March 8, 2025<\/p>\n
Georgetown, Guyana<\/p>\n
For immediate release to all media houses<\/p>\n
PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN\u2019S DAY 2025<\/p>\n
The Alliance For Change (AFC) extends warm greetings to all women across Guyana as we observe International Women\u2019s Day 2025. Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of our women in every sector of society\u2014from our homes and schools to businesses, healthcare, agriculture, and beyond. While we honor these
\ncontributions, we also take this moment to highlight the urgent issues still facing women and girls in Guyana.<\/p>\n
During our weekly press conference, AFC leaders and Members of Parliament underscored several critical areas requiring immediate attention, including gender-based violence, economic empowerment, access to education, and support for vulnerable populations, including special needs citizens.<\/p>\n
Addressing Gender-Based Violence<\/p>\n
Gender-based violence continues to plague our society, with 1,537 incidents of domestic abuse per 100,000 people recorded in 2024. The government has set a target to reduce this number to 1,383 in 2025, but the AFC strongly believes that no woman should be placed at risk due to weak policies and ineffective enforcement. We call for stronger legal frameworks, enhanced survivor support services, and nationwide public awareness campaigns to shift cultural attitudes towards domestic violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cAchieving lower rates of gender-based violence requires collaboration between government, non-governmental organizations, and community leaders,\u201d stated AFC Member of Parliament Juretha Fernandes. \u201cWe need practical solutions, not just policies on paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s Economic Empowerment and Gender-Sensitive National Planning<\/p>\n
Women remain at a disadvantage in accessing financial opportunities, particularly in small business development. The AFC has long advocated for a Women\u2019s Bank, a proposal aimed at ensuring women have the necessary financial tools to grow and sustain businesses.<\/p>\n
MP Cathy Hughes also emphasized the need for gender-sensitive national planning, stating, \u201cGender issues and women\u2019s issues must not be an addendum to national planning.\u201d The AFC calls for gender mainstreaming in every aspect of national development, including education, healthcare, economic policies, and job creation strategies.<\/p>\n
Support for Special Needs Women and Girls<\/p>\n
Special needs citizens, including women and girls with disabilities, continue to face barriers in accessing financial support and government assistance. MP Valarie Lowe denounced the challenges they endure, describing the process of receiving financial aid as a \u201cbureaucratic nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AFC urges the Ministry of Human Services, the National Disability Commission, and the Ministry of Finance to streamline financial assistance for persons with disabilities, ensuring accessible, dignified, and efficient services.<\/p>\n
A Call to Action<\/p>\n
As we observe International Women\u2019s Day, the AFC reaffirms its commitment to fighting for equality, justice, and economic empowerment for all women in Guyana. We call on the government, civil society, and every citizen to work collectively towards building a Guyana where women are safe, economically independent, and empowered to lead in all sectors of society.<\/p>\n
This is not just a day of celebration\u2014it is a call for action. We must work together to end gender-based violence, expand women\u2019s economic opportunities, and ensure the voices of all women\u2014regardless of income, location, or ability\u2014are heard and respected.<\/p>\n
Happy International Women\u2019s Day to all the women of Guyana!<\/p>\n
END<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
March 8, 2025 Georgetown, Guyana For immediate release to all media houses PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN\u2019S DAY 2025 The Alliance For Change (AFC) extends warm greetings to all women across Guyana as we observe International Women\u2019s Day 2025. Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of our women […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latestnews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-30-at-5.04.08-PM.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4F7T1-2Db","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}