A half-day workshop to mark the first International Day of Women in Maritime under the theme "Training-Visibility-Recognition: Supporting a barrier-free working environment" was held, yesterday, in Ebène. The objective was to support an accessible and conducive working environment for women in maritime that is enabling, supportive and inclusive.
The Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo; the Director of Shipping, Mr Alain Donat; and the President of the Association of Women Managers in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA) Mauritius, Mrs Priscila Romooah, were present at the opening ceremony.
The event was an initiative of the WOMESA Mauritius and aimed to highlight the need for women to be more visible and mainstreamed in the maritime community, on board ships and throughout the sector and more widely in representation at decision-making levels.
In his address, Minister Maudhoo underlined that for the first time the world is celebrating a day for women in the maritime sector observed on 18 May. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly, he said, adopted a resolution proclaiming the day in 2021 in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) and support work to address the current gender imbalance in maritime.
He recalled the setting up of WOMESA Mauritius some 10 years back adding that it has significantly contributed to the empowerment of women in the maritime sector through the organisation of an array of activities. They include: trainings and workshops, exhibitions and raising awareness on career prospects in the sector amongst others.
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The Minister observed that presently there is a wide representation of women at decision-making level as well as operational level in public and private organisations. More women are conducting marine scientific research and navigating in research vessels for scientific expeditions thus promoting marine scientific research to develop the blue economy, he added. These women, he stressed, are setting an example and encouraging women to join the maritime sector.
Speaking of the artisanal fisheries sector, Mr Maudhoo highlighted that fisherwomen play an important role in the food supply chain and have contributed significantly to enhance food security in Mauritius. He further said that 100 licenses for shrimp net fishing and 100 licenses for oyster collectors will be soon delivered while highlighting that his Ministry will ensure that priority is given to women.
The Ministry is working on two projects to further give access to women to enhance their means of livelihood namely through the cultivation of seaweed and the culture of pearls, he pointed out. He also announced that a dedicated space will be provided to WOMESA for the conduct of their monthly meetings free of charge.
For her part, Mrs Romooah recalled that WOMESA Mauritius was set up in Dec 2007 and its main objective is to advocate for gender equity, improve women's access to maritime training and technology and promote their advancement to key-decision levels. She pointed out that the workshop will provide visibility to women, and help the industry move forward and support women to achieve representation.
