Women’s Day promotes gender equality

International Women’s Day kicked off on 8th March, with a week of events to be celebrated in College. Organised by DU Gender Equality Society (DUGES) and the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies (CGWS), it aims to celebrate the achievements of women as well as bringing awareness to the adversities faced by women and girls of all ages.
The Centre for Gender and Women’s studies was established twenty years ago and has had a deep tradition in honouring the day.
The celebrations begin with afternoon tea and cakes at the CGWS in the Hamilton. There will be a seminar in conjunction with DUGES discussing feminism and popular culture, which includes a look into the subversive nature of the Twilight series. Further speakers from RUHAMA, an organisation which supports women affected by trafficking and prostitution, and Women’s Aid will be addressing the Synge theatre on “Stopping Violence against Women” on Thursday evening.
Other events include a vigil titled “Take Back the Night” organised around Trinity grounds for Tuesday evening. Its purpose is to unite women, men and children in awareness of sexual violence and night safety. They will be joined by speakers from three Dublin-based organisations, including the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. 
Eileen Cooney, an event organiser from the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, highlighted that  “as well as bringing awareness to the adversities experiences by women, another essential component of the International Women’s Day celebrations are the events to recognise the role of women in the arts” and as such The Irish Writers’ Centre is hosting an evening of prose reading from unpublished women writers.
During the week, tickets for an end of week raffle will be sold. The proceeds will go to the organisations participating in the week’s activities. Each event is open to all and further information can be found on facebook and the website of Trinity’s Equality Office.