Local author to speak at event

Caymanian author, illustrator and women’s rights advocate Lady Rabia Abdul-Hakim has been invited to join global business leaders and representatives from various sectors at the fifth Women’s Empowerment Principles event in New York on 5 and 6 March. 

Ms Abdul-Hakim said she became a passionate advocate of women’s rights after she rescued her six children from Jordan where they were held by her ex-husband in 2010. During the New York event, she will be representing her most recent project, Phenom Foundation. It is a social enterprise created to promote gender equality, the prevention and elimination of violence against women, as well as their economic empowerment and political participation. 

“Women’s empowerment is a nonpolitical, noncontroversial issue that is central to future opportunities for women, globally. Therefore, I am eager to attend such a prestigious event at a time when gender equality is gaining more exposure in Cayman,” Ms Abdul-Hakim said. “We must raise awareness, but we must also activate a national movement to stimulate real change and eliminate gender-based discrimination and enhance the economic, social and economic rights of women and girls.” 

The event is by invitation only and will be co-hosted by UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact. It offers guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. Held in observance of International Women’s Day, and coinciding with the 57th Commission on the Status of Women, the event will focus on inclusive business strategies and practices that drive change toward realising the Women’s Empowerment Principles. 

Ms Abdul-Hakim said the event would also highlight innovative approaches the private sector is taking to overcome challenges to achieve gender equality.  

Like numerous other countries, the Cayman Islands are burdened by multiple gender gaps, she added, noting that according to the 2010 Census of Population and Housing, females earned less than males within many vocations and across all levels of education. 

“It is imperative that we develop partnerships to implement national commitments to women’s rights, but it is equally important to develop programs that inspire and empower the women and girls themselves,” she said. “They must know their rights and recognise their personal power and personal responsibility in achieving equality.”