experience was forced.’ Under the theme Women and Men: United to End Violence
Against Women, the CCWA has pledged to vigorously challenge not just violence against
women but all aspects of female vulnerability to HIV...The regional programme director
at UNIFEM’s Caribbean office, Roberta Clarke, said that while there have been gains in
equality between men and women, ‘inequalities persist and beliefs and practices deeply
rooted in our cultures perpetuate the vulnerability of women and girls to certain harm.’
For example, she notes the education system continues to ‘fail many of our children
as we teach to the test and not to principles of self-esteem and respect for others,
the foundational elements for personal growth and societal achievement.’ She said the
socializing of men, whether in homes, churches, schools and through popular culture,
continues to emphasize aggression, power and control as core aspects of masculinity.”
opposition—masculine/feminine, aggressive/passive. One of the two opposites assumes
a dominant role over the other—in this case masculine self over the feminine other.
There is a need to educate and empower women and this is the goal at the foundation
of the Design to Empower project. I decided to develop the initial stages locally
and allow the project to grow.
