International Women’s Day (“IWD”) is celebrated globally on March 8 each year. The organizers have described it as a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “#Choose To Challenge” [UN theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world.”] A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. The promoters of IWD maintain that we can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. Accordingly, we can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements and collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world – from challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge (“source: www.internationalwomensday.com”)
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean (“ICAEC”) celebrates and congratulates all women globally. In particular we applaud all women in our society and the wider Caribbean who “choose to challenge”. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to highlight and share our commitment to championing the role of women locally and internationally. We therefore wish not only to applaud and support the advancement of women within the accounting profession but also those women from all walks of life who choose to effect change.
We celebrate the fact that many women currently hold leading positions in organizations across Dominica, including but not limited to, the BAR Association, the Hotel and Tourism Sector, the Dominica Association of Persons with Disabilities, the Dominica Council on Ageing, the Financial Sector, the Utility Companies and our very own local Institute of Chartered Accountants. We also wish to recognize the work of women that serve in the Public Sector and women in agriculture and fishing, the many female market vendors as well as the women charged with the most difficult tasks of keeping their homes running. While we support the achievements of women, let us not forget the men who provide support and encouragement in helping them achieve success.
We have come a long way over the years but there is still much to be done. While the accounting profession in Dominica and the Eastern Caribbean is well represented by women, we need to see more visibility of women where the decisions are made – that is at the Board level of companies. Until women have a place at the table, participating in the Board agenda, policies and practices that affect women will not receive the required attention.
At the ICAEC, we will continue to play a role in raising awareness about women’s equality and to support the financial education of women. On IWD we ask that women raise their hand high to show that they “choose to challenge”.
On IWD we also take this opportunity to specifically recognize and thank Mrs. Marvlyn Estrado who currently serves on the Dominica branch of the ICAEC.
We also thank Verna Samuel and Bernice Matthew who voluntarily devote their time and effort in fulfilling the mandate of the ICAEC:
I applaud Loretta Julien who ‘chose to challenge’ the authorities for the brutalization of Buju in front of the police station while protesting the unlawful arrest of the two media personnel.
Her fearlessness and concern is commendable.