Celebrated annually on 8 March, the 2014 theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) is: “Equality for women is progress for all”.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some countries like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday.
Although over 100 International Women’s Days have gone by we live in an era of increasing inequalities of wealth and resources and continue to witness a frightening backlash against women's rights gained to date. The word “feminist” is still deeply misunderstood and often spat out as an insult to describe women who are not afraid to express their discontent or challenge the status quo.
Today the IWD is needed more than ever as young feminist activists are claiming the day as their own and joining the global debates on reproductive rights, sex workers and seeking justice for victims of sexual violence. The young feminists of today are advancing the conversation through the application of new social media technologies and the use of the arts to express the multiple realities that face women today. Their dynamic engagement is casting off the taboo of feminism.
Personally IWD is relevant today as it was over 100 years ago as women are still experiencing high levels of sexual, physical and psychological violence and these crimes are for the most part, if not fully, perpetrated by men. Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights not just internationally but nationally. This week it emerged that Irish women’s freedom of movement, as well as their full participation in social, economic and political life is being affected by their fear of assault and violence.
The study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) was based on face-to-face interviews with 42,000 women in all 28 EU member states.
The survey suggested 26 per cent of Irish women had experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or non-partner since the age of 15. Almost one in three Irish women had experienced some form of psychological violence by a partner. A total of 15 per cent of Irish women had experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner and 8 per cent had experienced sexual violence by a partner or non-partner. It also found that almost half of Irish women who experienced sexual violence from a non-partner did not go to the Gardaí or any other service. Furthermore, over half of the women questioned experienced sexual harassment in the workplace with one in three saying they were harassed by a boss, colleague or customer.
The results of the survey provide unequivocal evidence that in Ireland women are not safe from sexual, physical and psychological violence and it paints a grim picture for what life is like for many women.
As a survivor of sexual violence I know how far-reaching and debilitating the trauma of sexual violence is on a person’s quality of life. On this International Women’s Day I feel the most urgent issue that needs our immediate attention is the right for a woman to feel safe as without it she will never be able to participate fully and live an authentic life.
