Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694871688782.pdf (Dominica)
Let's talk GENDER Q Vol ume I.

Iss ue I M essage t rom t h e D irecto r, M s R osie 5ro wn e - - approved by Cabinet in June 2006, Facilitate social and domestic provides the framework for gender peace and reduce the level of violence to be incorporated in all govern- in society ment policies, programmes and plans.
It deals with six key areas Support efforts to improve of policy concern as it seeks to gender awareness among all stake provide in some details, direction holders to be taken to address matters Over the last few years, the Bureau of gender equity and equality in has been fully engaged in creating the education, the economy, family, necessary enabling environment to Highlights: Ms Rosie Browne gender-based violence, health prepare for the implementation of the especially reproductive health and National Gender Policy by setting up I bring you greetings from the HIV/AIDS, male health seeking structural and administrative systems Bureau of Gender Affairs (formerly behavior-women and po litical for the smooth execution of activities the Women's Bureau) as I take and decision-making.
through the Gender Mainstreaming the opportunity to brief you on changes within the Division since This new policy shift has the fol the last issue of 'Let's Talk Gender'.

lowing as its main objectives: A change of nomenclature which approach.
This was made possible through the time ly contribution of UNFPA for Programme Support.A number of Government Departments took effect by a Cabinet decision To change existing disad- has appointed senior staff person- in August 2009, gives legit imacy to vantaged situation/status of men nel to serve as Gender Focal Points.
the expanded mandate reflected in comparison to women and of Their main function is to ensure that in a shift in policy direction from women in relation to men the Gender Policy is implemented Honourable minister Officially launches inter-American Year of women Women's testimonials a predominantly women focus, to in their respective ministries and embrace gender issues which take Improve the quality of life departments within the Public Sector.

Inside th is issue: into account both women and men.
at all levels of society (Continued on pg.3) A National Policy on Gender Improve relations between Equity and Equality and Action Plan the sexes INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 20 I 0 MINISTER'S ADDRESS PANEL DISCUSSION MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IN The Bureau of Gender Affairs and the Dominica National Council of Women partnered in a huge way ters.
This approach was taken to der equality while recognizing and PICTURES highlight for the younger genera tion the struggles women of the appreciating the achievements and contributions of women to the N ATIO NAL WOMEN'S RALLY to celebrate International past had to face in order that the overall development of society.

Women's Day on Monday, 8th present generation can enjoy equal March 2010. rights and opportunities.
The main objective for the cele bration was to encourage women The Theme "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities; Progress for Al l" to embrace their womanhood and complimented the gender focus as continue the path set by past sis- the team sought to promote gen- INTER-AMERICAN YEAR OF WOMEN- CRITERIA FOR NOMINATION DOMI l C \ N WOMEN IN PICTURES v Let's talk G E DER H o n o urab le M in is t er's Address to t h e N ation in Observance o~ International Women ' s Da.
'J In her address to the Na- tion, the Honourable Minis ter for Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs, Mrs Gloria Shillingford stated that "this year, the theme is 'Equal Rights, Equal Oppor lor All'.

tunities: Progress Dominica, can boast of this equal access to opportuni ties for women made possi ble through its' various insti tutions, policies and pro grammes.
Our women have done well having achieved excellence in education and other social spheres and are making their mark at key senior level positions."

Hon.

Gloria Shillingford Minister for Social Services, Community Development & "O ur wo me n have d o ne we ll She continued to explain having achieved exce lle nce in that "presently, at least 7 out of 1 2 women (58%) e du cation a nd other socia l hold the position of Perma s ph e res a nd a re making the ir nent Secretary in various ministries.
At the level of mark at ke.

'J senior le ve l Attorney General, Speaker Additionally, Dominican which time, a number of women are representing local women will be recog the country internationally nized for their contribution because of their hard work to national development.

and dedication towards The criteria for selection of continuous advancement nominees will be published and achievement.
We are in local newspapers so that represented internationally nominations can be re at high level decision ceived.

making capacities in institu tions such as the World Health Organization, Com monwealth Secretariat, In ternational Labour Organi zation, Organization of American States, Food and Agriculture Organization and Caribbean Centre for Development Administra tion-CARICAD."
In closing the Minister stated that, "as women, we are also mindful of per sonal struggles among our selves and our ranking in terms of our economic con tribution to our country ... we should ensure that in our successes we take on the responsibility of removing barriers for the future gen The Honourable Minister eration .... with humility, also stressed the need for intelligence and insight to women to know their history realize a world free of dis and to continue building the crimination for all women."
road to equality which is key to sustainable develop positions . "

of the House of Assembly, ment.

