International Women's Day Breakfast
08 Mar 2016
On Tuesday 8 March, we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to recognising women’s achievements globally, with a focus of raising awareness of issues facing women, especially violence against women and gender inequality in society. For Wenona girls to gain a better understanding of these issues, and to formally recognise and support International Women’s day, 14 students from Years 9 to 11 attended the UN Women Sydney International Women’s Day Breakfast held at the Australian Technology Park in Everleigh, along with representatives from major corporations, other girls' schools, and numerous supporters of the cause. There were several guest speakers, one of whom was Tura Lewei, a Fijian women’s rights activist who aims to educate boys and men about feminism and violence against women, and to try and eradicate gender equity issues from a male perspective. Another guest speaker was Sister Lorraine Garasu, from Papua New Guinea, who also aims to aid women and children suffering from violent acts by providing support services, and by educating boys and men to stop this occurring in the future. Other key speakers were Elizabeth Broderick, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, and premier Mike Baird, who both expressed their concern for women’s rights, and stressed the importance of action and the need for education about gender inequality.
The breakfast was a charity event, with all funds being donated to UN Women, to go towards providing women’s refuges and resources for the protection of women in need of assistance. All attendees were encouraged to donate money to the cause, and to support the projects UN Women are planning for the future.