International Women’s Day, which is celebrated every March 8, means different things to different people.
Politicians see it as a chance to trade their well-thought-out agenda themed on women’s empowerment in social sectors.
The marketing world tries to get people to buy certain products by making ads that appeal to our emotions and needs. The hospitality industry offers discounts on their foods and encourages people to feast.
The healthcare sector comes up with offers such as screening for diseases and appeals to women to be concerned about their health status.
The corporate world organises special events for its female employees. The entertainment world strives to feature women in bold roles in its offerings to ensure it does not lag behind. Nothing need to be said about the media’s contribution to the event as they air talk shows, documentaries and write-ups and interviews with women achievers.
Messages with the theme of women’s empowerment get a lot of likes and shares on social media channels. The day is celebrated around the world in different ways.
Husbands give gifts to their wives, children give gift cards to their mothers, brothers congratulate their sisters and male partners wish their female partners well. But have past events brought about any positive change?
Well, we would like the answers to these questions to be positive but the reality seems to be the contrary. Are women treated equally in inheriting wealth? I don’t think so, because parents prefer to give their wealth to their sons rather than daughters. Their ideology is that the sons will take care of them in their old age, only to find themselves in old people’s homes.
We see women ruling the corporate world but, at the same time, we have seen rural women being abused and exploited. Parents bring up their daughters with the sole aim of marrying them off in a respectable home. This, again, they do with selfishness as they want to gain respect.
Desire to fly
Some women have become very brave with what they wear and how they act. But millions of innocent women are still locked up in society’s well-built walls, where they are made fun of and used as objects and baby factories to satisfy lust. It is not only here that the woman is beaten and killed by the man when she gives birth; even divorce occurs because the woman could not give birth to the son to carry the family name into the future.
These women have the desire to fly but their wings are clipped; they want to play an important role in the development of society but are looked down upon by their own families.
They want to be loved but society exploits them to fulfil its own needs. Women working as bonded labourers, domestic servants, cleaners, widows, destitute, abandoned by their husbands for any fault of theirs—all these souls yearn for the day when they will be freed from the miseries of society.
Politicians and the media capitalise heavily on the mistreatment of women. This will not help the cause in any way. Days will pass and a few women will sit in high places and even dictate terms. Sadly, the grind will continue!
Every small or big thought, every act of violence against women, destroys the fabric of society and proves to be darkness for the world to live in, which weakens humanity and corrupts the spirit of life. Not only on today’s Women’s Day but every day, we must speak out against the abuse of any woman.
We all want to come forward and raise a voice for our women. We must have an adequate, immediate response to such crimes. We want to do it humanely for the sake of mothers, sisters, daughters, neighbours and friends because we are doing it for the collective future of humanity, in which every woman can live with dignity every moment of every day. Only this Palace Day will be painted in the right colour at the right time; otherwise, there is no point in celebrating it.
I hope that on this Women’s Day, every woman frees herself from the fear, shame and guilt imposed on women for decades and finds the courage to be who she truly wants to be. Free from oppression, free from fear, free from patriarchy.
Mr Surjit is a veteran journalist and freelance writer based in Brampton, Canada. [email protected]
