Women officers of the Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace & Ecclesiastical Affairs marked the occasion of the 2023 international Women’s Day on Wednesday March 8, 2023 held in the MTGPEA Conference room. The said Women Public Officers commemorate the day with a session of self-reflection as Women being core figures in their respective families and communities, and as working class in the government of Solomon Islands.
The half day- session was convened with a reflection statement from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Peter Mae. In his reflection statement, the Permanent Secretary reiterated the histrionic landscape of the dynamic role of Women in Europe, notable Women such as Clara Zetkin a German Woman Leader in the Social Democratic Party, activist and advocate, including those others, who proposed the idea of an International Women’s Day, in admonishing the swift changes that has taken placed in recognizing their social and economic plight in the early 20th century. Hence, making it the first international Women’s Day.
The likes of Florence Nightingale, a Woman whom from her viewpoint of being a Passionist in nursing wounds and saving lives during the advent of the WW1 had led to the development of the Nursing profession. These women saw and experienced the societal sufferings and weaved their passion into those situations to becoming professionals. The Permanent Secretary, in addition gave a node to Solomon Islands Women, including our own mothers, who in their own right, knowledge and capacities, since their times, have provided our pathways, to what we now as part of the working class in the country.
The Permanent Secretary equally challenged the said Women officers that the Women generation that moved Solomon Islands in its first 40 years as a nation has passed. Paying tribute to his own mother, whom just because of her passion and sacrifice on education, despite just being an ordinary village Women made him an individual to be part of this educated generation of Solomon Islanders.
The Permanent Secretary further added that our parents have no digitall space during their time; they worked in that relative space during their time, to nature us in this state of our being today. Few of Solomon Islands Women leaders, at the National level, have engaged in political eloquence since Independence. Women officers were challenged, in knowing that those first 40 years of our nationhood is now gone. And they will find themselves that this phase of second generation, comes with dynamic shifts and with contested views both internally and externally, on the significance of Women. In this, the Permanent Secretary had encouraged Women officers of the Ministry to be eloquent as members of society and the ministry they serve.
The theme of the 2023 International Women day is DIGITALL. While the event is annually celebrated globally and regionally, Women officials were simultaneously echoed the need to action and further unpack the key messages of the annual International Women’s Day to realities of the nation at the national and local level. Not all women and girls will be Digitall, because of the different levels of capacities, but there is always a space for them somewhere in this digital age. He added, ‘It started in Europe out of Passion. Locally, there is strength in where you sit as working women. You make society matter’. Women officers were encouraged to value and progress on in education and capacity building to maximize who they are through building a passion. To think big and turn their passion into professions that will have an economic influence in the families, communities and even turn the larger Solomon Islands.
The Women officers also had a session where they share their personal reflections on their challenges and achievements as workers, girls and mothers. Bearing the burdens to fulfill their family, communities and employment responsibilities is a shared story for Solomon Islands women- stories of their Challenges, resiliencies, the turns they reach in life, their decisions, achievements and the future.
The Permanent Secretary thanked the Women officers for the important respective roles they played in the various divisions of the Ministry. This reflective session was eventually concluded with the cutting of cake celebrating the International Women Day 2023.
