For All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment

Women’s rights are human rights. In Nova Scotia and across Canada, we must continue working to ensure that every woman and girl has the freedom, opportunities, and support they need to thrive.

Nova Scotia – like many jurisdictions in Canada – is facing an epidemic of gender-based violence. Protection of women’s rights are at the core of a woman’s safety. They ensure equitable access to services, the right to pursue higher education and economic independence. The protection against discrimination based on sex, gender, gender identity and gender expression are preventative tools against the psychological and physical violence women can become targets of if conditions permit.

While progress has been made, systemic and attitudinal barriers persist and women continue to face gender-based violence, pay inequity, and underrepresentation in leadership roles. Indigenous women, women of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ women, and women with disabilities often experience these challenges even more profoundly.

The protection of the rights of women and girls means fighting for a society where safety, education, and economic security are not privileges but guarantees. It means strengthening policies that ensure equal pay, expanding access to affordable childcare, and addressing gender-based violence with urgency. It means uplifting and amplifying the voices of women in all spaces including government, business, education, and beyond.

Equality benefits everyone. When women and girls are empowered, entire communities thrive. Economies grow, families prosper, and innovation flourishes. A truly just society is one where every woman and girl, regardless of background or circumstance can pursue her dreams without fear or limitation.

This International Women’s Day let’s commit to real, lasting change. Let’s challenge inequality wherever we see it, support organizations working for gender justice, and celebrate the achievements of women in all fields. Together, we can build a future where rights, equality, and empowerment are not aspirations but realities.

The time for action is now. For all women. For all girls. For a better, fairer world.

The preceding is a statement from Joseph Fraser, Director & CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

Resources

• Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women
• Women and Gender Equality Canada
• Canada’s National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Campaign School for Women: A Free Series of Educational Modules
• Gender Based Violence Supports | YWCA Halifax
• Women’s Centres Connect
• Canadian Women’s Foundation
• National Film Board of Canada; Films About Discrimination, Stereotyping and Equal Rights
• 5 Things to Know to Make Your Feminism Trans-Inclusive
• Halifax Public Libraries: Women in the Workplace Reading List