Accelerate action for women, girls

DR MARGARET NAKHID-CHATOOR

INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8. The theme for 2025 is Accelerate Action – to move beyond ineffective strategies for women and increase efforts to promote gender equality.

Ineffective policies concerning women and girls in TT often stem from outdated frameworks, lack of enforcement, or a failure to address the underlying social and cultural issues.

The Carnival festival is now finished, and over the last few days there was an enduring spirit of community and resilience. The millions that were poured into Carnival 2025 demonstrate that, as a nation, there is the capacity to mobilise significant resources when the cause is deemed important.

This raises the question: Why aren't women and girls – who form the backbone of our society – valued with the same urgency?

Imagine if the same energy and resources that are poured into Carnival each year were directed toward ensuring safe spaces for women, educational programmes for girls, and career development opportunities?

While Carnival is a celebration of freedom and expression, many women and girls still fight for the basic freedoms to live without fear, to access healthcare systems, to pursue education in the face of poverty, and to earn an equal wage.

Accelerating investments in these areas would not only transform individual lives, but also strengthen the very fabric of our society.

Accelerating action for women and girls in TT, therefore, requires a comprehensive approach that would address systemic barriers and promote effective practices. In this context it also means:

● Harnessing the power and privilege of women in leadership to drive immediate and tangible change.

● Using influence to champion stronger laws against gender-based violence.

● Pushing for policies that close the wage gap.

● Creating opportunities for women to access education, healthcare, and safe spaces.

Accelerating action also challenges deep-seated attitudes that hinder progress. It calls for open conversations in communities, schools, and workplaces about respect, consent, and equality. It means ensuring that society does not exclude those most vulnerable and that we all understand and acknowledge the fact that when women thrive, their families, neighbourhoods, and, by extension, our entire country flourish.

On this International Women’s Day the world over, we celebrate the strides made toward gender equality, but here in TT many women and girls still struggle against waves of neglect and systemic marginalisation.

This is not only a government’s call to action, however. In a nation where many women hold esteemed positions in business, government, and academia, the silence on critical issues like gender-based violence and reproductive rights is deafening.

Sisterhood must extend beyond titles and influence to action and advocacy. Too often we see women in positions of power, whose influence could drive significant change, remain disconnected from the struggles of those they represent.

Sisterhood is not about shared success alone; it is about shared accountability. It means recognising that the achievements of a few are not enough when many are still left behind. It is about using privilege, platforms, and influence to dismantle systems that marginalise women and girls, and create pathways for equity.

This call to action reminds women in leadership positions of their extraordinary potential to bridge the gap between power and purpose. Advocacy requires stepping beyond comfort zones, challenging societal norms, and, most importantly, standing alongside our "sisters" not only in moments of celebration, but also in times of their struggle.

As advocates for change, it often feels like we are batting against the wind, but history has taught us that sustained pressure, even against formidable forces, can create change. Let this International Women’s Day remind us of a crucial proverbial meme – that silence is complicity, and collective action is our power.

Let us also remember that just as Carnival is a collective effort involving artists, musicians, craftsmen, and organisers, so too should be the effort to uplift women and girls. This is not the responsibility of women alone; it requires the involvement of men, businesses, policymakers, and communities at large.

Accelerated action demands showing up in those spaces and communities most affected by inequality and violence, listening to marginalised voices, and using our influence to amplify them. It means acknowledging that true progress for women cannot happen in isolation, and that systemic change needs advocacy at every level – from boardrooms to neighbourhoods.

Ultimately, the essence of accelerated action is a commitment to do more, do better, and do it now. It is reflected in the courage to advocate for policy reforms, to speak out against injustices, and to support grassroots movements.

It means listening carefully to the voices of women whose stories are often ignored – the single mothers, the survivors of violence, the women in low-paying jobs – ensuring that their needs are prioritised in our collective fight for progress.

The many challenges that women face are immediate and dire, and the pace of change must rise to meet their urgency.

Let this International Women’s Day be a rallying cry which, when infused with purpose and accelerated by action, can transform not only lives, but the entire trajectory of our nation. Take care.

Dr Margaret Nakhid-Chatoor is a psychologist and educator