Chief Magistrate and So licitor General; women also It was during this event, occupy these positions and that the Honourable Minis there are currently two ter officially launched the elected women parliamen Inter-American Year of tarians who also hold Minis Women.
The Bureau of terial positions; all of which Gender Affairs will be or were predominantly male ganizing a number of ac occupied fields for many tivities in recognition of the years.

Also women are Inter-American Year of entering the medical and Women.

The event will legal profession in record entail a national photogra numbers.
Page 2 phy competition, advocacy and a national women's summit at year end during I Volume I, Issue ~7he History of the Women,s Movement and Its Impact for Women,,- Panel Discussion The Panel Discussion focused on the younger women at the 3rd and 4th form levels at Secondary Schools.

A number of schools were represented such as the Wesley High School, St Martin's Secondary School, Pierre Charles Secondary, Goodwill Secondary and Isaiah Thomas Secondary.
There were over I 00 students in attendance and this shows a sign of future growth for the Women's Movement in Dominica.

The panel discussion was chaired by Ms Ophelia Linton, the First Vice President of the Dominica National Council of Women.
The Panelists included Mrs Josephine Dublin Prince-President of DNCW, Mrs Cornelia Williams Consultant and founding member of DNCW, Ms Noreen John-Director of Legal Aid and activist of the women's movement in Grandbay, Ms Jacinta Bannis- Drug Prevention Unit, Mrs Nathalie Murphy- Executive Director of the Dominica Association of Persons with Disabilities, and Ms Nadette Langford- Research & Programme Devel opment Officer at the Bureau of Gender Affairs.
The Panelists each covered a different aspect of the women's movement starting from the international waves in Europe and the United States, highlighting the development of feminism and women's rights namely in the areas of voting rights, sexual & reproductive health, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, sexual harassment and sexual violence.

The women's movement in Dominica was significantly high lighted during the discussion.
Those panelists who were involved in the initial stages of the movement like Mrs Noreen John, gave her experience in forming the first women's organization (SWORD) in Grand bay.

Mrs Nathalie Murphy, Executive Director of the Dominica Association of Persons with Disabilities, spoke of her struggles as a blind woman who lost her sight just about the age of 18; and the strides that her organization has made for persons with disabilities.
Mrs Murphy urged policy makers to make the lives of the disabled better by making buildings accessible and providing schools with the necessary equipment for students with disabilities.

The discussion climaxed with performances from various school representations in the form of poetry, song and dance.
Ms Ophelia Linton First Vice President, DNCW Chairperson, Panel Discussion MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR (Continued) The ongoing education and sensitization of stakeholders and the general public is key to ensuring that the system of gender main streaming becomes operational and the objectives stated above are realized.
Soon we will see the commencement of a number of interventions for institutional and capacity strengthening of the relevant agency-the Bureau of Gender Affairs, to provide support to the process and to better function in its expanded new role, as the agency responsible for the coordination of the Gender Manage ment System.
In this revamped edition of the Bureau's Newsletter which for reason of synergies, we have re-named "let's Talk Gender", it is neces sary to bring our readers up to date with this very significant development which will determine the future direction on gender in Do minica.

We also take the opportunity to provide you with highlights of more recent activities as they unfolded during the observance of International Women's Day 2010.
As the year progresses, we will keep you updated on activities for the observance of Inter American Year of Women which was declared by the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM)/Organization of American States and spearheaded by the Bureau of Gender Affairs at the local level.

In this regard, we are currently seeking nominations from the general public of deserving women to be recognized later this year as part of the observance.
I wish to appeal to all Dominican women, men, boys and girls to rally around the Bureau of Gender Affairs to learn more about the Gender Policy and to ensure that your concerns are taken on board.

HAPPY READING!!!!

Page 3 v Let's talk GENDER INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY .....

IN PICTURES "EQ Page 4 v Volume I, Issue I NATIONAL WOMEN'S RALLY ... erty ownership, protection, legal acknowledgement and most importantly individual identity."
The Honourable Minister also highlighted the importance of women's role in preserving fami lies.

She stated " Many families are having great difficulties main taining the integrity of their fami lies.

Women must never neglect their families responsibilities since the family is the foundation of society ... !

.... call on women today to pay close attention to their families and endeavour above all to preserve the unity and coherence of their families."
There were testimonials from some remarkable female figures namely Mrs Nathalie Murphy, Superintendent Yvonne Alexan der, Ms Jacinta Bannis, Ms Tracey Sandy and Mrs Noreen John.

