Women Are the Future
In this era, women are striving to gain more grounds and equal participation in good governance and to achieve great developmental projects. Women’s day is a day to celebrate the socioeconomic, political, social, and cultural achievements of women.
Women must stop exploiting women’s day as a day to become irresponsible or freely misbehave. Their focus should be on how women can work together to change our world and strive for gender parity.
There are many issues affecting women of today. There is poverty, war, disease, illiteracy, killings, hideous traditional practices, gender inequality, mental health, relationship crisis, etc.
Women must raise their voices and stand tall in the face of gender inequality. Women must have equal access to opportunities and decision-making platforms. Say no to the illegal detention, torture, killing, rape, and kidnapping of your children and husbands in anglophone Cameroon.
It is your responsibility as mothers and wives to also fight for an end to all harmful traditional practices like breasts ironing, child marriage, maltreatment of widows and orphans, ritual killings, and female genital mutilation. These practices reduce your daughters to mere objects of ridicule in this patriarchal world.
The world can only be changed if we work as partners of development regardless of gender.
Women should stop hating on each other and support female actors of development. They should strive for equal contribution by both genders in private and public life.
May International Women’s day be a platform to address women’s issues and pathways to meaningful development. Educate your daughters as this is the only way to empower them to say no to any abuse of their human rights. Teach them their basic human rights and encourage them to fight always for these rights.
The girl child should never be portrayed as less human or less important or an object for sale in the family. Holistic education of the girl child is fundamental.
Education is the only key to changing our ever-evolving world. Women have an important role to strive for peace and preach against war and bias in the world.
By Dr. Tarh Martha Ako Mfortem
