Feminition: Women’s Exposition sought to recognise, highlight and promote the skills, the talent, the capacity and capabilities of Guyanese women, and was another of the People’s Progressive Party’s initiative to empower women.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand at the opening of the event at the National Stadium on Friday last, said, “The beauty, the creativity, the capacity, the capability of our women is oftentimes lost, hidden, stifled, underdeveloped, un-utilized, and under-utilized, because of the apathy and sometimes downright refusal to recognise women as capable in every sphere of life,” she said.
Feminition, Minister Manickchand said, was born during 2009.
“Women across the country, they told us they wanted the expo, they wanted their own platform. They felt intimidated by the large organisations and forums …,” she said.
Minister Manickchand said that the government felt that an expo exclusive to women producers was a fantastic investment and directed $15 million in the realization of the project.
Government, she said, recognised that even in an unequal world, given the right venue, women can reach great heights in all areas.
Manickchand, in her remarks, applauded several of the great women in Guyana. She made notable mention of the fact that Guyana has had a female President, Janet Jagan; and a female Chief Justice and Chancellor, Justice Desiree Bernard, the first female Chief Justice and Chancellor in the Caribbean.
“We have seen an increasing number of women assuming leadership roles in both the private and public sector… We have seen more women speaking out about domestic violence and more women exiting violent relationships. We have seen more women developing skills and taking up their place of choice in the home and the work place.”
Minister Manickchand noted that Feminition continues in the line of numerous initiatives by the government in taking proactive measures to improve the lives and the livelihoods of women in the country.
She listed some of the other initiatives conducted, such as the awareness campaign about violence against women, the provision of universal access to primary education, the construction of the family court, the re-establishment of constitutionally prescribed gender and equality laws, the training for single parent women, the micro credit scheme for single parent women, and the provision of property through the Ministry of Housing to women.
Under the Legal Aid initiative, thousands of cases have been seen from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, and mostly women have accessed this service.
She said that the Micro Credit scheme has assisted hundreds of single parents to develop a skill of their choice. A total of 920 single parent women, she said, have received in excess of $167M under this programme in less than a year.
Feminition and the other government initiatives are the tangible differences government is making in the lives of Guyanese women.
“We recognise that we have a lot more do, more women to serve, but the environment has been established where gender equality can prevail,” she said.
Minister Manickchand said that she expects that the Feminition expo will inspire women to greater heights by encouraging them to take their places in society.
Feminition staged over three days attracted a wide cross-section of women and gave women producers the opportunity to showcase their products and make linkages for markets.
Source: (GINA)https://guyanachronicle.com/2011/06/01/feminition-serves-to-establish-an-environment-where-gender-equality-can-prevail-minister-manickchand