KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has called for more training of women and girls, to enable them to achieve the highest possible standard of life.

Grange was speaking at a church service to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) yesterday at the Boulevard Baptist Church in Kingston.

The day is celebrated annually across the world on March 8. This year’s theme is ‘Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change’.

Grange said that women and girls are “the greatest untapped population and are poised to become the next generation of professionals”.

“We have a responsibility to provide women and girls with skills to become game-changers in specialised areas that open new opportunities for success and these include what is now called artificial intelligence, conversational technologies, critical transformation and social entrepreneurship,” she said.

“This will allow the vibrant and promising young persons to become innovators without any barriers to their participation and ensure that no woman and no girl is left behind,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, she said that in November 2007, the Government commenced the implementation of the National Strategic Action Plan to eliminate gender-based violence in Jamaica.

As part of the Action Plan, Grange said that her ministry is leading an all-island social media campaign in key strategic priority areas to increase the protection of women and girls, “while engaging men and boys as key partners in the ongoing programme to provide empowerment”.

“Men are known as the main perpetrators of violence against women, and so we have to include them… we have to bring them in as partners to work with women to eliminate violence,” she said.

Additionally, she said the Government has partnered with faith-based organisations, such as the Boulevard Baptist Church, to ensure that the spiritual, social, psychosocial and other basic needs of women are addressed.

— JIS