 “Women are a backbone of our families and play major roles in our economy, especially in rural areas. The life and health of women are of central importance to the future development of our nation.” |
In order to build a great democratic, just, fair and humane society, it is of utmost importance to arouse the broad masses of our people to join the struggle that will ensure "equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all”
Genuine equality between women and men, girls and boys can only be realised in the process of a just, fair and humane transformations of our society as a whole. There is need to educate ourselves and others to take a more correct view of women and to actively redress the injustices done to women in all our institutions , the Church, State and Family. Women must not be treated as mere passive participants in national development. But they must enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms befitting all human beings, both in domestic and public life. Women need to be treated justly in families, workplaces, public life and the Church.This being the case, the calls for the true empowering of women to enable them to participate in decision making in our society need to be heeded. Women bring special gifts to the progress of our country. If they are not listened to and are discriminated against, then we simply will not have sustainable and equitable progress and men should be more involved in promoting women's rights. Advancement will not go very far unless women and girls are enabled to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men and boys. Politically, women have contributed a lot in all our struggles. Women have thrown their lot, alongside men, with our struggle for independence and democracy. And women, alongside men, have fallen in that struggle. Here is the most profound equality of all: equality in suffering and in hope. We must therefore move from the delay and sterile tactics of always questioning the ability of women, by embracing the realisation that we are equal partners in the development processes of our nations. Fellow men, I understand that we have held positions of power for a long time now, and it may be uncomfortable to share this power with our countrywomen. We must realise that women as citizens have just the same rights that we do in holding positions of power, participating in their national development process and most of all, to be treated with dignity and respect just as we expect to be.Today, as yesterday, there is no other formula for building our country into a prosperous, just, fair and humane nation: we must emerge from ourselves; we must devote ourselves to the cause of women - to the discriminated, very marginalized and poorest.Clearly, there is need for us to broaden our understanding of women's situation in our socio-economic, political and religio-cultural realities and articulate faith reflections on women's realities and struggles. And in this way deepen our commitment and solidarity work towards full humanity for all.The discrimination and marginalization of women is affirmed as a hard and abiding reality of life. Women have an irreplaceable role in society, yet their contribution is not acknowledged, nor are they accorded equal rights and opportunities with their male counterparts.This realisation demands a total rupture with the prevailing patriarchal system in order to build an egalitarian society. The women's struggle is deeply connected with efforts of all the poor who are struggling for their upliftment in all aspects of life.
We must for see the main important value of women in our society. They are the counterparts of men in the realization of better future.
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