On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) conducted a Panel Discussion along with participants from different Women Development Committees (WDC) in the Maldives. The focus area of this discussion was the “role of women in paving way for a sustainable future for everyone” with a focus on development at the local island/atoll level. The focus area is set to align with this year’s theme for the IWD, “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”  

During the panel discussion HRCM launched a social media campaign named “Vaane” [We Can]. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness on the role of women in community leadership and politics, generating discussion on these topics and empowering the participation of women in political, social and economic spheres of the Maldives. The focus areas of this campaign include WDC’s roles and significance in community leadership, women as leaders & their contribution to politics, raising awareness on concepts of gender equality, equity and quotas and the importance of male allyship for gender equality.

The campaign will consist of animated and interview videos, radio spots and other multimedia content. The initial release of an interview video featuring women community leaders and an animated video on the role of  a WDC were released during the panel discussion and other materials will be shared in the coming months.