Happy International Women's Day! - March 8th

 
Happy International Women's Day! Today (March 8th), is a day of celebration for the achievements that women make in our societies and a day of reflection on the inequalities that still exist and areas in which progress is still to be made.


Yesterday, one of the Bickley Bloggers attended the UN Women International Women's Day breakfast, held in Perth, Western Australia.  Here are her reflections:

UN International Women’s Day breakfast in Perth, Western Australia is one of a number of events being held to celebrate International Women’s Day. Around a thousand women (and some men) attended the event the proceeds of which will help women victims of domestic violence in Papua New Guinea. We were reminded that one in three women worldwide experiences violence in their lifetimes. If those figures are horrifying enough we were then told that for women in Papua New Guinea the situation is so very much worse. Over two-thirds of women there report having been beaten by their husbands and that figure rises to nearly 100% for women living in the highlands. Two-thirds of women aged between 15-24 are forced to provide sex in order to survive. 

The keynote address was given by Rosie Johnson who is a Senior Magistrate in the Papua New Guinea Magisterial Services. Much of her work has focused on ensuring women and other vulnerable members of the community receive appropriate legal advice and support.

She spoke passionately about the need to end violence against women in Papua New Guinea. She highlighted the lack of resources that are available to women who are victims of violence. There is very little if any legal protection and almost no social support such as qualified social workers or counsellors. Rosie spoke of the need for technical support to help draft legislation and to provide the counselling and welfare that is needed as well as the need for money to help break the cycle of violence. She then recounted some of her own life story and the challenges she had faced and continues to face with respect to her own safety – it was a sobering reminder on the eve on International Women’s Day, 2013 of how much work still needs to be done to make the world a safer place for women.

What did you do to mark International Women's Day? We would love to hear about your experiences, updates on events that you attended, or initiatives that your company is leading.  Get in touch via facebook, twitter or email! 

On the Horizon...

International Women's Day 2012 - Perth Events


Empower Women, Empower a Nation
International Women's Day Breakfast presented by UN Women

Friday 9th March 2012
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
7:00 am - 9:00 am (seating from 6:45am)

The guest speaker for this event is Sally Sara - ABC Afghanistan Correspondent. Sally is an award winning journalist and foreign correspondent with the ABC. She has reported from more than 30 countries including Iraq, Lebanon and Sierra Leone.  Sally has spent the last year covering the news from the frontline of the war in Afghanistan. During her career, she has broken the glass ceiling, as the first female correspondent appointment to the ABC's Africa, South Asia and Kabul bureaus. Sally has written for The New York Times and The Boston Globe and is the author of the best selling biography "gogo mama".

For further details and to book your tickets on line at http://www.unifem.org.au/iwd/Events/wa

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia Women in Resources Awards


Thursday 8th March 2012
Level 7, 12 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA
7:00 am - 9:00 am

The Women in Resources Awards will be presented over breakfast on International Women's Day. The awards recognise individuals and organisations working to build a world-class industry which provides attractive career opportunities and enhances the recognition and participation of women in the sector.

The keynote address will be given by Ms Nicole Hollows, former Chief Executive of Macarthur Coal Limited. She will share her stories of success, proving that women can and should occupy senior positions within the industry and make valuable contributions to their companies, sector and the community as a whole.

For further details and to register your attendance, please visit the CME website. Registrations close 1st March 2012.


Worldly Women
Hosted by EveryWoman Business Events

Thursday 8th March 2012
Grand Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Perth, 99 Adelaide Terrace, Perth WA
11:30am (for 12 noon) - 1:30pm for adult attendees
10:45am - 2:15pm for student attendees for a FREE career expo and networking opportunities

Be inspired by dynamic twenty-one year old social entrepreneur and 2010 and 2011 Finalist for Young Western Australian Citizen of the Year, Holly Ransom; Interventional Cardiologist at Sit Charles Gardener Hospital, Director of the National Heart Foundation WA Branch and founding member of the Go Red for Women campaign, Dr Michelle Ammerer; Rio Tinot's Health and Safety Manager of International Development and Expansion Projects, Monique Swanson; and Commissioner for Equal Opportunity and a former Minister in the WA Government for five years, Yvonne Henderson.

Presented by Rio Tinto and proudly supported by major partner The University of Western Australia, World Women ticket bookings are open.  Complete the registration form via the EWBE website  or call Hannah on (08) 9476 9428.  For further details, please visit the EWBE website

UN Women and International Women's Day

1^st January 2011 saw the official launch of UN Women.  UN Women is a new entity merging and building upon the work done by four previously separate parts of the UN system that focused on gender equity and women’s empowerment.

The latest news from the Australian Committee for UN Women explains that the entity will officially work on two fronts:

1.     It will support international political negotiations to formulate agreed standards for gender equality.

2.     It will provide support to UN Member States to implement those standards through technical expertise and financial support.

The Australian National Committee for UN Women will be launched on the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8th 2011) by the Governor General, in Canberra.  The Australian group will work to engage the support of the Australian Government in gender and development issues, raise awareness of the need to achieve gender equality in the Australian Community and raise funds for UN Women projects across the world.

At a local level, the UN Women WA Chapter is chaired by Anne Banks-McCallister. Anne, the Shire of Peppermint Grove Chief Exectuive, is well known to the Bickley Blog and was a speaker at the Maureen Bickley Centre Women’s Leadership Forum “Personal Reflections on Leadership Journeys”.  Anne and her volunteer team focus on projects in Australia, Asia and the South Pacific and will play a leading role in the upcoming International Women’s Day Centenary celebrations. Last year's breakfast was a sell out - stay tuned for details!