International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8th is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality.
Originally, International Women’s Day was commemorated in Belize by planning and executing a week of activities in March. In 2009, to provide more agencies with opportunities to highlight women’s issues and the achievements of women in observance of International Women’s Day, the Women’s Department transformed what was originally Women’s Week into Women’s Month in March.
The theme for this year’s Women’s Month was: #ChoosetoChallenge: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. This inclusive theme challenges everyone to continue to challenge gender inequalities, even as we go through a pandemic.
Activities countrywide addressed: education, celebration, sensitization, health, and spirituality.
The National Women’sAward is also an important event during Women’s Month. This year 20 women from across the country were awarded. A live virtual award was held and aired on Love TV and various social media platforms. Nine of the 20 awardees participated in the ceremony.
Recognizing that many organizations may want to be more involved, the National Women’s Commission adapted this resource packet specifically for use during 16 Days of Activism Campaign aiming to raise awareness about 16 Days of Activism and efforts to combat GBV. Additionally, it hopes that ideas found in the Resource Package will help with the advocacy for the elimination of all forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in public and private spheres through a united voice.
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