08. 03. 2017
On behalf of the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (CEPS), I wish all women and girls in Seychelles a happy International Women’s Day. As a nation, Seychellois women are blessed that we do not have any structural barriers that are inhibiting women to give their full potentials. Yet we are aware that we have to make gigantic steps in order to reach the Goal 50/50 gender parity by 2020. Last year’s national assembly is an illustration. The proportion of women has dropped from 44% in the previous period of 2011 to 2016 to 22% in the present period of 2017 onwards.
The 2017 campaign theme “ Be bold for Change” offers us the opportunity to reflect and for all of us including the authority to take bold pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity.
International women’s day is an occasion for all women to look forward to increase ways to expand our horizons and maximize our options. We learn a lot about empowerment, real power lies not in the fact that as women we have limitless options but as to how we choose to live our lives. Our power lies in how we make our choices and pursue these options.
If we as women make bold decisions, bold choices and bold actions we will be working faster towards a more inclusive gender Seychelles.
