In celebration of International Women’s Day, the European Union Delegation to Jamaica launched a digital campaign to “Break the Bias” via their social media pages on March 8, 2022.

The campaign aims to inspire young women to keep reaching for their goals and includes video messages from some of Jamaica’s inspirational and empowered women making strides in leadership, politics, defence, science and technology, culture, among other fields.

The campaign features Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, Minister of State, Ministry of Health & Wellness; Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman, Chief of Defence Staff, Jamaica Defence Force; Andrea Dempster Chung, Executive Director, Kingston Creative; Ayanna Samuels, Aerospace Engineer, PhD candidate and Assistant Professor, Oslo Metropolitan University; and  Sandy Shaw-Dawson, Assistant Superintendent, Jamaica Fire Brigade. 

“Fighting for women’s rights, equal opportunities and non-discrimination continues to be an upward battle across the globe. So, I’m pleased that these inspirational Jamaican women have joined our campaign as we explore ways to break the bias against women to design a gender-equal world,” said Ambassador Marianne Van Steen of the European Union Delegation to Jamaica in a press release.

She added that International Women’s Day presents an opportunity to reflect on the challenges currently faced by Ukrainian women and girls amid Russia’s invasion.

“My thoughts go out to the women who have done nothing to deserve this war. Women who were lawyers, students, housewives, scientists, teachers or nurses two weeks ago and are fighting a war right now.”

The European Union said it’s committed to promoting a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination and inspiring action for gender equality. Through the Spotlight Initiative, a joint initiative of the Government of Jamaica, the European Union and the United Nations in Jamaica, there has been significant strides in efforts to end instances of gender-based violence in Jamaica, the release stated.

Since the programme’s implementation in 2020, the initiative has had much success including the opening of two Government-run shelters for victims of abuse as well as the establishment of six domestic violence intervention centres to offer dispute resolution services, counselling and referral services for victims and perpetrators of violence. The Spotlight team also helped to shape the new Sexual Harassment Act, according to the release.

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8. The day aims to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and is a call to action to fast-track gender equality.