On February 6, 2023, the Philippine Commission on Women issued MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2023- 01 with the Subject: Guide for the 2023 National Women’s Month Celebration. In order to provide directions for the National Women’s Month Celebration in March 2023, this Memorandum Circular has been distributed to all key stakeholders.
The National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC), which recognizes women and their contributions to nation-building, is organized annually by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). It emphasizes the importance of safeguarding, advancing, and upholding women’s rights so they can achieve their full potential and welfare and act as catalysts for national progress. This event also falls on the same day that International Women’s Day is observed globally (IWD).
Protection and Gender-Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
March 20 – 25, 2023
Pursuant to Proclamation No. 759, s. of 1996, the country also celebrates the Girl Child Week within the Women’s Month. This proclamation states:
Declaring every fourth week of March as the Protection and Gender-Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week. This underscores the need to provide “every girl who is below 18 years of age with equal opportunities and adequate protection to prepare her for a role in community development”.
National Women’s Month Celebration Objectives:
Agencies at the national and local levels, as well as other stakeholders, shall be guided by the following general objectives in planning their NWMC activities:
- To inform and engage women and everyone to push for gender-responsive government programs and services that empower women to contribute to nation-building;
- To provide platforms to share good practices and address gaps, challenges, and commitments in pursuing gender and development (GAD) – to further strengthen the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women toward its milestone 15th year in 2024;
- To inspire women and girls to empower themselves and take on leadership roles, opportunities, and benefits toward maximizing their full potential and enabling them to reap the fruits of gender equality;
- To promote a society that ensures inclusion, protection of fundamental freedoms, diversity, and social justice and in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, is capacitated and encouraged to take an active role to play.
SOURCE:
- Philippine Commission on Women
- Read More: MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2023- 01 : Guide for the 2023 National Women’s Month Celebration
