International Women's Day
Why does LDCND celebrate International Women's Day?
Though the origins of International Women’s Day are in the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the UN has celebrated Women’s Day on March 8th since 1975. The Day provides an opportunity to promote women's social and political rights. Its overarching theme is celebrating peace.
A central principle of the work of the United Nations is that no enduring solution to society's most threatening social, economic and political problems can be found without the full participation and empowerment of the world's women. It is easy to think that women’s battles for equality have been won. But every minute a woman dies due to complications in pregnancy or childbirth - half a million women every year. Another 10-15 million women suffer serious or long-lasting illnesses or disabilities.
From Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Iraq, Zimbabwe and Sudan, children and women continue to bear the brunt of conflict, displacement and deteriorating conditions. Men of combat age are most often the ones who are conscripted and therefore killed or injured during battle. Women, however, are the main victims of war. This is either directly as fatalities and casualties or indirectly through the breakdown of family and community structures and the acquisition of new roles such as the sole provider to the family.
Military budgets are soaring, new weapons for killing and mutilating are under development, and 27,000 nuclear weapons remain threatening our very survival. Outdated military security doctrines and budgets of the Cold War prevail, and while they do, the vision of UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security cannot be fulfilled.
Lancaster District CND has a long tradition of involvement in Women’s Peace Camp(aign)s.
We continue that tradition by celebrating International Women's Day every year in Market Square in Lancaster.