Parliamentarians from across the Caribbean met in Jamaica November 9-10, 2011 for a Regional Consultation of Parliamentarians on Preventing Gender-based Violence under the theme “Building Political Will to End Gender-Based Violence.” The objectives of the meeting were to increase awareness of gender based violence and violence against women among parliamentarians and to build political will among them to take actions to end this violation of human rights.
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(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community has made, “significant progress over the last decades in achieving equality between women and men”, says CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General, Amb. Lolita Applewhaite.
I am honored to be appointed as the CARICOM Advocate for Gender Justice. Gender is about both men and women and it is fitting that this initiative is launched on March 8th, International Day of Women. This may seem to be a contradiction, but it is not. Women have always been in the forefront of the struggle for equality, justice and peace for all. However, because of gender inequality, their contribution is often neither recognized nor remembered. How many of you present today know of the work of our own Claudia Jones?
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Barbadian Rosina Wiltshire has been appointed the First Caribbean Community Advocate for Gender Justice for the year 2010.
As part of her terms of reference, Dr. Rosina Wiltshire will be required to coordinate the research on Gender Based Violence (GBV) within the Caribbean Region and raise awareness of the need for further action to develop and strengthen integrated responses that will “address all social and legal sectors for the purposes of protection, provision of services; justice; and prevention.”
(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) When Ministers of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) assemble in Georgetown for their twelfth meeting which commences on Wednesday April 27th, they will concentrate mainly on social issues that currently affect women and men across the Region.