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Women, gender and equality:

March towards progress

agencies, major departments world that aim to inspire women continues to document the
Principles of equality are
and programmes have been esta- and celebrate their achieve- enormous suffering of
fully enshrined in the Universal
blished to promote studies about ments. Many large-scale initiati- millions of women who are
Declaration of Human Rights
women, gender and equality that ves provide a rich and diverse victims of domestic or institu-
adopted by the United Nations will lead to equal opportunity fabric of local activity that tionalised violence, contrave-
General Assembly on 10
for women universally in politi- brings women from all fields of ning their basic human rights.
November 1948. Member
cal, social and economic fields. life together in celebration. In both peace-time and war-
publicize
the
countries These events range from politi- torn situations women and
In particular, the Office of the
Declaration which is dissemina- High Commission for Human cal rallies, academic, business children are chosen as targets
ted, displayed, read and expoun-
Rights (OCHR), in Geneva, is a and other conferences, govern- for organised large-scale atro-
ded principally in schools and
UN central organ. Its mission is ment activities and networking cities, including sexual abuse.
other institutions regardless of to protect human rights for all. events through to women's craft
the country or region's political fairs, theatrical performances With thousands of social acti-
status.
International Women's Day and fashion parades. Global cor- vists and political militants,
(IWD) porations also actively support on International Women's
The Declaration is available in
International Women's Day by Day this year women and
hundreds of languages and sets
1975 was declared International running their own events and men around the world will
the Guinness World Record for
Women's Year by the United through supporting external unite and demonstrate against
the
"Most
Translated
Nations. It helped focus atten- ones. these atrocities in the march
Document". New technology tion and harness the energy of towards progress.
increasingly provides us with a
the world's governments, local, March towards progress
window on the vast panorama of national and international insti- Note: All sources of information
the multi-faceted and multi-
tutions in the march towards In 2007, Violence against used are acknowledged in prepa-
layered picture of action at the progress. Women is the theme chosen by ration of this article. It follows a
grass roots level, to the level of published text, with acknowled-
the United Nations to bring the
the individual and collective, in gements, entitled Women, gender
International Women's Day is world's attention to the need for
the march towards progress. and equality: Biblical, historical
held on 8 March each year. vigilance and urgent action in and contemporary perspective,
Thousands of events, formal and the march towards progress. by ha Marguet (March 2005).
Within the UN system and its
informal, take place around the Social and political literature ITA MARGUET

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481 2007 Diva

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