SPSN Celebrates International Women's Day

STRONGIM Pipol Strongim Nesen joined many across the globe to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012.

SPSN Project Coordinator Angeline Courtney (white blouse)
with SPSN staff (left-right) Lucinda Kisip, Madeleine Iruru
and Regina Piam during International Women's Day celebrations.

With this year’s international theme “Connecting girls, inspiring Future”; the celebration was marked by a luncheon and seminar based on a local SPSN theme “Inspiring PNG girls today to become empowered women tomorrow”

Key speakers at the seminar were Joe Kanekane, the Program Director of AusAID funded PNG Law and Justice Sector Secretariat, Maria Balil – Young Women and Gender Program Coordinator and Melkie Anton – Male Advocate & Peer Education Coordinator at the University of PNG.

The three speakers spoke on the challenges young women and girls in PNG were facing at home and in school and shared ways to encourage women’s empowerment.
Mr Kankane presented the PNG Law and Justice Sector Secretariat gender policy as a case study for women’s empowerment in workplaces.
He said the sector has policies in place whereby empowerment is defined through a variety of program activities.

“Gender equality issues are defined differently at different organisations however networks exist to work towards making gender equality meaningful at the workplaces.”

Meanwhile Ms Balil said the increasing rate of bullying in PNG schools has left many young boys and girls feeling intimidated and can be described as a barrier to empowerment.

To give prominence to the day, SPSN staff wore in T-shirts with the theme, decorated the SPSN office with inspirational quotes from famous women. Part of their display included different types of billum, baskets and clay pots to represent provinces of PNG and to show how uniquely talented and industrious PNG women are. These items are closely associated with the womenfolk in PNG who use them as ornaments, accessories, art, tools, but more so as cultural signals of womanhood.

For more information contact SPSN Gender and Social Inclusion Erica Ogoba-Kukari on email: info(AT)spsnpng.com