Photo: Flickr.com/Project Photos.
Monday 8 March 2021 was International Women’s Day (IWD). A day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about gender equality and women’s rights, and challenge inequality and injustice. However, as our Secretary General Josianne Gauthier, highlighted “March 8, 2021 is so very different from previous years. We are entering the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, one that has shaken our world, exposed all of our disfunctions and inequalities and the extent to which we have been overburdening our planet, its resources, our brothers and most especially our sisters around the world and who saved us from the worst situations.”
At the invitation of @VaticanIHD on #8M2021, @GauthierJCIDSE's message:
— CIDSE (@CIDSE) March 10, 2021
The pandemic revealed the burden on our planet and the women who keep us all alive. To emerge from this crisis, we must listen to culturally diverse voices.#InternationalWomensDay#VaticanCovidCommission pic.twitter.com/VFyc8Dd2vS
In the same line, the Vatican Covid-19 Comission published a cross-cutting summary titled “Women in the COVID-19: Disproportionately affected and protagonists of regeneration”, which also includes the specific vision of the Catholic Church in gender equality during the pandemic, as well as examples and cases around the world supported by CIDSE members.
This unique context has been reflected in the IWD messages of many of our member organisations. They have highlighted different ways in which the pandemic and its confinement measures have exacerbated pre-existing inequalities, injustices and vulnerabilities. However, the messages also clearly show that programmes, project and activities can help overcome these when gender equality and women’s rights are at their core.
A summary of some of our members’ messages for International Women’s Day can be found below.
Broederlijk Delen – Sustainable world with equality
Broederlijk Delen strives for gender justice as part of social change on the way to an equal and sustainable world. Their programmes and activities on gender justice take into account the interests, opportunities and consequences for different genders. For the IWD, the organisation supported an initiative of the campaign by the EU-LAT network which recognizes the leadership of women in the response to the COVID-19 crisis.
This campaign focusses on how the pandemic has deepened existing inequalities even further in a context where women are more active than men in the informal sector and take on most of the care tasks. The rise of domestic violence has also been a consequence of the pandemic.
Hoy #8M2021 celebramos el liderazgo de las #mujeres de todas las generaciones y países que marcan el camino hacia la #GeneracionIgualdad♀️
— EU – LAT Network (@eulatnetwork) March 8, 2021
Y pedimos a la #UE liderazgo global en igualdad de género.
Hagamos de esta #CRISIS la #OPORTUNIDAD para reparar desigualdades históricas💪 pic.twitter.com/kOvtSotq8K
CAFOD – Womens’ and girls’ empowerment as a way to improve income and self-esteem.
For the IWD, CAFOD highlighted projects that empower women’s livelihoods. One example comes from Nicaragua where the impact of COVID-19 has left many families vulnerable. By learning to grow crops and produce honey, women in rural Nicaragua are improving their incomes and self-esteem.
CAFOD works also to provide them with products for their period. These materials are a basic need, but for women living in refugee camps or in poverty, the access to sanitary products is still a challenge. Find out how you can collaborate.
CCFD-Terre Solidaire – Patriarchy is an obstacle to the fight against hunger
On IWD, Sylvie Bukhari-de Pontual, president of CCFD-Terre Solidaire, shared in an opinion piece how “patriarchal culture and the denial of women’s rights are an obstacle to the struggle for food sovereignty in the world”. She stressed that the COVID-19 crisis exacerbates gender inequality, for example, through increased risks of domestic violence in confined homes and increased job precarity. On their social media, one of their partners stressed how this patriarchal culture affects migrant women resulting in various threats including sexual violence.
CIDSE – (5 years of) blogging for gender equality
On IWD 2016, the first CIDSE Gender Equality Blogpost was published. This year, on IWD, CIDSE celebrated 5 years of blogging for gender equality and women’s rights. Throughout these years, we were able to “create a space to share many unheard stories and reflections on how our work for social justice intersects with the individual struggles of women and men from around the world fighting for gender equality and the rights of women.” To honour those who courageously shared their stories and experiences with us and allow you to re-read some of these strong and powerful testimonies, we put together a collection of blogs which document this journey of reflection and inspiration. Read it in this link.
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Cordaid – Fighting inequality together
During the week of the International Women’s Day, Cordaid shared inspiring stories from colleagues and partners around the world that are fighting inequality in everything they do – from health care to sexual rights, from participating in the political process to providing food, water and income. “Around the world, in front of and behind the scenes, women and men fight against gender inequality and for a more inclusive society. They are building a world in which everyone counts”, says the organisation. All these amazing stories are available to read.
You can also read the opinion piece of Mahamuda Rahman, communications officer at Cordaid, who reflects on “how both men and women are victims of the patriarchal society we live in”.
![](https://www.cidse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC7274-1-900x572-1.jpg)
Development and Peace – Women on the frontlines of the pandemic
Development and Peace recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic and the confinement measures have exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities such as domestic violence and food insecurity. They also drew attention to the many ways in which women are on the frontlines of the pandemic “both because of its specific negative impacts on them and because they are stepping up to play vital roles in the pandemic response”. You can read here how their partners report that women are affected by and responding to the pandemic.
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Entraide & Fraternité – Supporting the Association for the Promotion of Female Entrepreneurship
On International Women’s Day, Entraide & Fraternité focused on the work of their Congolese partner APEF, an association that offers tools to women of South Kivu (DRC) to increase the livelihoods and improve their economic and social position. Watch the story of Germaine and learn more about the work of APEF