Sinn Fein County Councillors, Cora Harvey and Maire – Theres Gallagher on the approach of international women’s day have called on the women in Donegal to get empowered and to come out and defend rural Ireland.
Cllrs Harvey and Gallagher have said: “The 8th of March is Interntional Womens day and we are encouraging women this March to come out and defend rural Ireland, let the 8th of March be a catalyst for action.
“Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures” is the 2012 theme of the www.internationalwomensday.com website and this has been widely used by hundreds of organisations including schools, universities, governments, women’s groups and the private sector.
However each year the United Nations declares an overall International Women’s Day theme. Their 2012 theme is “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty”.
The Sinn Fein women have said: “From an Irish context, the theme “Empower Rural Women” has never been more relevant. From a women’s view and as female voices representing a party who strongly defends rural Ireland and its children I would call on the women of rural Ireland to come out and help us defend rural Ireland.
We have seen the attack on rural Ireland over the past number of years, are we too soft?, an easy target? The political establishments both in the recent past and present has seemingly taken a swipe and a dislike at rural Ireland and we in Donegal are taking the brunt of Government Policies that are not “rural poofed”
For years women have been fighting for gender equality, policies and legislation are now apparently “gender proofed”, we now need to make the stand that Government policies are rural proofed.
Changes in school transport policies, cuts to road expenditure, septic tank legislation, cuts to rural schools, pending closures of community hospitals, EPA regulations, the list is endless, these are all attacks on rural Ireland.
They added: “We are asking women to come out behind any local campaigns to defend rural Ireland, regardless of your political persuasion, women can be heard, if we come out and stand together we can make a difference.”
Remember “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”.
Sinn Fein launch “the defend Rural Ireland Campaign on the 12th of March.
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