Minister Hughes lauds women for their role in society – at Mother’s Day lunch

GINA, GUYANA, Monday, May 15, 2017

The Bernice Mansell Foundation paid homage to seven mothers on Sunday, Mother’s day, at the Parc Rayne Banquet Hall  at Rahaman’s Park, Houston.

The women, Margaret Rose-Arthur, Mitzy Gaynor Campbell, Faye Audrey Crawford, Sylvia Bernadette Calvan, Winifred Fuentes, Maureen Massiah and Brenda Moore were honoured for their contribution to the development of women and Guyana over the years.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes who gave the keynote address at the event, told the mothers that it was a wonderful opportunity to spend mother’s day with them. Minister Hughes noted that most times fathers complain about the attention given to mothers on this day; however she said it is becoming less of a problem now since men understand how important women are, and the role they play.

“Our physiological and emotional strength, our ability to find solutions to the toughest of challenges, and how we can smile even when things are not going well, are just some of the things that attract all that love and gratitude and please let our men folk know that these are the reasons they too love us,” Hughes said.

“Truth be told these things that make us who we are and what we are as women were taught to us directly and indirectly by the persons who

raised us. Since we were little girls we learn that those attributes are the very essence of womanhood and motherhood,” explained Minister Hughes.

The Minister pointed out that it was impossible for her to leave out the reality of women’s every day experiences. “I feel the need to say that we cannot shout out that part of our reality that flies in the face of who we are as a nation. I am talking about the brutishness and insensitivity that are scripted to our day to day social experiences. I know one cause is over exposure to violence, host of behaviours online and television and in the media and even in music, but the rush of domestic violence that has been perpetuated on most of our vulnerable women, especially over the last 10 years has caused me and many others lying awake wondering how is it we are going to arrest this societal problem,” she said.

Additionally, Minister Hughes commended the women’s rights groups in Guyana for the work they have been doing because domestic violence has been decreasing. She however noted that more work still needs to be done, but each and every one needs to play their role and keep an eye and an ear out for domestic violence.

 

By: Delon Sancho