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International Women’s Day – The Road to Women Empowerment

International Women’s Day – The Road to Women Empowerment

International Women’s Day has emerged as a global revolution in the recent years. Famous personalities, conglomerates, and women from every field are coming forward and sending a universal message that women are equal to men. Women have proven it time and again, in various fields including, but not limited to, sports, business, academics, and the list goes on. Today, people take Indra Nooyi’s name with as much respect and awe as Ratan Tata or Aditya Birla. Mithali Raj is cheered and loved as much as Virat Kohli. If these examples establish a fact then it is this, women’s rights are no more about treating them specially, it’s about treating them equally, providing them with equal opportunities and celebrating their achievements equally. Dr Vandana Sharma, Director, MBCN, spoke on the same lines quoting, “We, as women shouldn’t seek special privileges if we wish to be treated in equal capacity as men.”

Women Empowerment Campaign

While we speak of equality, we cannot overlook various conditions that need focus, like women’s safety, taboo around menstruation, and access to sanitary pads. A recent survey presented some alarming facts related to the use of sanitary napkins amongst Indian women. It showed that 88% of menstruating women don’t use sanitary napkins. Even shocking is the fact that they use alternatives like unsanitized cloth, ashes, husk sand etc. Sheeba Naqbi, Vice Principal, MBCN, made a strong point saying, “Issues being faced by women need to be addressed every day and not just on Women’s Day. Attitudinal barriers must be eliminated from our society, especially regarding sanitation. For instance, sanitary pads shouldn’t be hidden in black poly bags anymore.”

Women Power

The world must look for all the possible ways to empower women, to make them feel no different than men and to make them feel equally entitled to every opportunity out there. This vision cannot be achieved by a single individual or an organization. Everyone must come together and do their part. The Ponty Chadha Foundation is a firm believer in gender indiscrimination and equal rights for women. This International Women’s Day, The Ponty Chadha Foundation ran a successful social media campaign titled #WeMeanPower. The motto of this campaign was to celebrate the spirit of women who broke all the stereotypes and making it big in their respective field. The campaign celebrated the fact that they were not in fact celebrities rather extraordinary women living ordinary lives. People were asked to share the story of a wonder woman they know and get her featured on The Ponty Chadha Foundation Facebook page where the whole world can see their inspirational stories.

Women empowerment revolution has come a long way. But we will have to admit that it’s still a long journey ahead. On this International Women’s Day, let us take a resolution to do all it takes to give power to women while focusing on the issues that are becoming the hindrances.