What development challenge faces the Caribbean that has yet to receive significant attention? It is the need to overcome obstacles to women and girls achieving more sustainable livelihoods. Foremost among these is the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV). In 2019, the Caribbean had 5 of the top 20 recorded rape rates in the world. According to a study compiled by the United Nations Women’s Agency, 46% of women in the Caribbean have experienced at least one form of violence. As in many parts of the world, women continue to experience inequality in the labor market, suffering wage gaps and being fragmented into the lowest paid jobs.
Are there opportunities to address these challenges and make greater progress towards a more equitable future? How can governments, civil society organisations and the private sector work together to solve these problems?
As part of a new partnership with UN Women, a recipient UN Organisation (RUNO) of the Spotlight Initiative programme of the European Union, the United Nations and the Government of Jamaica, we invite you to join us in exploring mechanisms to curb gender-based violence in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, and to draw attention to new opportunities for women’s economic empowerment.
Join us for a meeting between the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center’s Caribbean Initiative and UN Women on Thursday, October 5, 2023, from 10am to 12pm (local time) at the Spanish Court Hotel (1 St Lucia Ave, Kingston) for a thought-provoking conversation on addressing gender challenges in the Caribbean.
Senator Olivia Grange (OJ, CD, MP)
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport
Jamaica
Senator Matthew Samuda
Minister without Portfolio for Economic Growth and Job Creation
Jamaica
Marianne Van Steen
Jamaican Ambassador
european union
Tony Ann Brodber
Head of Multi-Country Office for the Caribbean
United Nations Women’s Agency
Joyce Hewett
Managing Director
Woman Ink
Sharon Coburn Robinson
Principal Director, Gender Affairs Department
Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport
Nastasia Robinson
Legal Advisor on Human Rights and Civil Society Organizations
Nadine Heywood
VP of Credit Solutions, Women’s Initiatives Program Leader
Scotiabank Jamaica
Lauren Marsh
Department Head
Hugh Shearer Institute for Labour Studies
Kayla Grant
Sector Specialist, Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Department
Inter-American Development Bank
Jodi Ann Qualley
CEO
Jamaica American Chamber of Commerce
Valentina Sadah
Adrienne Arsht, Associate Director of Impactful Programming, Latin America Center
Atlantic Council
Vadim Moura
Adrienne Arsht, Associate Director, Caribbean Initiatives, Latin America Center
Atlantic Council
partner
The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center provides constructive, results-oriented solutions that broaden understanding of regional transformation and inform how the public and private sectors can advance prosperity in the Western Hemisphere.
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