Madam, – Today (March 8th) marks the 100th year of International Women’s Day. It’s a day to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of women and to look back at how far we’ve come in 100 years. From 1911, when many women couldn’t vote, to 2011 where we have more women in the Dáil than ever before.
The Irish Girl Guides, Ireland’s largest girl-only organisation, are also celebrating our centenary this year; 100 years of empowering girls and young women. We would like to celebrate all of the unsung heroes of society who sometimes don’t get recognised for the time, dedication and commitment that they put into youth and community organisations nationwide.
Today, on International Women’s Day, the Irish Girl Guides will remember with deepest gratitude, the work and efforts of the inspirational women who over the past 100 years have strived to empower girls throughout this country and look forward to the next 100 years and the positive changes they may bring. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Despite a century since the first International Women’s Day in 1911, women and girls with and without disabilities around the world continue to confront inequities. In too many countries, fewer girls than boys attend school, women still struggle for economic equity; and these challenges are further compounded for women and girls with disabilities.
I am the national director of CBM (Christian Blind Mission), a non-governmental organisation that works with people with disabilities in the developing world. Women and girls with disabilities in developing countries face widespread discrimination, human rights abuses, and marginalisation in employment, health, education and political settings. They may also face social and psychosocial isolation. It is a common practice in many societies to lock women and girls with disabilities in the home, or to exclude them from the community.
The disability movement has conducted several surveys and found that women with disabilities are among the poorest people in society. Very few efforts have been undertaken by states to improve their economic situation.
As Ireland marks International Women’s Day today, CBM calls on the Irish State to pay greater attention to the needs and rights of women and girls with disabilities here, and around the world. This should now be a policy priority for the Irish government in light of the dedicated articles on women and girls in the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Ireland is a signatory to this convention and should follow the example of 16 other EU member states by ratifying and implementing it without delay. – Yours, etc,