While there’s much to celebrate as far as women’s rights and gender equity is concerned there’s also a lot of work to do.
That was one takeaway from a luncheon event at Loyola School of Adult and Continuing Education in Belleville Thursday.
Almost 150 people, many from around 20 countries worldwide, attended the event, hearing from several speakers.
One of those was Mieke Thorne of Amnesty International Quinte who said while there’s good news on gender equality, many millions of girls and women remain second or third class citizens worldwide and she outlined some of the barriers to equality.
“Education is combined with child marriage because if they get married they don’t get to school, they get children.
The second thing would be the violence, and with education, people will get somewhere.”
Mieke Thorne of Amnesty International Quinte addresses the crowd at an International Women’s Day event in Belleville Wednesday. (Photo: Quinte News)
While Canada is a leader in gender equality and women’s rights Cat Fisher-Andrews of Quinte Immigration Services says many immigrant women have trouble adapting at first because they continue practising traditional women’s roles from their home country and end up remaining at home for a time.
However Fisher-Andrews says most immigrant women eventually join mainstream Canadian life.
“They generally feel very happy and I think women actually adapt very well to life in Canada.”
Quinte Immigration Service’s clientele is 50 percent female while that gender makes up 65 percent of its educational programs.
Cat Fisher-Andrews, Coordinator Quinte Immigration Partnership. (Photo: Quinte News)
There were several guest speakers, all immigrants and all women.
One was Rama Doucouret from Mali, Africa who stressed that “every woman matters,” adding that women
play a major role in society and that she felt “blessed to be a woman.”
When she moved to Canada from Mali she became inspired by women she met who fought for
women’s rights and ended up as a student at Loyola School for Adult and Continuing Education.
“Loyola has been a great place, a perfect place to meet people and share experiences. The teachers
aren’t just teachers, they’re friends. They listen to us, give us advice and nourish our thoughts. All of Canada is like Loyola. God bless Canada. When I think of Canada as compared to Mali I think I’m in heaven on earth.”
Rama Doucouret from Mali, Africa. (Photo: Quinte News)
Another young woman, Jing Huan Wang from China, moved here from China in 2019. “I didn’t want to move at first because I had to give up my job and I thought learning English would be very hard. I want to be an independent woman and that would never happen if I couldn’t speak the language but eventually my husband convinced me
it was the right thing to do.”
Wang too said the teachers at Loyola were amazing and after two years of English language study she won an award at the school.
“In Canada women can achieve, there are no limits. We don’t have to settle for traditional women’s roles and work. We can be doctors, teachers, anything we want to be. We (girls and women) should never give up and stay strong.”
Jing Huan Wang from China. (Photo: Quinte News)
The event was organized by Amnesty International Quinte, GRANquinte, Quinte Immigration Services, Quinte Grannies for Africa, Loyola School of Adult and Continuing Education, and Belleville’s Equity, Diversion, and Inclusion Committee.
In her introductory remarks Mieke Thorne credited that committee’s chair, councillor and Quinte Broadcasting’s Program Director Sean Kelly for spearheading the event saying, “Without Sean’s work and inspiration we wouldn’t be here today.”
(Photo: Quinte News)
