Ministry of Women & Child development to celebrate International Women’s Day Week from 1st to 8th March

Feb. 28: The Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the International Women’s Day week from 1^st to 8^th March 2022 as an ‘Iconic Week’ as a part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. As a part of the week-long celebration for International Women’s Day, the Ministry will organize various events and social media campaigns covering a variety of themes related to women’s safety and empowerment. The events are being organised in partnership with national and international organisations and experts, with active participation planned with women and children, as well as personnel who work directly for their protection and empowerment.

The celebration will kick off tomorrow i.e., 1^st March in collaboration with Bureau of Police Research and Development to raise awareness on safety and security of women. On this day, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) will also celebrate its Foundation Day. The focus of this event will be children, wherein an exhibition by children will be on display and children will be taken on guided tour of the Red Fort.

The focus of the events on 2^nd March will be on the role played by One Stop Centres (OSCs) in supporting women in distress. The Ministry will launch the Stree Manoraksha Project in collaboration with NIMHANS Bengaluru. This project will emphasise psychosocial well-being and aim to improve the mental health of women in India. An advanced training course for OSC counsellors will also be launched as part of the proceedings.  Following this event, a consultative conclave will be organised for capacity building of One Stop Centres as a joint venture of MoWCD and NALSA.

On 3^rd March 2022, the theme for the celebration is ‘Women of Tomorrow’ . There will be panel discussion on topic like Young Women in STEM – Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions followed by #NariShaktiVarta Fireside Chat on financial literacy with the Union Minister of Women and Child Development.

On 4^th and 5^th March 2022, a two-day National Workshop with State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) on Contemporary issues pertaining to Child Rights will be organised in Bhopal. Alongside, an online social media activity will be conducted on 4^th March highlighting stories of women from tribal areas/ aspirational districts.

On 7^th March 2022, ‘Back to School’ Campaign will be launched jointly by MoWCD and UNICEF India as ‘Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav’, focusing on supporting out-of-school girls.

On the final day, that is, 8^th March 2022, two major events will be organised – Nari Shakti Puraskaar and International Women’s Day Conference for Women Police Delegates from all States/ UTs. The events will recognize the extraordinary acts of women and enable diverse audiences to stand together, as a united force, to advance gender equality around India.

The ‘International Women’s Day’ week celebrations will mark an occasion to celebrate the progress made towards achieving gender equity, equality and women’s empowerment but also to critically reflect on accomplishments and strive for a greater momentum towards gender equality.