Women’s Month 2021: Empowering all Juanas!

‘Without equality, there can be no democracy.” these are the words of the late us first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the drafting committee of the universal Declaration of human Rights adopted by the un General Assembly in December 1948. the un body sought to attain equality between women and men and eliminate all forms of discrimination against women. More than seven decades later, women around the world still regularly suffer violations of their human rights throughout their lives.

From the Associated Press: “The head of UN Women on Monday called the Covid-19 pandemic ‘the most discriminatory crisis’ that women and girls have ever experienced, pointing to women losing jobs far more often than men, a ‘shadow pandemic’ of domestic violence, and 47 million more women being pushed into living on less than $1.90 a day this year. Phumzile Mlambo-ngcuka, the executive director of the UN women’s agency, said the World Health Organization’s [WHO] latest report shows that the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the past 12 months—16 percent—was against young women aged 15 to 24.”

The new data from WHO shows that violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive. “Across their lifetime, 1 in 3 women, around 736 million, are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner—a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.”

In observance of the National Women’s Month celebration this March 2021, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has lined up various activities to advocate the rights of women and girls. DSWD will conduct a national orientation for the agency’s personnel on the Safe Spaces Act or the Bawal Bastos Act. This is in line with the celebration’s theme, “We make Change work for Women,” with this year’s special focus on “Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!”

The Safe Spaces Act of 2019 or Republic Act 11313 is a landmark legislation that aims to protect all individuals from sexual harassment in physical or online spaces. Through the implementation of this law, the public is enjoined to work together and create a safe space for everyone. Undersecretary Luzviminda C. Ilagan, Dswd-gender and Development chairman, said this year’s women’s month celebration is a reminder to continue upholding the strong and steadfast advocacy of advancing gender equality, strengthening the protection of women’s rights, and promoting women empowerment.

This year’s National Women’s Month celebration serves as a tribute, a platform, and a call to action that highlights the extraordinary roles of ordinary Juanas in society as trailblazers and harbingers of change. However, this year’s campaign is different from the previous ones because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which posed both challenges and opportunities for women. Hence, this year’s observance highlights women’s participation in battling the pandemic, as well as gender issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

As we delve into the gender issues that emerged during the health crisis, DSWD believes that creating safe spaces in the community and even inside individual homes is also key in the continuing fight against the effects of the pandemic, where people are advised to stay home and go out only for important reasons.

As the DSWD joins the nation in celebrating Women’s Month, the agency vows to continue to initiate activities that will enable women to develop their full potential. Amid the pandemic, Women’s Month serves as a venue to discuss and address the issues that women continue to face so that empowerment can be fully achieved.