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The Network of NGOs of T&T for the Advancement of Women has extended congratulations to this year's women recipients of national awards, including its members-Hazel Brown, Diana Mahabir-Wyatt and Brenda Gopeesingh. They each received the newly-created award, Medal for the Development of Women (Gold) for their dedicated work in advancing women's rights and issues, at Wednesday's Independence Day awards ceremony at Queen's Hall, St Ann's.
In a release issued yesterday, Dr Kris Rampersad, international relations director for the Network of NGOs, stated: "The awards to these women are particularly significant as the Network ends a quarter century of activities in T&T. "The three women singled out for their contribution to women are among those who have over the years been relentless in the efforts for recognising the contribution of women to our society. "The Network is particularly proud that the work of its members has been recognised so profusely in this, the first year, of a special category of awards for women.
"We, of course, also acknowledge with pride the work and achievements of our co-ordinator, Hazel Brown, who, despite personal challenges, continues to diligently keep the women's agenda in focus."
The Network said it was pleased to see that this year's awardees recognised "the exemplary work of several other professional women as key contributors to national social and economic well-being, among them, two of four recipients of the highest honour, the Order of T&T in Mrs Zalayhar Hassanali and Helen Bhagwansingh."
Other national awardees were not left out of the Network's congratulatory message. "That at least one-third of the awardees this year were women tells that we are moving closer to full recognition, acknowledgement and factoring of the value of women's work to the development of our society in all spheres," the release said. "We hope that these awards will bring into sharper focus the merits of our slogan that all issues are women's issues, as is implied in awards to Bhagwansingh, a pioneer and entrepreneur; attorney Stephanie Daly, educator Susan Craig, entertainer Denyse Plummer, Judge Gladys Gafoor, businesswoman Irma Simonette, Joan Bishop, nurse Jean Grayson and Bernice Parris, policewomen Margaret Sampson-Brown and Sheila Prince.
"The Network looks forward to equally meaningful incorporation of women's perspectives across all sectors and into policy, decision making, implementations and actions for more meaningful and equitable development of T&T."
Author, media consultant and former newspaper editor, Dr Kris Rampersad, however, supported the new award. Rampersad, an officer of the Network of Women’s NGOs, said her group collaborates with the Commonwealth Foundation to recognise women in its Young Women of the Year Awards.
“A separate category of awards by the Government within the national awards scheme is equally welcome, as it identifies various spheres in which women have contributed,” Rampersad said.
“This is important in an environment in which the playing field is not yet equal and there are several structures and systems and practices that need to be reformed for this to take place, some of which were recently identified at the two-day colloquium on Caribbean women leaders as agents of change.”
She said these changes and reforms must occur simultaneously with attempts to award or reward women for their contributions to national life, and she hopes Government moves swiftly to address these as well.
“But we do hope that the announcement of these new awards involves more than just a separate category of awards for women and does not preclude women being selected for the other national awards in those existing categories as well _ including the highest honour _ the Order of Trinidad and Tobago.”
She added, “Indeed, our vision is that there should be no barriers to women’s achievements in any sphere of national life. In fact, why not a woman President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago _ is there some unwritten rule that defines that a potential President of Trinidad and Tobago must be over 60 and male; why not under 50 and female as well?”
Rampersad said her ultimate goal is to mainstream recognition of the efforts of women, and that will include mainstreaming into the entire national awards processes and other activities so that there is parity and equity.
“The medal for women would be awarded for contribution to the development of women’s rights and issues,” said the notice. The medal will be awarded in the classes of gold, silver or bronze, and up to ten such medals will be awarded in any one year, it added. Nominations must be sent to the OPM or any TTPost office by July 29.
However, Sunday Newsday found a difference in views over whether or not a specific award for women is a good idea or not.
Public relations consultant, Denise Demming, disliked the idea. “To me, the existing national awards are not sexist in their appeal. To me, that is a more worthy approach to recognising people,” Demming said.
“Focus less on the things that separate us and more on the things that bring us together. If you have a national award for women, do you now introduce a separate national award for men? What are the current national awards now going to represent?” She did not think there was bias in the existing national awards.
“Lots of women got it in the past and were worthy. A national award is not gender specific. Why do we want to polarise the society even more and have a separate award for women?” Saying this society now has a gender bias in favour of men _ such as the Government placing very few women on State Boards _, she asked if the woman’s award was now simply for public relations purposes. “They prefer to focus on form and not function,” she said of this administration.
Demming called for a more worthy initiative on gender-imbalance. “One solution to gender issues is if they would fund a women’s think tank, that would consist of women in academia and women in business, who would come up with specific issues that affect women, as opposed to a recognition (that is, the medal) that is just another cocktail party.”
She said she had not heard of any consultation being held before the medal was initiated, saying, “There is a tendency to consult after the fact.”
Women’s rights activist, Hazel Brown, told Sunday Newsday she had no opinion on whether an award only for women is a good or bad idea.
Author, media consultant and former newspaper editor, Dr Kris Rampersad, however, supported the new award. Rampersad, an officer of the Network of Women’s NGOs, said her group collaborates with the Commonwealth Foundation to recognise women in its Young Women of the Year Awards.
“A separate category of awards by the Government within the national awards scheme is equally welcome, as it identifies various spheres in which women have contributed,” Rampersad said.
“This is important in an environment in which the playing field is not yet equal and there are several structures and systems and practices that need to be reformed for this to take place, some of which were recently identified at the two-day colloquium on Caribbean women leaders as agents of change.”
She said these changes and reforms must occur simultaneously with attempts to award or reward women for their contributions to national life, and she hopes Government moves swiftly to address these as well.
“But we do hope that the announcement of these new awards involves more than just a separate category of awards for women and does not preclude women being selected for the other national awards in those existing categories as well _ including the highest honour _ the Order of Trinidad and Tobago.”
She added, “Indeed, our vision is that there should be no barriers to women’s achievements in any sphere of national life. In fact, why not a woman President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago _ is there some unwritten rule that defines that a potential President of Trinidad and Tobago must be over 60 and male; why not under 50 and female as well?”
Rampersad said her ultimate goal is to mainstream recognition of the efforts of women, and that will include mainstreaming into the entire national awards processes and other activities so that there is parity and equity.
