While celebrating the recognition of Women’s rights as an integral part of Human rights, International Women's Day reminds us that women's condition has greatly evolved in many countries. It has evolved both in their private life with their emancipation and in public life with their accessing to senior positions.

Today more and more women are determined to struggle against discrimination and persistent injustice they are faced with. They have become aware of the role they have to play in society, on the political scene, in the education field, in scientific research, in environment and peace issues… to make this essentially masculine world become more feminine.


But Women's Day also highlights, with its terrible reports on women's condition all around the world, that there is still a long way ahead to reach the aims of equality, respect and peace, set by the United Nations. Still today, women continue to be the victims of violence and abuse perpetuated from the mists of time by this world ruled by male power.

Nowadays in the United States, a woman is assaulted every 8 seconds, and a woman is raped every 6 minutes. According to US government sources, domestic violence is more widespread than car accidents, assaults and death caused by cancer.

Everywhere in the world, whatsoever the form it may take - gender discrimination, domestic violence, abuse, collective rape used as a weapon of war, violence against women is a consequence of the standard of male power and assertive domination.

Women's fight and their hope is to make things change so that one day, their children will be able to grow up in a world where men will be aware that using violence is not a demonstration of force but of cowardice.

That no one will ever discover true power disdaining and outraging one's fellow beings. That mankind's future depends on relationship between men and women based on equality and mutual respect of their differences. And that women, by their ability to listen, their non-violence, their love and compassion, hold the key of world's evolution towards peace.

Laurence