DIWC Celebrates International Women’s Day 2016
“Women’s rights are human rights” – Hilary Clinton 1995
In 2016, International Women’s Day was Tuesday 8th March. On this day we focus on our global achievements!
These include the following:
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. Today, it is a bill of rights for women that is adopted by 181 countries.
- Microcredit for promoting self-employment in Bangladesh. Was created by the Grameen Bank (a Nobel Peace Prize-winning microfinance organization and community development bank) 1997.
- UN millennium development Goals – goal no. 3 promote gender equality and empower women.
Globally, the theme for IWD 2016 is “Planet 50-50 by 2030. Step it up for Gender Equality”
The idea of this theme is to consider how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals especially goal number 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and number 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
Locally… we celebrate the global achievements of women and begin our continuous #pledgeforparity
Dundee’s Women’s Festival
http://www.dundeewomensfestival.org.uk/
4 main ideas promoted by International Women’s day with Dundee and DIWC
- Being more informed about money, government policy and health issues enable us to act for ourselves and for others.
- Knowing about women of the past who have achieved great things empowers us to follow in their footsteps.
- Being involved in sporting activities and encouraging other women to join in will bring both health and self-esteem.
- Being confident in speaking up – just one woman with the courage to speak out will encourage another to join her, whether it’s in Parliament or in the local Mother & Toddler Group. Then a couple more will have a go, then ten more…
Going back to point 2; Dundee’s theme of the year is Women making a difference…
Dundee Women in Science Festival
Celebrating and supporting women in science, technology, engineering and maths: the world’s only festival doing this!
Promoting careers in science
Supports professional women to develop their careers
Showcases talented and exciting research taking place across Scotland
WHERE OUR MINDS ARE NOW group exhibition
- Exhibition of artists, selected via open call and curated by several members of the Tin Roof Arts Collective committee.
- The artists work to be exhibited is in a range of mediums and responds to the theme of Women and Gender Parity.
- The opening of the exhibition is on Friday 4th March 2016 at 7pm and will be raising money for local women’s charity Women’s Aid Dundee.
Dundee Women’s Festival is created in partnership with over 25 local women empowering organisations, including DIWC.
DIWC’s personal tribute
At DIWC there was focus on cultural education, skills and mixing women from different cultures.
An Indian banquet was on the menu for an empowering international womens day at DIWC. We made Sheesh Kebabs and taught women how to make them and held Spice classes, where we taught women the different use of spices.
This tribute is recognised and reflects the progress in women’s rights to education and cultural freedom.
Author: Caroline Brysting