COTABATO CITY – Awareness of women’s rights highlighted this year’s regional celebration of the National Women’s Month, an event led by the Regional Human Rights Commission in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RHRC-ARMM).
The celebration was attended by more than 100 participants – mostly women from Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao – and was held at the town’s gymnasium on March 29.
Atty. Abdulnasser Badrudin, RHRC-ARMM chairperson, encouraged the participants, to exercise their rights, and respect other people’s rights too.
“March is recognized as women’s month. This recognition comes with the acknowledgement and respect for women’s rights, functions and responsibilities in society,” Badrudin said.
The celebration, which bears the theme ‘Kapakanan ni Fatima, Isama sa Agenda!’, also aims at inspiring women in asserting their rights for the fulfilment of their obligations, and to strengthen the advocacy of women’s month.
“The essence of the celebration is to help each other and build each other to improve our welfare through awareness of women’s rights,” said Zuhairah Abas, head of RHRC-ARMM’s Education, Communication and Linkages Division.
Shari’ah Counselor Bai Indira Sharrah Ibrahim-Sinsuat gave a lecture on women and inheritance rights in accordance with Presidential Decree 1083, or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws in the Philippines.
Thirty-six years old Abneria Undong from Brgy. Tambak said the lecture provided useful and enlightening information, especially about the mutual rights and obligations of a Muslim couple.
“Makadsukor sukor ta ka nakasiya silan namandu sa kawagib na Muslim a egkalumaya (We are thankful that they went here to teach us of our rights,” Undong said. “Masela e kinapamandu nin sa lekami egkalumaya (The lecture was appropriately educative for us couple),” Undong added.
The celebration included the artwork exhibit of Islamic calligraphy artist Zohayma Montaner, Al Hadj, who won 11 international and two national awards for visual arts.
The program was conducted by RHRC-ARMM in partnership with the local government unit of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat Women Producers Cooperative, Bureau on Cultural Heritage-ARMM, Del Monte-Delinanas Development Corp., and Regional Commission on Bangsamoro Women-ARMM. (Bureau of Public Information)
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