International Women's Day commemorated at Swakopmund

Namibians joined the international community in commemorating International Women's Day at Swakopmund on Wednesday this week, to honour women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements; to reflect on the progress made towards achieving Gender Equality, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determinationbyordinarywomen.

International Women`s Day is a global event focusing on women's rights and gender equality The commemoration of this day dates back to 1909 when the firstever National Women`s day was recognised in the United StatesofAmericaon8 March.

In her keynote address the Deputy Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, Bernadette Maria Jagger said, “while International Women's Day celebrates how far women's rights and Gender Equality have come,itisalsoimportanttorecognisewhat still needs to be done. Gender inequalities suchasGenderBased Violence, especially against women and children, discrimination on the basis of one`s sex, and gender pay gaps still exist. Hence, the need to commemorate International Women's Day yearly to raise awareness on these issues and provides platforms for people to get involved with creatingchange.”

Jagger mentioned the day is also commemorated to attract all Namibians to be active participants in the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), particularly violence againstwomenandchildren; to create awareness and mobilize men and boys to be active agents in the fight against GBV; and also, to condemn GBV, especially against women and children in our societies.

AccordingtoJagger,the theme for this year is “#DigitALL: InnovationandTechnologyfor Gender Equality”. This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission ontheStatusofWomen (CSW-67), which is “Innovationandtechnological change, and education in the digital age for achieving Gender Equality and the empowermentofallwomenandgirls”.Thepurpose of this theme is to exploretheimpactofthe digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities. This theme also highlights the importance of protectingtherightsofwomen and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-facilitated Gender-Based Violence,especiallythat whichaffectsouryoung girls.

Jagger further said, “we need to develop knowledgeandskillsaimedat preventing and eliminating Gender Based Violence facilitated through technology We need to strengthen measures aimed at addressing women's and girls' barriers to digital inclusion. We need to encourage gender- balanced cross-functional innovation and involvewomenandgirls in ICT at all levels in order for us to achieve our desired goals on GenderEquality.”

Jagger said there is, therefore, a need to strengthen efforts to achieveGenderEquality for a sustainable tomorrow A gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education can help us to increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rightsandcivicengagement.

Jagger said, “by celebrating International Women's Day, as a nation, we are improving our collective awareness of women's historyandincreaseour understanding of bias, discrimination,andinequity This awareness pushes individuals including all of us to take actionablestepsthatcan lead to communal change for our future generations.”

The Governor of Erongo Region Neville

Andre Itope mentioned that Women and girls remain under represented across the creation, use and regulation of technology They are less likely to use digital services or enter techrelated careers, and significantlymorelikelyto face online harassment andviolence.Thislimits not only their own digital empowerment but also the transfor- mative potential of technology as a whole. Itope said, “life starts with a woman The greatest love of all startswithHer Apprecatingandloving everything that women give us each and every dayisourduty.”