As we welcome the commemoration of Women's Day this year, it is an opportunity to honour and appreciate the vital and endless contributions women have made to our society.
We note the theme adopted this year by the United Nations, "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow", along with the theme of Malaysia's own, "Break the Bias" because gender-based inequality and discrimination will only hamper the overall progress of any nation, limit its potential and greatly diminish its future.
We are proud that women in Malaysia have been steadily moving towards full equality across a wide spectrum of social engagements over the past several years, particularly in the areas of educational attainment and economic participation.
All these despite the challenges over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic where Malaysian women continue to excel and achieve in academia, in business and in nearly all sectors of our society.
This generation of young women, female students and professionals enjoy greater access to opportunity and advancement than any other who came before them, and they are opening doors and paving paths for our future generations who will help make Malaysian society a better, richer and a more dynamic nation.
No country can achieve its full potential when only half of its population can thrive and contribute to the public sphere and we must do more to ensure that women's voices are heard and appreciated.
We must create an environment for all women to feel safe and that they are never subjected to any form of harassment, threat or verbal or physical abuse. Men and women are partners in every way, in our relationships, in our families and in our society.
If we hold women back, we are actually holding back what is possible for our country to accomplish. However, if we continue to encourage and support them to pursue their aspirations in the public sphere, we will gain much progress with regards to their empowerment in all fields.
We will also recognise the invaluable work women do in their home. Indeed, we cannot replace one bias with another and impose upon women expectations or goals some may not want.
Contributions in education and professional sectors are not more important or valuable than contributions in the domestic sphere. And women who choose to focus their energies and attention on maintaining a stable home and raising their children deserve the utmost respect and appreciation.
The choice not to work should never be portrayed as a less productive decision when that decision ultimately helps mould well-adjusted children with good morals who will become the drivers of our future.
Malaysia is one of Asia's leading countries in the pursuit of gender equality. And we pursue this goal in accordance with our own national values and culture.
Our traditions and faiths teach us that women not only hold a high status but play a crucial role in the healthy development of our society and they must be cherished, nourished and honoured.
If women are treated as "less than", if they are restricted in following their dreams and ambitions, if they are deprioritised or devalued; the whole society will collapse from the weight of its own lopsided and arrested development.
We join all Malaysians and the rest of the world in celebration of the International Women's Day (March 8, 2022), to stand both in ovation for the strength and contribution of women and in defence of their right to equality and justice.
The writer is founder of Centre for Human Rights Research and Advocacy (CENTHRA)
