International Women’s Day: Statement By Bridge Connect Africa Initiative

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Statement by Bridge Connect Africa Initiative Executive Director, Sani Muhammad on the Occasion of the International Women’s Day, 8th March, 2020.
“WE MUST PUSH THE PUSH BACK AND LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND TO ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY”
On March 5th, few days leading up to the celebration of the International Women’s Day 2020, the world received shocking revelations of how much bias against gender equality the world still had to deal with. In the first Gender Social Norm Index report published by the United Nations Development Programme, it found that almost ninety percent of people, including women, interviewed across seventy –five countries have at least a one clear bias against gender equality in areas such as politics, economics, education, intimate partner violence and women’s reproductive rights”. In the words of the United Nations Secretary General, Antόnio Guterres “…We must push back against the pushback. We cannot give way; we refuse to lose the ground we have won”. This is happening despite progress that have been achieved. As we mark this year’s celebration of women across the globe, we must create a society where women and girls’ voices are heard, their rights served with justice and freedom prioritized in all sectors – sexual and reproductive health and rights, politics, education, economics, and institutionalize systems that protects everyone against sexual and gender-based violence.
In pushing the pushback, we must ensure that young people are meaningfully engaged in the discourse, not just as beneficiaries, but as stakeholders who will keep the promise of today and the future for gender equality. We must encourage positive masculinity, and engage young boys and men in this fight. We must ensure that men everywhere across the globe understand that women and girls everywhere, have a right to freedom of their bodies; to make their own choices about whether, when, and how many children to have.
Young people are already changing the world today, and more than ever, working effortlessly in creating the reality of tomorrow in this decade of action to achieve the sustainable development goals. They are speaking up, engaging their policymakers and communities, challenging negative gender norms, creatively partnering and collaborating with each other to drive positive changes in their families and communities. Bridge Connect Africa Initiative is aware of this and continues to push for meaningful youth engagements beyond gender identities to promote an equal future for everybody – a generation of equality. We stand right by her, we stand for women and girls to get equal, we stand for a generation that does not leave over half of its population behind. We stand for #GenerationEquality We are a generation who will speak up and act for ourselves. We will keep the promise and stand right by her #GenerationEquality #TimeToActSRHR
Sani Muhammad
Executive Director
sanim@bridgeconnectafrica.org

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