Message of Minister for Youth, Sports & Family, Marie-Celine Zialor, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day   |08 March 2023

‘Strong and responsible women in Seychelles have the power to be in the majority rather than the minority’

“The international theme for Women’s Day 2023 revolves around innovation and technology for gender equality. The Ministry of Youth, Sports & Family believes strongly that Seychellois women can contribute immensely towards the advancements of technology in Seychelles, and

also benefit from it. This theme regarding innovation and technology fits in very well with the government’s priorities to modernise Seychelles, and of course, the ministry endorses it.

“As it has been customary for the past 2 years, the ministry has also chosen a local theme for International Women’s Day – the need for men and women to co-exist better with each other for peace and harmony in families and in our communities. In Seychelles much has been done for recognising and enhancing the rights of women and for advancing gender equality agendas and projects. The ministry recognises that emphasis on gender equality must always be a priority, however, the approaches must be evolved and modernised to reflect today’s realities, as well as have more impact in the communities.

“Women’s need in Seychelles have changed and the ministry needs to develop programmes that will showcase this and promote modern services to cater for these needs. These services need to be decentralised to reach the majority of women in their respective communities.

“On the other hand, Seychellois women ought to take advantage of the advancements that Seychelles has made in terms of gender equality to be more responsible citizens, and alongside Seychellois men, do better in terms of raising children, protecting them, and giving them a more conducive family life. Seychellois women, alongside Seychellois men, will need to take better care of themselves, to give more importance to their personal health and their well-being. Strong women and men in our society need to learn to make space for each other so that together, alongside each other they can help to eradicate the many negative influences in our communities which are contaminating our families and our society as a whole.

“When women and men learn to have a more productive and harmonious relationship with each other within their homes, in workplaces, and in the community, we shall start to see some positive impact on the socio-economic status of the country.

“Sadly, in 2023, we have noted that cases of gender-based violence and sexual harassment are on the rise in Seychelles, and most of the time the victims are women. The ministry would like to condemn such acts and soon we shall start a campaign of education regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.

“We cannot end this message without celebrating and saying thank you to all responsible and productive Seychellois women for their valued contributions as mothers, professionals, public servants, entrepreneurs,artists, mentors, role models, volunteers, and law-abiding citizens

committed towards the transformation of our country. We need to go a step further, using innovation and technology in a positive manner so that we can achieve more gender equality milestones. Strong and responsible women in Seychelles have the power to be in the majority rather than the minority, and together with strong and responsible men, we can make the

impossible, possible.

“Happy Women’s Day 2023!”

Marie-Celine Zialor

Minister for Youth, Sports & Family