This Thursday is International Women’s Day. Celebrated the whole world over with parades, events, workshops and celebrations, it is designed to be a day of unification where all genders come together to commemorate the movement for women’s rights.
Women’s day was first celebrated in New York in 1909. Known then as “National Woman’s Day” it was organised by The Socialist Party of America, to raise awareness for equal rights, including suffrage for women. Fast forward 117 years and it is celebrated in many forms throughout most countries in the world. Last year I was in Malta, marching for rights such as equal pay, the right to body autonomy, and an end to the extremely high levels of verbal and physical harassment that plagues women there. This year, I will be in Albania and I will be attending an event which is being organised in collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the UN Albania, and the Government of Sweden.
The event will bring together representatives from local government, NGOs, civil society, academia, and more to reiterate the need to not only work together, but to coordinate and respond to the severe violations of human rights that occur, not just in Albania, but the world over.
Women in every part of every country continue to face discrimination, gender based violence, and violations, and we live in a world where violence against women is the most widespread instance of human rights violations. Globally, one in three women are subjected to rape, violence, or other forms of abuse and one in two women in Albania have or will experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. The fact that the statistics are worryingly higher in Albania means that there is much work to do in terms of not only empowering women and girls, but in educating society and making it clear that this is not ok.
Thursday’s event will see several survivors of gender based violence in Albania tell their stories. Through them speaking out about their experiences and traumas, not only will it help to remove some of the stigma that remains around being perceived as a “victim”, but it will also seek to inspire others to take significant steps towards improving the wellbeing of our society.
Speakers will tackle real-life accounts of the violence that they have experienced, as well as topics such as the role of the Police and Courts, and the Coordinated Community Response Mechanist for Prevention and Treatment of Domestic Violence Cases, and authorities from various municipalities throughout Albania.
I was the victim of domestic violence both as a child and as an adult and it is a subject that I feel incredibly passionate about. Whilst I have said to myself that I will try not to get too involved with politics or controversial societal issues during my time in Albania, that statistic of one in two women suffering at the hands of a family member really scares me. Whilst I want to use this blog to highlight the many positive things about this beautiful country, I cannot shy away from issues such as this and the campaign for education, awareness, support, rehabilitation, and empowerment of women is something that I want to involve myself in as much as possible.
Wishing you all a wonderful International Women’s Day this week, and if anyone reading this is involved with any projects or initiatives surrounding domestic and gender-based violence, please contact me.
For those living in Albania, here are some events coming up this week as a part of the International Women’s Day celebrations.
6th March
Rapid Gender Needs Assessment
Civil society organisations, women activists and representatives from the local level will discuss the needs and priorities of Elbasan women and girls.
Municipality of Elbasan 12:30-14:30
8th March
Challenges and Opportunities in Achieving Gender Equality and The Empowerment of Rural Women and Girls
- Findings of the Rural Woman Study, Prepared by UN Women.
- The Way Ahead: Introducing G.R.E.A.T ( Gender Rural Equality and Tourism)
- By UN Women, FAO, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Tirana 09:00-10:00
Agents of Change
Promoting Active Citizens, Students, and Members of Roma and Egyptian Communities that have an active role in improving the life of their communities, sharing their stories and experiences that promote gender equality.
Real Skampis, Elbasan 10:00-12:00
Launching of the Network Alliances of Women Councillors
Alliances of Women Councillors from 15 municipalities with establish a national network and coordinate their efforts to promote empowerment and gender equality.
Tirana 11:00-12:00
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