FANCY designing a poster for International Women's Day?  

IT'S celebrated worldwide on March 8 when there is a singular focus for one day on the global majority – women. 

The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in 1975, which was declared International Women's Year. Since then it has been observed worldwide, focusing on gender equality, reproductive rights, violence against women and any other issue that's currently pertinent. Locally, many organisations use it as a way of highlighting women within their organisations; others focus on rights-based inequalities that still exist in our society. Here in the North of Ireland there are still many gendered attitudes that exist in wider society.

'Ending Violence Against Women and Girls: Experiences and Attitudes of Adults in Northern Ireland' is a 2023 report by the NI Executive. Some of the key findings included:

•Psychological violence was the type of gender-based violence most experienced by respondents in the past five years, at 13%.

• 18- to 29-year-olds experienced more sexual, psychological and online violence than any other age groups.

• 73% of respondents would intervene if they witnessed someone they know personally, telling a rape joke about women.

The good news is this report led to a strategy by the NI Executive with the vision 'A Changing Society', where women and girls are free from all forms of gender- based violence, abuse and harm. This includes the attitudes, systems and structural inequalities that cause them.

It is starting to filter through. Belfast City Council recently put out an open call to organisations wanting to run projects that can stop gender-based violence. For many years when the women's sector was  asked for statistics on the status of women the women's sector would say, 'Why not put the same statistics as last time? Nothing has changed.' 

Reclaim the Agenda is the local organisation running the poster competition and this year their slogan is 'Solidarity Beyond Borders – Women for World Peace'. Many have forgotten that it was women's contribution – and in particular the Women's Coalition's –  contribution to the peace process that brought in UN Article 1325, which ensures women's participation in peace processes globally.

The deadline for the competition is January 31. The competition has two age groups,  12-17 years and 18-25 years. The winning artwork will be the main image for the International  Women's Day poster in Belfast and the winner will receive a £100 prize, with two runners-up receiving £50 each. All three will be on the stage at the International Women's Day rally in Belfast City centre. Under-16s must have parent's/guardian's consent.  

Digital drawings are allowed, but they must be original. They cannot be pre-existing computer-generated images or artificial intelligence. Entries can be submitted online at reclaimtheagenda.com or sent to Reclaim the Agenda , 6 Mount Charles, Belfast, BT71NZ.