[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n March 8 more than one hundred countries around the world celebrated International Women’s Day under the theme #PressforProgress. The day emerged in the early 1900s as a result of labour movements in New York, USA by women textile workers as they went on strike to fight for shorter work hours, better pay and voting rights. Now it is used to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and
political achievements of women, while advocating for gender equality. As per the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), gender equality means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities and protections.
Like many other countries, Saint Lucia had a scheduled march on March 8 to observe International Women’s Day. It was organised by a local nonprofit organisation and was set to take place in Castries, starting from the Vigie playing field and ending in the city. Unfortunately it turned out to be anything but normal and sparked a great deal of controversy and conversation.
When I first heard about the march I thought it would have been centred on raising the issue of violence against women, to the relevant authorities. I thought that they would be demanding that the authorities get their act together, especially since last year saw a family dealing with the vicious death of their loved one in Laborie . . . a case that, as I write, is still unresolved (adding to the long list of unresolved cases).
On March 8 I logged onto Facebook and went on to the live stream of the march which was being carried by a local television station. I was able to catch only about thirty minutes of it but, looking back, it was thirty minutes of my time wasted. I say that because what I saw had little to do with what I understood the day is supposed to be focused on. As I tuned in, a reporter was walking around interviewing participants to get an idea of why they were marching and what they thought of the march in general. From most of their responses, I was left with no other conclusion than the march was really an anti-government one. The theme of the day seemed to have been changed from #PressforProgress to numerous others, with the most popular one being #ChasnayMustGo. Hundreds were marching, not to celebrate women, or demand change in the justice system, but to show their displeasure with the current government, in particular the prime minister, and to oppose projects it intends to implement such as the Desert Star Holdings (DSH) development in Vieux Fort and the proposed Dolphin Park at Pigeon Point.
Opposing and voicing their displeasure with the government is their right, as Saint Lucians, because they have issues and concerns that may very well be legitimate. But, why do so during a supposed women’s day march, when another could have, and should have, been planned? For instance, last year there was a protest march in the south with participants demanding that the government finish construction of the St. Jude Hospital.
The march has passed and, putting aside all controversy, will anything change, for better or worse? Will this march cause a positive change in our justice system, and specifically as it pertains to cases involving violence against women? Will it open the doors for gender equality? In my opinion, nothing that transpired on that Thursday will cause the relevant authorities to feel any pressure to pursue the unresolved cases which have left so many families in mourning, simply because the march did not focus on the issue.
One thing this tainted march may have accomplished, however, is to cause a cloud of suspicion to hang over the organisation and any future endeavours it undertakes. Its future activities, whether the intention is good or not, may not be given the benefit of the doubt.
