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| Sunday, 7 March 2004 |
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International Women's Day Tomorrow Monday 08 Women's organizations will be celebrating the International Women's Day. Year in and year out governments have celebrated this day with many promises. Yet the ordinary working woman, the wife of a farmer, the woman who collects garbage, the house maid is not aware what International Women's Day means, what is there for her. In this 21st century where technology, science have advanced to great heights yet women are still the most exploited lot. This exploitation has been there for centuries. Due to a few courageous hard working women employed in a garment factory in Chicago who bravely protested in 1857 on March 8th against their employers demanding to reduce the 16 hours to 12 hours working day gave birth to this day and made the working women aware of their rights. Governments under the capitalist frame work the women are victims. They are a commodity. This situation has become worse during the past years. This applies not only to Sri Lanka but to all countries. Though we had the opportunity of being the first country to have a woman Prime Minister, a woman President and a fair number of members of parliament yet violence against women by the society, and family continues to increase. Domestic violence against women is the worst crime inflicted by society and family. The category of working women who suffer most are domestic aids and garment workers, who under go sexual harassments and due to poverty which has increased ten folds during the past years they suffer silently, though every year we celebrate Women's International Day and make promises of uplifting the status of women who should be the most honoured since their duties are two folds they are not only a commodity to any government but also mothers. All religions have bestowed honour on women its only society that has degraded her, presently we also cannot forget the fact that there is another category of women who need to be thought of not only on this day of March 8th they are the war widows and orphans. Their tragedy is not of their making there is an urgent need to help these young mothers, wives both emotionally and economically. Let's hope that in this year definite steps would be taken to establish a social order that would stop exploitation of women in all sectors, be it from the ministry to the factory Lets us not limit ourselves to flowery words but bring forth radical changes to uplift the down trodden working women, mothers of a nation's children to give and bestow their self respect. - Barbara Seneviratne |
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