International Women’s Day 2013
So another day for recognition of women and their contributions to humanity has come around once more. Women and girls in the west know life differently from women and girls in the east, but one can ask, has the lives of women and girls globally change from subservient status and servitude. Rape and incest still takes place both in the west and in the east. We can recall the recent gang rape case of the medical student in India; we can recall the incest cases alluded to, by a professional in Trinidad and Tobago, in rural parts of Trinidad and Tobago, not to mention the hushed cases in the big shot communities and or urban Trinidad and Tobago. East and West Trinidad and Tobago seems to be the same pattern of East and Western parts of the globe.
So East and West cannot rest until all women and girls can enjoy the fruits of their labours, in education and in public work and business until these brutish acts upon them are eradicated across the globe. While education has its benefits and work allows for greater independence, if women and girls cannot enjoy the respect of men and boys and feel threatened by them then we still have lots of work to do with our men and boys in order to help them and to help women and girls live in respect of each other and to enjoy equity and equality in all affairs.
Women and girls are still viewed as objects to be used and exploited by some men and boys who still believe in the top heavy patriarchal system. Women are still expected, despite earning their own monies and sometimes more than some men, to tend to house duties after public work while their men continue to kick up their feet in front the flat screens and wait for food. The patriarchal system is still very much in place. If it works for men and boys, why would they want to change it? So that the NGO projects around the world to assist in the liberation process of women and girls need more input from all of us who have the guts to face the truth about these issues. We also have to consider the concept of the patriarchal woman and the patriarchal girl. Both men and women, boys and girls function psychosocially out of the patriarchal system often times in subconscious ways. Think for instance the training processes of our children and the ways values, norms and morays gets transferred to the children so that there is a cynical process of maintaining and perpetuating dominance by men and boys and subservience and servitude of women and girls. So although women and girls are often times victims at the hands of men and boys we have to understand that women and girls too have profound roles to play in changing the system of dominance and control over them.
Women and girls too have a role to play to challenge the system that continues to oppress them despite their educational and public work advancements. Women and girls need to be their neighbour’s keeper and avoiding ‘taking women’s men’ avoid ‘taking children’s fathers away from their mothers’ men on their own cannot destroy families. For every cheating man there is a cheating woman. Women need to band together as ‘practical sisters’ literally watching the backs of their sisters. Women and girls have to maximise the opportunities they have to train their sons and daughters. Training of our children is the key for endemic change. Mothers and teachers need to revisit their training of their children. Teachers have to understand that in today’s world that they are second parents as so many parents are absent for various reason. The short is that we cannot afford to underutilise the opportunities to train the young human being as change comes more effectively from the young.
It is complex indeed, so the first step on many levels is acknowledge that the human being seldom wants change. So admittance as to our positions can help to advance the cause of the liberation process of women and girls, men and boys. If we recognise the levels at which we are comfortable with things as they are then we might be able to see the possibilities as to how things ought to be for life’s sake and social justice claim.
The lives of our women and girls need to experience another level of progress, simply their protection and respect from the society of men and boys. On behalf of the life-giving men and boys who respect and support women and girls as their equals and partners in this life, congratulation and divine help to continue and also inspire other men and boys to respect and treat women and girls as their equal.
Reflective International Women’s Day to all the women and girls of the world. May you all experience with every unfolding day the joys of total freedom from subservience and servitude in our modern world.
May we all receive divine guidance to change the face of the earth to resemble that of respect and love, justice and equity for everyone. May our women and girls feel safe in this world today and forever.
Sankofa Michael Francis Obama Tuzinde (Michael Francis Grandison)
Sankofa Foundation for Victims of Domestic Violence and Networking Counselling Programme
Educator, Counsellor...
BA Theology, UWI
MSc Gender and Development, IGDS, UWI (pursuing)
So another day for recognition of women and their contributions to humanity has come around once more. Women and girls in the west know life differently from women and girls in the east, but one can ask, has the lives of women and girls globally change from subservient status and servitude. Rape and incest still takes place both in the west and in the east. We can recall the recent gang rape case of the medical student in India; we can recall the incest cases alluded to, by a professional in Trinidad and Tobago, in rural parts of Trinidad and Tobago, not to mention the hushed cases in the big shot communities and or urban Trinidad and Tobago. East and West Trinidad and Tobago seems to be the same pattern of East and Western parts of the globe.
So East and West cannot rest until all women and girls can enjoy the fruits of their labours, in education and in public work and business until these brutish acts upon them are eradicated across the globe. While education has its benefits and work allows for greater independence, if women and girls cannot enjoy the respect of men and boys and feel threatened by them then we still have lots of work to do with our men and boys in order to help them and to help women and girls live in respect of each other and to enjoy equity and equality in all affairs.
Women and girls are still viewed as objects to be used and exploited by some men and boys who still believe in the top heavy patriarchal system. Women are still expected, despite earning their own monies and sometimes more than some men, to tend to house duties after public work while their men continue to kick up their feet in front the flat screens and wait for food. The patriarchal system is still very much in place. If it works for men and boys, why would they want to change it? So that the NGO projects around the world to assist in the liberation process of women and girls need more input from all of us who have the guts to face the truth about these issues. We also have to consider the concept of the patriarchal woman and the patriarchal girl. Both men and women, boys and girls function psychosocially out of the patriarchal system often times in subconscious ways. Think for instance the training processes of our children and the ways values, norms and morays gets transferred to the children so that there is a cynical process of maintaining and perpetuating dominance by men and boys and subservience and servitude of women and girls. So although women and girls are often times victims at the hands of men and boys we have to understand that women and girls too have profound roles to play in changing the system of dominance and control over them.
Women and girls too have a role to play to challenge the system that continues to oppress them despite their educational and public work advancements. Women and girls need to be their neighbour’s keeper and avoiding ‘taking women’s men’ avoid ‘taking children’s fathers away from their mothers’ men on their own cannot destroy families. For every cheating man there is a cheating woman. Women need to band together as ‘practical sisters’ literally watching the backs of their sisters. Women and girls have to maximise the opportunities they have to train their sons and daughters. Training of our children is the key for endemic change. Mothers and teachers need to revisit their training of their children. Teachers have to understand that in today’s world that they are second parents as so many parents are absent for various reason. The short is that we cannot afford to underutilise the opportunities to train the young human being as change comes more effectively from the young.
It is complex indeed, so the first step on many levels is acknowledge that the human being seldom wants change. So admittance as to our positions can help to advance the cause of the liberation process of women and girls, men and boys. If we recognise the levels at which we are comfortable with things as they are then we might be able to see the possibilities as to how things ought to be for life’s sake and social justice claim.
The lives of our women and girls need to experience another level of progress, simply their protection and respect from the society of men and boys. On behalf of the life-giving men and boys who respect and support women and girls as their equals and partners in this life, congratulation and divine help to continue and also inspire other men and boys to respect and treat women and girls as their equal.
Reflective International Women’s Day to all the women and girls of the world. May you all experience with every unfolding day the joys of total freedom from subservience and servitude in our modern world.
May we all receive divine guidance to change the face of the earth to resemble that of respect and love, justice and equity for everyone. May our women and girls feel safe in this world today and forever.
Sankofa Michael Francis Obama Tuzinde (Michael Francis Grandison)
Sankofa Foundation for Victims of Domestic Violence and Networking Counselling Programme
Educator, Counsellor...
BA Theology, UWI
MSc Gender and Development, IGDS, UWI (pursuing)
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