Respect wants to wish a happy International Women’s Day to all the great women worldwide. Respect recognises the positive gains made to address inequality between the sexes. Yet, we also recognise that the struggle is still not over and we wholeheartedly support women in the global effort to overcome the patriarchal virus that has infected our societies for too long.
For 2014, the theme for International Women’s Day is “Inspiring Change” and we hope that as a party we can encourage the advancement of women everywhere in every way and challenge the status quo that still attempts to ascribe what women can and cannot do. Let us remember the great women worldwide who refused to be shackled by their gender assigned roles, such as Emily Pankhurst who fought for women’s rights to vote, Malala Yousafzai, who defied threats of the Taliban to campaign for the right to education and Fatima Ahmed Ibrahim, who overcame great obstacles to become Africa’s first woman parliamentarian and tirelessly dedicated her life to the advocacy for women’s rights. These women have truly inspired changes which will be remembered for many generations to come. Respect aspires to support other inspirational leaders to continue combating the various forms of discrimination against women that are pervasive in every society around the world.