Beginning with a church service on Sunday, this week was Women's Week.
But with women making up more than half of the population, there wasn't much hype or media buzz until today when the Women's Commission held a women's health forum where hundreds of women today gathered to speak health and not only speak it but do something about improving it but Keith Swift asked is that really enough to do for one of society's most marginalized groups?
Keith Swift Reporting,
They took all manner of tests from glucose examinations to blood pressure tests all in the hope of improving their health and awareness of it. Ana Basil says that their goal is to bring health to the forefront.
Ana Basil, Baptist Health
"The purpose of the women's health forum is to bring information and educational information for all us ladies who normally stay behind in taking care of our own health."
"We are going to discuss menopause, hormone replacement therapy, and also osteoporosis, which is a major problem as women age and then there is also the controversy surrounding whether or not we should use Hormone Replacement Therapy. And then we are going to speak about breast health. You know the importance of breast exams because of the incidents of breast cancer and also telling women that they need to share the knowledge with their daughters, sisters, and friends. And we will talk about cardiovascular disease which is now the number one killer of women."
But while today's forum addressed the most obvious of ailments that women are faced with, in reality this is but a small challenge to them. In Belize, women as part of the larger society represent the most marginalized group. Ambassador Dolores Balderamos-Garcia says that they are not satisfied.
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Ambassador for Women's Affairs
"We have a very long way to go and we are not at all satisfied and we cannot be satisfied with the status of our Belizean women in areas of empowerment, levels of education, and participation in decision making. We do acknowledge that that they are many unwed mothers, and many single parent households but I do believe we are in the right direction."
In the right direction, that today meant focusing on the health problem that is more easily addressed than those that loom large over the future of women and their role in Belizean society.
Women's week's concludes tomorrow with a bike race.