The Gender Affairs Unit training workshops on 18th and 19th October engaged Civil Society Organisation members, Gender Focal Points and members of the Chamber of Commerce in the important areas of networking and advocacy. Under the facilitation of UNWomen Consultant, Kemberley Gittens, participants learned how to effectively interact with policy leaders in order to advocate for needed legislative changes.
Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Palmavon Webster, attended the entire day’s session and was actively engaged in group discussions. She shared valuable personal insights on legislative reform and offered advice on how community members can garner the attention of their elected representatives in order to champion a particular policy interest.
In addition to exploring the power of networking and advocacy, the workshop achieved the following objectives:
1) Exploring intersectionalities and how race, sex, ethnicity and socio-economic status, among other factors, affect our life experiences and world view.
2) Understanding the reporting mechanisms available to civil society members and concerned Anguillians, regarding the recently extended Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
3) Learning about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the particular standalone goal of Gender Equality which is integrated into every aspect of sustainable development.
UNWomen facilitator, Ms. Gittens, highlighted Anguilla’s 2015 Country Gender Assessment, funded by the Caribbean Development Bank, as a document providing a comprehensive snapshot of what areas of interest Anguilla should focus on in building its Gender Affairs capacity.
One highlighted situation is the abundance of women on the island working two jobs compared to men. Ms. Gittens noted that the perception of women therefore faring better economically, compared with men, may just be a myth. If a woman lost even one job, she could fall into the lower quintiles quickly and have difficulty providing basic needs for herself or family. This situation is inextricably linked to the UN SDGs and issues of economic growth, unemployment, sustainable communities and poverty; providing a great example of why community advocacy is important for Anguilla.
In terms of CEDAW reporting, Ms. Gittens stressed that Anguilla will be required to take a serious look at what achievements are being made in ensuring women’s equal access to opportunities in 13 areas: Migrant Women, Criminal Legal Matters, Family Life, Education, Employment, Civil Legal Matters, Rural Women, Nationality Rights, Health Care, Political and Public Life, Trafficking & Exploitation, Governance and the Elimination of Discrimination.
At the close of the workshops, participants noted that the sessions were extremely helpful in informing not only their work lives but in strengthening their networks for community development projects and in considering their personal and professional interactions with family and friends.
Some participants’ quotes include:
“Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in this session. I learned quite a bit and I am excited about some potential initiatives and ideas in regards to Gender Affairs and Education. I will take a look at Anguilla’s current country gender assessment and get back to you with any comments on the CEDAW report.” – Community Member
“I really enjoyed that empowering workshop facilitated by Ms. Gittens. I found her to be very knowledgeable and a great presenter. I already had my early morning discussion with some members of staff regarding what I learnt and how I was impacted. I focused my thoughts on the area of Equality and Equity in relation to opportunities within the Public Service and used my own experience to demonstrate the kind of barriers that I had to overcome.” – Gender Focal Point
“These training sessions were highly inspiring and the toolkit and materials provided will be put to good use! Thank you again.” – Community Member
