guyanatimesgy.com
nspiring
saturday, march 8, 2014
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International Women’s Day 2014 Message
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ongratulations to everyone belonging to the female class of the human species. Today belongs to you. Make good use of it and protect yourself from violence. Ever since the observance of the first International Women’s Day (IWD) over a century ago, the world has seen many changes which continue to define and redefine our roles and contributions as men and women operating in a global environment. Many things have also changed since the first observance of IWD and great improvements have been made to better the lives of women. The world has witnessed women travelling to space, women leaders of nations, women accessing higher education, and women penetrating maledominated professions. In retrospect, it would seem that women have been provided with real choices and equality has been achieved at least in part. Hence, the tone and nature of IWD globally has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives. However, we in the Caribbean and, more particularly, Guyana cannot be sure that the tone of our observations of IWD can enjoy that shift just yet. As long as there are impediments to economic efficiency, social justice and individual security and liberty, there will always be reason for highlighting the negatives in society. Until basic female rights to a violence-free life are not violated, then Guyana will be able to rejoice in the euphoria of positive
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orn on March 2, 1939, the Honourable Madame Justice Desiree Patricia Bernard is perhaps Guyana’s most iconic female figure. Her many achievements have made her a woman of many firsts! Justice Bernard took the first step into an exemplary career after she graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of London. She qualified as a solicitor the following year, and in 1965, began practising in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Guyana. She would remain in private practice until 1980. Justice Bernard was appointed a Magistrate in 1970, the Commissioner of Oaths & Notary Public in 1976, and was admitted to the English Roll of Solicitors in 1977. In 1980, she was appointed the first female High Court Judge of the Supreme Court of Guyana; 12 years later in 1992, she was made the first female Justice of Appeal. She went on to become the first female Chief Justice of Guyana and the Commonwealth Caribbean in 1996, followed by her appointment in 2001 as the first female Chancellor of the Judiciary in Guyana and the Commonwealth Caribbean. Then came the biggest highlight of her career, her appointment as not only a Judge but the first and only female Judge
achievements. In the meantime, however, we need to examine closely what is there within our nation that is demanding that we ignore the domestic crimes against women. It is something that cripples us from developing concentrated solutions to this problem. Even sometimes in cases where those crimes are being addressed, it is usually on a superficial level. National responses basically take the form of the ‘we’ and ‘them’ approach, as was discussed in my report. Or better still, it is usually in response to some international requirement to prove to the rest of the world that something is being done about the problem. Although violence against women is perpetrated in every given society, there is a definite increase in incidents in Guyana. Therefore for us in Guyana, to observe International Women’s Day without acknowledging the presence of violence against women would be insincere. We need to commit to do something about it. I invite every one of us to think about it this way: the next victim might be your mother, sister, aunt,
to date to sit on the panel of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Justice Bernard took oath to the office of the CCJ at the Court’s inaugural ceremony on Saturday, April 16, 2005. Apart from her long and distinguished career as a jurist, Justice Bernard has also been a part of many social societies and organisations, again breaking new ground for women in the Caribbean and around the world. She was a member of various regional and international organisations. She was the founding Secretary of the Caribbean Women’s Association (CARIWA), which she served from 1970 to 1974; the first President of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA) in 1976; and a member and Chair of the Caribbean Steering Committee for Women’s Affairs, which later became the Women & Development Unit of UWI (WAND) in 1978. On the international stage, Justice Bernard served as rapporteur of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) from 1982 to 1984. The following year, she became chair of the organisation and served in that position until 1998. She also served as a member of the International Association of Women’s Judges and Vice
niece, cousin, or some female acquaintance. Otherwise, we would all be guilty of insincerity if we operate with the false notion that Guyanese women are fully protected from this disaster. This endemic violence somehow remains silently and tolerantly contained in the home, its unspoken nature making it difficult for research to measure, let alone to identify and address. Violence against women has manifested itself in many forms such as domestic violence, forced early marriage for girls, forced pregnancy, rape, sexual harassment, human trafficking, and although Guyana has not recorded cases of honour killings and sati, they are certainly other manifestations of violence against women that we need to watch closely – with the advent of free movement of people through globalisation. Certainly, these crimes have evaded our most meticulous social planning and policy. We need not be naïve and behave as if it will all go away by the wave of a magical wand.
Honourable Madame Justice Desiree Patricia Bernard
President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers. Scholar-jurist Justice Bernard has penned many scholarly papers, and participated in numerous seminars and colloquia, both at the regional and international levels. Some of her work on gender and legal issues are “The Domestic Application of International Human Rights Norms as it Affects Women”, “Judicial Activism in Promoting the Human Rights of Women”,
On the contrary, we need to see changes in the attitudes of both men and women who are determined to divorce themselves from their prejudices and stereotypical misconceptions about the societal status of women and embrace the ethics of human equality. There needs to be a clarion call for change in this area where both males and females will be bequeathed with power and privileges to contribute significantly to the progress of the Guyanese society, with no violation to individual rights. In concluding, I wish to draw attention to a quote from one of the world’s most influential leaders, Nelson Mandela who said, “As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance. As long as outmoded ways of thinking prevent women from making a meaningful contribution to society, progress will be slow. As long as a nation refuses to acknowledge the equal role of more than half of itself, it is doomed to failure.” Women participating actively will help find the best solutions for the challenges that the country is facing today from economic recovery to the food crisis, to the energy crisis to climate change. As Guyanese, the power is with us to determine the kind of society we want to build in this new millennium. Audrey Benn Former Head of the Women’s Unit of the University of Guyana
and “Confronting Gender-Based Violence in the Caribbean”. Her excellence continued in the area of volunteerism, as she attained high positions in religious, education, youth and women groups. Justice Bernard was the first female Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Guyana and the Province of the West Indies, as well as a member of the Guyana Girl Guides Association’s Board of Trustees. For her exceptional contribution to the improvement of the status of women and to the development and practice of law, Justice Bernard has received several awards, the most notable being: the Cacique Crown of Honour and the Order of Roraima, Guyana’s third and second highest national awards respectively, while in 2005, she was the recipient of the Caricom Triennial Award for Women. To remain faithful and committed to her work, Justice Bernard has remained single, but the joys of motherhood were not denied her, as she adopted a young girl, Carol Ann Bernard, who is now also an attorney-atlaw. After nearly a decade as a Judge on the CCJ panel, Justice Bernard retired from the bench on February 20. A special ceremonial sitting of the Caribbean’s highest court was held in her honour in Guyana
during which she was hailed as an icon. CCJ President Justice Dennis Byron, during the ceremonial sitting, had said “excellence and integrity” were embedded in the life’s work of Justice Bernard. “One of the tenets that have been a guide is a constant surge for excellence in all her endeavours. As a student, leader, practitioner, a judge, a judicial administrator, she has always brought her best to date. Her service to the profession and the public, not only nationally or regionally but also worldwide, has been nothing short of service par excellence,” he stated. The overwhelmed Justice Bernard responded to the outpouring of love and respect with much appreciation. She reflected on her tenure as a Judge of the CCJ, the self-proclaimed crowning glory of her judicial career, saying she never dreamt of attaining such heights. “As I leave the court, I wish to give the assurance to the region that the Caribbean Court Justice is in safe and competent hands as it continues its voyage of the ports of the Caribbean encountering passengers willing to be a part of a destination towards the illusive dream: establishing a jurisprudence peculiarly our own,” Justice Bernard stated.