Message of the Women's Day

The celebration of the International Women's Day on March 8, may go down as a memorable event for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's observation that the world was ready for a woman as his successor.
Shortly before meeting with Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only woman candidate for position, while speaking at the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, he made a significant statement: "I think we should see a clear message in the overwhelming success of women in presidential elections, over the past year: the world is ready for a woman as Secretary General of the United Nations."
Needless to point out, he stressed the need for the UN to do more to attract talented women to decision-making posts by stepping up work with governments, civil society, professional associations and academia.
In Pakistan, the occasion was traditionally celebrated with meetings and other functions, lauding the progress made by women in various spheres of life, as also focusing inequities to be addressed.
The Women Development Ministry organised a walk in Islamabad, in which 3,000 women from various walks of life, including army, navy, police, university students, teachers, Senators, MNAs, and councillors participated.
The banners that they carried were inscribed with assorted slogans - demanding equal rights for women, repeal of Hudood laws, equal representation of women in decision making. The occasion also marked the appointment of a woman as Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, and promotion of two women as army generals, as also allocation of 10 percent quota for women in government jobs.
As against this mix, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development, at a special meeting the same day, sounded critical of government's policies on women empowerment, saying no visible progress was witnessed on guaranteeing fundamental rights to them despite investment of huge amount of foreign aid.
It also adopted a resolution demanding declaration of 2007 as the Year of Women Development, and to provide women with maximum opportunities in decision-making at national, provincial and grass roots level. Elsewhere in the world, people in tens of thousands are reported to have staged demonstrations to condemn the inequalities making women second-class citizens sometimes.
The main focus of their attention was on the struggle to delegitimise violence against women in the developing world, as also on protection of abortion rights in countries having established more marked gender equality.
At the same time, women's rights activists in every continent, are reported to have highlighted the women's gains in access to political power, with reference to cabinets split evenly between the sexes in Sweden and Spain, as further signs of progress, while focused references were also made to huge gaps that have made women suffer at the hands of men.
Women's rights activists in Poland are reported to have drawn attention to forced prostitution, saying that up to 10,000 Polish women fell victim to international human trafficking networks every year. In the United States, a bitter controversy raged over Governor of South Dakota's signing of a law criminalising abortion in all cases - including rape and incest - unless the life of the mother is in danger.
It was reported to have outraged women's rights groups, and a direct legal challenge can result in the overturning of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling legalising abortion. Some 10 states are considering approving a law similar to South Dakota's. All in all, the International Women's Day, will be seen as bringing to the fore the need of doing more and more to ensure equality to women in all respects.