It is now permanent on the global calendar that 8th March every year is the International Women’s Day which is an annual occasion at which the great achievements women have reached are recognised and celebrated. It is also a way for the world to be reminded that a world without women is no world. This is how important women are but despite this, women still have some concerns which should be addressed.
This year’s World International Day will be celebrated under the theme “Innovation and Technology for gender equality”. This theme speaks volumes and it is very relevant in the current circumstances where the world is fast changing. It has been noted that women and girls are not copying with the pace but remember, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) say that “no one should be left behind”. This means that accessibility and availability should be to all without discrimination.
New and appropriate technology is not only essential but relevant in advancing empowerment of women and girls across the world. An empowered woman is an empowered nation. Therefore to protect the rights in digital spaces and combat online gender-based violence will not only be enhancing their humanity but will have a multiplier effect on social and economic development.
The stereo-type of the socially constructed roles and responsibilities expose women to many inequalities, gender bias and discrimination, making them very vulnerable on many fronts. It is time that the rhetoric stops and enhancement of the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and combat online gender-based violence takes effect. This will help to make sure that all people have equal access to digital technology and the opportunities it provides across all sectors.
One of the sectors that needs special attention is Climate Change which is one of the monsters that adversely affects women and girls. Studies have shown that extreme weather events due to climate change disproportionately affect women and girls and their ability to perform their everyday tasks, which partly explains why some girls are forced to drop out of school and women denied formal employment. In most Ugandan traditions women and girls are tasked with ensuring that they produce food and feed their families, procure of water, cooking fuel, and undertake other domestic or community chores.
These roles are not easy to undertake under the current climate crisis. This therefore calls for women empowerment in taking decisions that will safe guard and improve the environment. They should be involved the designing, implementation and measurement of their climate strategies. Furthermore, women and girls should be exposed to the skills required to respond to the impacts of the climate crisis and to hold duty bearers accountable.
In some communities in Uganda, many men are migrating from rural to urban areas to find employment, leaving women behind in charge of the land and the household but with limited capacity to effectively utilize that land for meaningful production given the adverse climate change impacts. The men exodus is not only affecting productivity but has led to a rise in gender-based violence.
Cases of child marriage have also been observed in various communities as a means of coping with the disasters resulting from the climate crisis. Underage girls are married off as a way to acquiring funds or assets for survival, pay school fees for boys and pay debts got due to climate-related disasters, like bad rains and storms, extended dry periods and overflow of rivers and lakes.
Therefore, the scheme to enhance women’s access to appropriate technology and unlimited digital spaces will boost their effective demand for gender equality in all sectors and their contribution to the economic, social and political deployments. There is a common African proverb which says “If you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”
John Mary Odoy,
Senior Citizen and Former Chairperson and Climate Change Ambassador, Climate Action Network, Uganda
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