Community members from Quinte will celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 under the hashtag #Embrace Equity campaign.
The event will be held on Wednesday, March 8 at 11:30 a.m. at Loyola School of Adult and Continuing Education, 250 Sidney Street, Belleville.
Mieke Thorne of Amnesty International Quinte, and organizer, said that four speakers will be at the event to share their experiences and stories.
“International Women’s Day is a very valuable and important event. We want to highlight the issues that women face around the world. In some countries, women are still not allowed to go to school and do not have any freedom. There are also many issues here at home that should be adressed, like physical, verbal and online abuse targeting women,” she explained.
International Women’s Day on March 8 is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
Belleville councillor Sean Kelly, chair of the city’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, encouraged the public to attend this year’s in-person event as it will be “a learning luncheon with an educational component, which will be beneficial to all.”
Only 63% of women had access to the internet in 2022 compared to 69% of men, according to the International Telecommunication Union – a subsidiary of the UN. By 2050, 75% of jobs will be related to STEM areas. A report by World Economic Forum revealed that women hold just 22% of positions in artificial intelligence, while a study of 51 countries further revealed 38% of women had personally experienced online violence (2022 Gender Snapshot Report).
This year’s event is promoted in partnership with the city of Belleville, EDI Committee, Amnesty International Quinte, GRANquinte, Quinte Grannies for Africa, Quinte Local Immigration Partnership and Loyola School of Adult and Continuing Education.
All members of the public are welcome. Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.
