The February issue of MAGNET listed the Special Days proposed by the UN to promote common action. Here we give more information on the Special Days of this month. May we grow in awareness of key issues affecting all of us, and take appropriate action in time.
WOMEN’S DAY (March 8)
Women’s Day has been observed across the world for over a hundred years. The original aim of the International Women’s Day was to achieve gender equality for women. Sadly, this is still a faraway dream. According to World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, the global gender gap will take another 217 years to close!
Women remain disadvantaged in almost every area of life. Discrimination against the girl child begins from the birth itself. Boys are preferred to girls; hence, female infanticide is a common practice in India.
In developing countries like India, women do most of the “unpaid” work—child care, cooking, cleaning and farming. Most girls are burdened with household work from childhood, often at the cost of education.
Swami Vivekananda said, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved; it is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing.” To become a developed country, India needs to transform its colossal women force into an effective human resource.
Violence against women
The inequality is most horribly expressed in the form of violence against women. Surprisingly, domestic violence is one of its most prevailing forms.
Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012.
Dowry violence and dowry deaths are another horrible form of domestic violence in India. In 2011, the Crime Records Bureau reported 8,618 dowry deaths, while unofficial reports suggest the numbers may be three times higher.
The theme for Women’s Day 2018 is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.” It is an occasion to empower women in all settings, and to celebrate the activists working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realize their full potential. Education of girls is the key to empowerment of women. As Malala Yousafzai said in her UN speech, “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.”
WORLD WATER DAY (March 22)
Water forms two-thirds of our body; it is essential for every organ, cell and tissue. Water circulates through the land, transporting, dissolving, replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material. Water is essential for sustaining every form of life. Yet, the shocking fact is that the quantity and quality of available water is depleting day by day! Humanity is already in the throes of a water crisis.
Consider the following facts:
- Oceans account for 97% of all water found on earth.
- Only 3% of all water on earth is freshwater (i.e., suitable for human use). But most of it is locked away in the form of ice caps and glaciers in the polar regions–and therefore not accessible.
- Only about 1% of all water found on the planet is accessible for human use.
- It takes three litres of water to produce one litre of bottled water!
- Most canals, rivers, lakes and surface water in India are polluted.
- As much as 50% of freshwater is wasted in India as a result of leakages and inefficient water management systems! About 65 percent of rain water in India ends up in the sea.
- About 1.5 million children die each year because of water-related diseases.
- Yet the “human right to water” accepted by the UN and member countries entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. It also obliges governments to provide water to people.
- Simple things like turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, fixing leaks, using low discharge toilets and faucets, etc., can make a huge difference.
The theme for World Water Day 2018 is “Nature for Water: exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges in the 21st century.”
Solution: Let’s stop water wastage. Let’s stop water pollution. Save water, save life!
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