Opinion

This year’s celebration of International Women’s Day is the first within the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are confidently asserted in that Agenda as intrinsic to progress. The new Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals include a specific goal to achieve gender equality, which aims to end discrimination and violence against women ...

For millions of women and girls around the world, gender equality and the full enjoyment of human rights remain elusive. For instance, nearly 14 million children are forced into marriage every year; that is 37,000 girls being denied their fundamental human rights every single day!Every day, 7.3 million babies in developing countries are born to mothers who are 17 or ...

As we near local government elections on March 18th and Guyana’s 50th anniversary of independence on May 26th, this year’s International Women’s Day takes on added significance.   The contributions of women to Guyana’s rich history are too many to list. The influence of leaders like former President Janet Jagan, former Public Service Minister Dr. Faith Harding, and former Member of ...

In keeping with the theme for this year, ‘ Gender Equality by 2030’, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers encourages women in Guyana to keep their eye on the prize, and work, together with all other women in the world to achieve this goal. Equality is not an elusive dream, as some persons would prefer to have us think, and ...

As one who took issue with President Granger’s initial comments on the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry Report, I feel obligated to commend the president for his most recent comments which to mind are more in keeping with his stature and that of the office he holds. As a reminder, I felt his comments last week were clearly partisan and ...

My critique of State Violence against citizens since Independence, including those who oppose the government has understandably enraged opinion on both sides of our ethno-political divide. The two opinions have one thing in common—they both contend that the state under their party’s watch was reacting to violence perpetrated against the State. That line is not new; these proponents may not ...

By Dr. David Hinds Like other comrades of Walter Rodney, I welcome the findings of the Commission of Inquiry. Although I had misgivings about the motives of the PPP for setting up the commission, once it started I fully supported it. Whatever, its shortcomings, it was the furthest we had gone on this matter in three decades. For us his ...

Violence Against Women continues to be a major cause of human rights violations against women in Guyana and around the world. During the past decades, several initiatives were taken by government and non-government organizations and individuals to reduce and/or eliminate this scourge from our society. Yet, it seems that there has been an increase in domestic violence incidence due to ...

By U.S. Ambassador Perry L. Holloway The world community joins us today, November 25th, in recognizing the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW).  It is a time to renew our commitment to end this scourge and to stand in solidarity with women and girls who have been victimized.  Millions of people across the world are rallying ...

Statement of UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women One in three women worldwidehas experienced physical or sexual violence, most often by an intimate partner. In most countries, fewer than four in 10 survivors of such violence seek help. Violence against women and girls includes domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking and harmful practices, ...