March 1 is Zero Discrimination Day, an annual worldwide event that promotes diversity and recognizes that everyone counts
UNAIDS is challenging the discrimination faced by women and girls in all their diversity and raising awareness and mobilizing action to promote equality and empowerment for women and girls. Theme of Zero Discrimination Day 2021, is “Zero Discrimination against Women and Girls.” celebrated on 1st March 2021.
| Discrimination-the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.: “victims of racial discrimination” “there is widespread discrimination against women”. |
We have all seen the ugly face that discrimination carries towards humanity and it is time we all come in as a collective voice to condemn acts that limit children from accessing equality and equity in our communities. Discrimination tends to pull us down and it is expensive to heal such wounds, especially with heighten cases of stigmatization/victimization leading to mental health issues.
We all have a duty to protect one another as well as ensure that children have access to resources they need for them to holistically attain their growth and development into adulthood. Discriminating against women/girls, children living with disability is an evil act that should be punishable by law. Every child has a right and their rights must be protected for their own interest.
We cannot achieve sustainable development and make the planet better for all if people are excluded from the chance of a better life. Undeniably, we need to involve our children towards decision making processes and teach them on values and rights that are going to protect their well-being.
Liberty is the most individually treasured aspect one can have but the power of discrimination doesn’t believe in it. Let’s fight for what ours on this Zero Discrimination day.
Over the past years we have all witnessed heightened cases of online discrimination; with women/girls experiencing the highest form of violations online including sexual harassment and gender digital divide widening the gap foe resource accessibility in acquiring information online. We need to act now when we have time to rectify these challenges contrary to waiting for it to root into the community.
Every child must be involved in technology literacy in order to be able to protect themselves online as well as understand their role in campaigning for their rights. It is up to us to sensitize the communities on these crucial matters about the online environment. We all have a role to play in ending discrimination and so reducing inequalities
Ending inequality requires transformative change. Greater efforts are needed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and there is a need to invest more in health, education and social protection. To achieve dignity for all, political, economic and social policies need to protect the rights of everyone and pay attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized communities.
Tackling inequality is not a new commitment—in 2015, all countries pledged to reduce inequality within and between countries as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. But it is not yet one that the world has delivered on. Fulfilling the promise to tackle inequality will save millions of lives and benefit society as a whole. To do this, we must confront discrimination in all its forms.
Ultimately, gender inequality affects everyone’s health and well-being. In many countries, laws that discriminate against women and girls remain in force, while laws that uphold women’s basic rights and protect them against harm and unequal treatment are far from the norm. Inequality is growing for more than 70% of the global population, exacerbating the risk of division and hampering economic and social development.
| Somewhere down the line it’s that humanity suffers when someone is discriminated against for being different from the world. May you have a thought provoking Zero Discrimination day. |