These testimonials brought about a sense of belonging for all women present as these women represented a cross-section of society and faced different strug gles as women.

l On Monday, 8th March 20 I 0, the massive Women's Rally was held at the Arawak House of Culture.
In attendance were some distin guished women such as the Hon ourable Minister for Social Ser vices, Community Development and Gender Affairs-Mrs Gloria Shillingford, Honourable Minister for Culture, Youth & Sports-Mrs Justina Charles, Venezuelan Ambas sador in Dominica, Her Excellency Carmen Martinez de Grijalva, Chief Personnel Officer-Mrs Irma Ed wards, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Services, Com munity Development and Gender Affairs-Mrs Claudia Bellot, Am bassador to UNESCO, Mrs Sonia Williams, Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs-Ms Rosie Browne, President of the Dominica National Council of Women-Mrs Jose phine Dublin-Prince and President of the Waterfront & Allied Work ers Union-Mrs Bernice Balson Joseph.
The rally was graced with the pres ence of women from all over Do minica.

We saw representation from Wesley, Paix Bouche, Castle Bruce, Carib Territory, Ports mouth and the North and from women in Roseau and environs.

The rally entai led spectacular per formances from Dominica's Lady of Song, Ophel ia Olivacee Marie, Young Rising Star Calypsonian, Tasha P, Inspiring poets like Shauna, Justina and Monelle.

This was truly an evening of celebration and inspiration for all women.
In addressing the crowd, the Ho n ourable Minister for Social Ser vices, Community Development and Gender Affairs stated that "throughout history, women fought for basic rights to educa tion, political participation, vot ing, valuable employment , sexual and reproductive health, prop- "A lot of us in Dominica are women who are head of the home.

We help ourselves b_y workin ver_y hard in the farm.

We send our children to school.

I am proud to be a woman ... !


Justina john, Poet wonder wh_y life has to be so hard for a woman.

1 ' T race_y Sand_y Shaunajoseph,Poet Superintendent Yvonne Alexander "/ have been able to represent m!

:l organization on a regional and international level... despite being disabled I have pla!

:Jed m!

:l part, have contributed to the development ot Dominica and I am determined to assist other women with disabilities.

We have to empower ourselves . "


Monelle, Poet Page 5 DOMINICAN WOMEN IN PICTURES "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL .•• BECAUSE YOU ARE ..• WOMAN" As part of activities to commemorate Inter-American Year of Women, a feature on Dominican women in different walks of life will be showcased.

The Bureau of Gender Affairs is therefore requesting public, private and civil society to participate and submit photographs of Dominican women to wbint@cwdom.dm.

CALLS FOR NOMINATION!!!!!


INTER-AMERICAN YEAR OF WOMEN The Organization of American States {OAS) General Assembly resolved to proclaim 2010 as the Inter-American Year of Women.

To this end, the Bureau of Gender Affairs under the Ministry of Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs, is spea rheading activities aimed at commemorating this event.
Nominations are therefore welcomed for local women who have reached thei r ma x imum potential in their respective field : Selection of nominees should not be restricted to age but by exemplary excellence in their area of expertise.

Women must have created through their work, change or major impact in their respective field; laying paths for others to follow.

Those women must have demonstrated thei r ability to break through barriers and should bring prestige to the award and other awardees.
Nominees will be selected under the following areas: • • • • • • • Agriculture Education Health Politics High-level Decision-making Business Non-traditional Areas • Management • • • legislative Justice Arts/Culture Social Development Nominations should be submitted to: The Director Bureau of Gender Affairs The Globe Building 1 06 Independence Street Roseau Commonwealth of Dominica Email: wbint@cwdom.dm Nominat ion Forms will be available a t the Bureau's Office and the d eadline for recei pt of f orms is Friday, 29th Octobe r 2010.
Think Gender ....

Experience Sustainable Development!!!!

.. ' u r e a OUR RESPONSIBILITY: The Bureau of Gender Affairs within the Ministry of Social Services, Community Development & Gender Affairs seek to promote and advance the concerns of women and gender issues to assist women and men in realizing their full potential through the attainment of Gender Equity and Equality.
OUR MISSION: The Bureau of Gender Affairs representing the interest of women and men at the governmental level ensures that policies, plans and programmes are in place to achieve improvement in the status of women and men and carries out its mandate in collaboration with government and non-governmental organizations.
OUR VISION: A more gender friendly society, which recognizes the differences and similarities between women and men, boys and girls; reflected in the acquisition of equal access to resources, opportunities and benefits for the reali zation of the full potential of all citizens in national development based on the principles of equality, justice and peace.
Bureau of Gender Affairs The Globe Building I 06 Independence Street Roseau Commonwealth of Dominica Tel: (767) 266-3344 Fax: (767) 448-7855 Email: wbint@cwdom.dm I