International Women's Day

Thinking about International Women’s Day in the beauty industry

What can you do?

International Women’s Day (IWD) is just around the corner. March 8 every year is a day to both celebrate women, and highlight both local and global women’s issues that still need addressing. 

The beauty industry is an industry that is predominantly run by women, for women. So for those who have a love of nail polish, make-up, moisturisers and pampering, it’s a good time to consider those women who will likely never enjoy such luxuries.

Thinking about International Women's Day and women who are less fortunate than yourself is not about making you feel guilty for enjoying a facial or buying a new lipstick. It’s about balancing your love of nail polish and beauty treatments with an awareness of the realities that many women face and a desire to offer your help where possible.

Did you know that women produce more than 60 percent of the world’s food? But they own less that 1 percent of land in poor countries. That’s a significant gap, and one that perpetuates the hunger, poverty and lack of human rights that women experience.

Violence against women is also prevalent throughout the world. Whether it is rape, assault, corporal punishment, abduction or forced marriage, girls and women all over the world endure horrific acts of violence.

For those who are removed from the harsh reality of violence, hunger and poverty that many women experience, it’s easy to think that nothing we do can help. But the truth is that there are a number of initiatives and programs dedicated to helping impoverished women break away from poverty and violence. And your support is needed to help these programs succeed and make a real difference. 

Whether you can afford to donate to charity, or you can simply offer your support and help raise awareness, every voice and dollar goes a long way to helping those women who need it.

ActionAid Australia’s Girls Clubs are an example of such programs. These clubs help girls support each other to resist violence, harassment and forced marriage and fight for their right to continue their education. 

In Ghana, the Stop Violence Against Girls in School program has reached out to over 1,000 girls to raise awareness of the issue and inspire women and girls to help each other fight such violence and get the education they deserve.

But programs like these need support to be successful. 

So this International Women's Day, think about whether there is an initiative that you can support or charity that you can donate to that can help make a difference in the life of women who suffer injustice. 

For more information on International Women's Day, click on this link.

Who is ActionAid?

In 2012, ActionAid's core focus will be securing women's rights - most specifically, raising awareness of and eliminating violence against women. Violence against women is a gross violation of human rights, and along with other campaigns ActionAid aims to put women's rights on top of the political agenda as one of the most pressing issues in the world today.

At the community level, ActionAid’s child sponsorship programs are essential in helping to make real changes and sustainable improvements in the lives of disadvantaged children and their communities around the world.  

At the heart of ActionAid's work is the belief that each of us - rich or poor - is entitled to the same basic human rights.

In fact, securing rights is the missing link between the world's rich and poor. It's the key to ending poverty.

People living in poverty are often treated as less than human. Robbed of their dignity and sense of equality, they often feel they have no rights.

You can read more by visiting the website by clicking here.

Votrebelle

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