By Sue-Ann Wayow
STEREOTYPES must be challenged, biasness fought, perceptions broadened and interventions made to improve relationships as the world focuses on women for the month of March.
Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago The Right Reverend Joy Abdul-Mohan in her International Women’s Day message, said it pained her to note that even with such an important date being recognised, there was the continuous brutal violence against women and girls by those who were expected to love and protect them.
“It grieves me even more to hear persons, especially if women are among them who say that these girls and women, ‘look for what they get or deserve to be violated’.” she said.
Abdul-Mohan said, “Therefore, the situation demands that we challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden our perceptions, and make interventions to improve relationships. In a world marked by injustice, violence, a lack of trust, inequality and human degradation, women are urged to shake up traditional pieties and preconceptions in the quest for a better life.”
She said that as a catalyst for change, women can initiate new ways that can cut through outmoded practices and introduce new methods of leadership.
Women were called to lead with visions of a society of peace, unity, equality and justice, in a world dominated by competing visions and horrific circumstances that can impede their progress, Abdul-Mohan said.
Using her own church as an example, she said the women have changed the face and history of the church standing their grounds in a male-dominated church with dignity and grace.
Abdul-Mohan said, “As we embrace equity, we envisage a world that is ‘diverse and equitable’. A world where men support women’s development and accept women as equal partners in God’s Kingdom where difference is ‘valued and celebrated’.”
