The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

"We cannot let our determination to keep “pushing forward” for gender equality waver. Our goal of a world where violence against women and girls is not just condemned but stopped is possible. By pushing forward together we can attain it.”- Sima Bahous- UN Under-Secretary-General. Undoubtedly, violence against women and girls is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world. The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” Importantly, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is being observed from November 25 to 10 December. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women...

“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.”- Pele. The day has finally arrived after four years of patiently waiting amid multiple controversies regarding the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar. Television sets all across the globe will be tuned in to the World Cup for the next four weeks or so. Many families will be inundated by football streaming across their flat screen televisions. Grown men will miss church just to watch a game of football. Some die-hearted football fans have applied for their vacation leave just to facilitate watching the World Cup undisturbed. Sport clubs will definitely experience an increase in business as testosterone driven men bond over football. Undoubtedly, new relationships will be formed over the common interest of football; and perhaps old relationships might be disrupted or discontinued. Many husbands will become estranged from their families during the duration of the World Cup. Those in the category of ‘side chicks’ or ...

“All of us have to recognize that being a man is first and foremost being a good human. That means being responsible, being reliable working hard, being kind, respectful, compassionate.”- Barack Obama. The specific issues which are associated with men are oftentimes regulated to the back burner in most societies. Disturbingly, even in societies with a designated government ministry of gender affairs men’s issues are not given the same level of priority or the space necessary to have a meaningful and frank discussion regarding how best to address the unique needs of men and boys. Perhaps the disregard concerning men’s issues is done consciously in an effort to counter the prevailing view that patriarchy is pervasive and that all men benefit from the structures of patriarchy. Nothing could be far from the truth given that multiple masculinities exist and marginalized men and those men who are underserved do not benefit from patriarchy. Each year the same question is asked why is there ...

"Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human." – UNESCO. Today’s world is characterized by high levels of intolerance and discrimination. We oftentimes complain about the intolerance of others; however, how many of us are tolerant of the wide ranging views within the society and space which we must navigate on a daily basis? The United Nations (UN) states that tolerance is much more than passively accepting the other. It brings obligations to act, and must be taught, nurtured and defended. Tolerance requires investment by States in people, and in the fulfillment of their full potential through education, inclusion and opportunities. This means building societies founded on respect for human rights, where fear, distrust and marginalization are supplanted by pluralism, participation and respect for differences. According to the UN, people are more connected but this does ...

The statistics regarding diabetes are both alarming and troubling. The International Diabetes Federation IDF states that approximately 537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes. The total number of people living with diabetes is projected to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. It is marked annually on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. Like all United Nations days there is a particular message surrounding the day. World Diabetes Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue and what needs to be done, col...

A child dies of pneumonia every 45 seconds. Pneumonia is the world’s biggest infectious killer of adults and children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake. The WHO adds, pneumonia is the single largest infectious cause of death in children worldwide. Pneumonia killed 740 180 children under the age of 5 in 2019, accounting for 14% of all deaths of children under 5 years old but 22% of all deaths in children aged 1 to 5 years. Pneumonia affects children and families everywhere, but deaths are highest in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Children can be protected from pneumonia, it can be prevented with simple interventions, and it can be treated with low-cost, low-...

“Science that is more open, better funded and more equitable is the science the world needs.”- Audrey Azoulay- UNESCO Director General. Since the proclamation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001, World Science Day for Peace and Development has generated many concrete projects, programmes and funding for science around the world. The significant day has also helped foster cooperation between scientists living in regions marred by conflict, one example being the UNESCO-supported creation of the Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization (IPSO). The United Nations states the rationale of celebrating a World Science Day for Peace and Development has its roots in the importance of the role of science and scientists for sustainable societies and in the need to inform and involve citizens in science. In this sense, a World Science Day for Peace and Development offers an opportunity to show the general public the relevance of science in thei...

The Woman King is a movie about the powerful Agojie female warriors tasked with the protection of the kingdom of the Dahomey. The movie lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes and was filmed on location in South Africa. Those who are students of history will have their intellectual appetite whetted to do further research on the Kingdom of Dahomey which is now Benin in West Africa. The storyline follows an African Kingdom that possess the only female army in Africa in 1823. Academy Award winner Viola Davis plays the leader of the female army. She is however haunted by her past but somehow manages to inspire her army. She is loyal to the cause and has earned the respect of her king who allows her a seat on his council of advisors. Bravely, as the king’s general, Nanisca strongly urges him to avoid the slave trade and find alternative methods of riches such as palm oil. In the movie the kingdom of Dahomey was a tributary of the Oyo Empire and had to present that kingdom with tributes of variou...

“In the face of devastation, early warning and early action remain the most effective way of protecting people from tsunamis.”- Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Many of us have never experienced a tsunami and perhaps will never. Disturbingly, over 700 million people live in low-lying coastal areas and Small Island Developing States are exposed to extreme sea-level events including tsunamis. The United Nations (UN) states that tsunamis are rare events but can be extremely deadly. In the past 100 years, 58 of them have claimed more than 260,000 lives, or an average of 4,600 per disaster, surpassing any other natural hazard. The UN adds, the highest number of deaths in that period was in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 which caused an estimated 227,000 fatalities in 14 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand hardest-hit. Tsunami...

“We have got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage.”- Barack Obama. Were you bullied at school or were you a bully? It is rather ironic that our schools which should be safe zones are perhaps where the most incidents of bullying occur. Research indicates that in most cases of bullying the victim does not report the matter. In not calling out the bully we continue to empower those bullies while at the same time lessen our self-esteem and self-confidence. School violence and bullying including cyber bullying is widespread and affects a significant number of children and adolescents. Each year on November 3, The International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyber bullying is commemorated. This year’s theme, “Not on my watch: the role of teachers in preventing and addressing school violence”. The day brings to focus that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children and adolescents’ rights to education and to h...

“A surge in disinformation, online bullying and hate speech, particularly against women journalists, is contributing to the stifling of media workers around the world. Intimidation through the abuse of legal, financial and other means is undermining efforts to hold the powerful accountable.” – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists . The resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013. This landmark resolution condemns all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers. It also urges Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability, bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and me...