A Government minister has lauded the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for its commitment to promoting gender equality and highlighting instances of gender based violence.

Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Senator Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo was speaking during the opening of the ILO sub-regional gender equality five – day workshop for judges in the Caribbean, on Monday, at the Hilton Barbados Resort.??

Stating that the workshop was necessary at this time, Dr. Byer- Suckoo noted that it was important that the judiciary ensured that there was equal justice for everyone.

???I, therefore, applaud this training initiative as a crucial intervention to address these human rights violations with the intensity – and ferocity – they deserve. There has been much concern and discussion in Barbados recently about gender-based violence, occasioned by recent shocking deaths. But it is important that Barbadians and Caribbean citizens know that even after the news headlines shift we, the people who can make a difference, are working.???

The Labour Minister said that those who ignore human rights issues and discrimination against others should be held accountable.??

???Each of us can do more in response to the cries for justice for men, women, and children who have experienced violence in any form. As representatives from the judiciary in the region, you have the power to help bring an end to these injustices and the impunity which allows these human rights violations to continue. We all can agree that the time for complacency has long gone; now is the time for stronger action,??? she added.

Dr. Byer -Suckoo assured those gathered that the Barbados Government will continue to address the issue of gender inequality.??

She said that the Ministry of Labour had participated in a Participatory Gender Audit conducted by the ILO and the Organisation of American States (OAS). Dr. Byer Suckoo said that the Ministry was in the process of addressing some of the recommendations made by those organisations.??

The workshop, which has representatives from throughout the region, will address topics such as Direct and Indirect Discrimination, HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, Balancing Work and Family among others. It will conclude on Friday, September 13.

aisha.reid@barbados.gov.bb

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