Vice President Abdulla Jihad has stated that women’s contribution in development will ensure speedy national development, noting that 45% of the country’s population was women. He made this statement while addressing at the ceremony held this morning to mark the International Women’s Day.
In his speech, the Vice President said safeguarding women’s rights and empowering women is a key priority of this administration. Though various works has been done for women’s development, Vice President noted that women’s contributions in several areas were relatively less in comparison. He highlighted that this administration has focused on addressing the numerous challenges faced in women’s development.
The Vice President said that gender equality legislation implemented in 2015 addresses the challenges faced by women, in order to ensure higher contributions by women in national development. Moreover, the Vice President said that an investment for women’s education is an investment for nation building.
In his speech, the Vice President stated that violence against women is damage to the whole society, and therefore he noted that safeguarding women’s rights and empowering women to change the situation of women is a responsibility of the whole society.
Vice President Jihad called on all employers, teachers and parents to provide the opportunity and allow all children to pursue their dreams, without discriminating them by gender.
At today’s function, Vice President Jihad conferred the annual Rehendi Award to this year’s recipients, in recognition of their outstanding services to national development and the society. The Rehendi Award was introduced by President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in 2014, in an effort to empowering women and recognizing their invaluable services to the nation.
