General News
By Paul Ukpabio
Barrister Mrs Funmi Falana, wife of renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana, has brought to fore the current plight of the African woman as the world celebrates International Women’s Day today Monday 8th, March, 2021.
In a message to celebrate today’s International Women’s Day celebration, Funmi Falana who is also a human rights activist and the Founder of the Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), said that, “every day is a great day to celebrate the amazing women in our lives, but International Women’s Day gives an extra reason to do just that! March 8th is a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and looking to the future. Our words can change the whole world because we are all together.”
According to her, the day also marks a call to action as it encourages all people to actively choose to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female’s focused charities. And one way to start doing that is to remind people on how awesome women are.
“Share your appreciation with your amazing mum, incredible sister or remarkable girlfriend as a wonderful way to celebrate. Women had begun agitating for greater equality and less oppressive working conditions for more than ten decades, demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Women’s Day is marked to re-energize their efforts and bring them all together in one virtual place.
This year’s theme she said, is#ChoosetoChallenge. This is a clarion call on us all to think critically about our own thoughts, actions and how we can better promote gender equality and celebrate women’s achievements. There is no greater pillar of stability than a strong, free and educated woman. Likewise there is no more inspiring role model than a man who respects and cherishes women and champions their cause. I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves.
“As women, we need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead. Our words in favour of the equality for girls and women will go a long way to make a difference. Our words have also been echoed all around the world. International Women’s Day also gives us an opportunity to reflect on the road ahead, what remains to be done in our quest for gender equality and the unfinished business of gender equality despite the Corona virus outbreak Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women is of great benefit to any economy and the society at large. However, in many African countries, women face stumbling blocks as a result of cultural practices, gender inequalities and gender-based discriminations. Hence, the need to raise awareness about the disadvantages of these discriminations, not only to women and girls but to the community at large,” she added.
-Mar 8, 2021 @ 10;19am
Tags: Falana harps on plight of African women as world sets to mark Women’s Day
