MEN BEHAVE

He saw the need for such action after referencing an International Women’s Day message from the United Nations Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who said, “we want to construct a different world of work for women…we have to start change at home and in the earliest days of school so there are no places in a child’s environment where they learn that girls must be less, have less and dream smaller than boys.” She added, “This will take adjustments in parenting, curricula, educational settings and channels for everyday stereotypes such as TV, advertising and entertainment… it will take determined steps to protect young girls from harmful cultural practices like early marriage and from all forms of violence.” Rowley, in his own message on the occasion said those are some of the issues currently engaging the attention of his Government,

In addressing some of those very issues, especially domestic violence, during his inaugural conversation with the Prime Minister series at Maloney, Rowley told women in part at the meeting, “You called on the Prime Minister to do something about crime. I am not in your bedroom, I am not in your choice of men.” He added then: “You have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and know when to get out and the State will try to help. But in his Rowley in his International Women’s Day message yesterday Rowley placed some emphasis on the need reshaping the behaviour of men and boys in Trinidad and Tobago,

“Where we as a people need to make a stronger effort is in the protection of our children and women from the incidence of domestic violence,” he said. “We cannot continue to pat ourselves on the back for the local and international accomplishments of our girls and women if at the same time newspaper headlines bombard us with evidence that all is not right in many of our households,

This is as much a concern for me as it is for my Government since it points to a real need for increased efforts aimed at re-shaping the behaviour of our men and boys.” Rowley reminded that gender related matters and issues affecting the country’s children had been placed by him within the portfolio of the Office of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister added that the Gender and Child Affairs Division of his Office remains focused on facilitating gender equity and equality by developing policies that promote the equal advancement of women and men,

He referred to related actions of this Division “by offering programmes which seek to deconstruct stereotyping and more recently, by designing a community based action plan which emphasises the need to reduce Gender Based Violence, specifically violence against women and girls in communities, and to provide help for potential perpetrators and improved support for victims.” Rowley acknowledged the possibility of challenges as plans are implemented, but he added that we must believe that ultimately we will see positive changes in behaviour and attitudes,

“Moving forward,” the Prime Minister continued, “I give you the assurance that all avenues will be employed by this Government to maintain a level playing field for our girls and boys, women and men to succeed in fulfilment of their abilities and aspirations, without prejudice for disability and mindful of the fact that gender discrimination, especially in the world of work, may only serve to derail a nation from its own trajectory of economic advancement and progress.” Rowley noted that another of the 2017 International Women’s Day themes is to “Be Bold For Change” and to strive for a better working, more gender inclusive world,

“As your Prime Minister,” he said, “I want to encourage the girls and women of Trinidad and Tobago to take full advantage of all the opportunities that are open to you – education, internships, decent work, advocacy, political participation - never give up on your dreams.” The Prime Minister added, “As men and women, girls and boys; working together in an environment of mutual respect and understanding, we will build a better and stronger Nation.”