Int´l Women´s Day: Ending violence against women

Source: CCTV.com | 03-09-2007 09:12

Women across the world are celebrating International Women's Day in many different ways to recognize the achievements of women and provide an opportunity to unite and make meaningful changes.

The United Nations has held a global summit in New York. More than 400 delegates attended the event. The women agree that more education and more hi-tech skills are ways by which women can improve the roles they play.

In Afghanistan, until recently, women practically had no rights. Hundreds of women attended events organized by the UN across Afghanistan to celebrate international women's day.

The UN boosted funding for Afghani women with a 10 million US dollar grant to the Ministry of Women's Affairs. A UN programme officer says woman in Afghanistan are not economically empowered.

Hossai Wardak, UN national programme officer, said, "They have economic problems, they do not have the proper awareness in terms of the utilization of the health facilities, which are available back there. Economic empowerment is insufficient so that they have another problem that they are facing."

Research by the UN has revealed that violence against women remains endemic not only in Afghanistan but worldwide with one in three women reporting they have been the victim of violent abuse at some time in their life.

While women in many parts of the world marked the day with a struggle for their rights for others March the 8th is a day to look forward to.

In Russia, flower shops all over the country are fully stocked to prepare for the masses of male customers who rush out to buy a bunch of flowers for their women.

And in China, women are celebrating by focusing on health issues. The Women's association in central Hunan province distributed 200,000, free health-check cards. Doctors warn women to be more proactive about being screened against cancer. Meanwhile, in eastern Xiamen, tens of thousands of women gathered in Gulangyu to celebrate the event. And in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the northwest China, the first women's police patrol team made their debut.

Editor:Du Xiaodan