Press Release — for immediate release, up to March 7, 2022
International Women’s Day
Theme for 2022: Gender Equity #BreakTheBias
Hour of Awareness
Tuesday, March 8, from Noon to 1 p.m.
At the ‘Four Corners’ downtown, at the corner of Bridge and Front streets
International Women’s Day invites you to Break the Bias
Imagine a gender equal world. Although women are now able to achieve careers in traditionally male occupations, such as firefighting, policing and engineering, they are all too often harassed, assaulted and denied promotions, as one can frequently see in the news coverage of such trials.
Globally, International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 is shining a light on Gender Equity with its #BreakTheBias campaign. Locally, a coalition of groups invites Quinte-area residents to join them for an Hour of Awareness on IWD, Tuesday, March 8, from noon to 1 p.m. in downtown Belleville at the corner of Front and Bridge streets.
“While the genders are gaining equality of opportunity in Canada, the circumstances that allow a person to thrive are often still not there,” says Mieke Thorne of Amnesty International Quinte. “Equality? Closer. Equity? Hardly, and look what at what’s happening in many other countries.”
“Internationally, the gender inequity situation in many countries is very stark,” says Sharon Vanclief of GRANquinte. “For example, many girls and women in Afghanistan are again being denied education, free mobility and careers. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has stated that achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world.”
The IWD Hour of Awareness is being promoted by Amnesty International Quinte, GRANquinte, and Quinte Grannies for Africa. Also on the IWD Gender Equity theme, and sponsored by Amnesty International Quinte, is the documentary Dying to Divorce, which will be shown at the upcoming Downtown Belleville DocFest (with tickets available at downtowndocfest.ca).
For more information, call Mieke Thorne at (613) 969-1782.
