl Sandberg

American tech executive Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of the social media giant Facebook. After joining Facebook in 2008, the Harvard business graduate became the first female member of Facebook’s board of directors in 2012.

A women’s activist, Sandberg founded leanin.org, a platform that aims to support women achieve their ambitions by overcoming bias and barriers. Before joining Facebook, Sandberg had worked with Google and was also involved in the creation of google.org, Google’s philanthropic wing.

Sandberg was featured in Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2012. As of 2021, her net worth reportedly stands at $1.8 billion (roughly Rs. 13,140 crores).

Debjani Ghosh

Photo Credit: Twitter/ @debjani_ghosh_

Debjani Ghosh is the president of National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM). NASSCOM is a non-governmental trade association focused on Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry India. Ghosh is the first women to be at the helm of the association.

In January 2018, she was felicitated by the President of India during the ‘First Ladies’ programme, which honours women pioneers in their respective fields. Ghosh was also honoured by Vogue as the Tech Leader of the year 2020.

An MBA graduate of the S.P. Institute of Management & Research in India, Ghosh has worked at Intel India and the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) prior to joining NASSCOM.

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