International Women’s Day -2021

International Women’s Day -2021 is very special for CASA. It’s a delight to announce, CASA with the support of the Church of Sweden has launched an exclusive Gender Desk to emphasise the importance of Gender Justice work.

CASA has been working for Gender Justice all throughout and across our constituencies in all these years.   Gender Desk comes to add vigour to the work which has been done all these years, as CASA will be 75 this August. The revised Gender Policy by the  CASA Gender Task Force and approved by the National Board in November 2020  is an additional reason for the Celebration, as it’s an inclusive document moving away from the Gender binary and inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ communities keeping in mind the theological underpinning  “All are created in the image of God”. The policy document goes a step further to bring in all marginalized communities and all forms of patriarchy under gender justice work. UN Women’s theme of IWD 2021,  “Choose to Challenge” is very apt in this critical time of history. We are called to challenge anyone who discredits the God-given image irrespective of Gender, Caste, religion, or any other denominator. Everyone has a right to live a dignified and fulfilling life.

CASA’s effort through the Gender Desk worked through the revised Gender Policy Document will be a new milestone to address injustices within the church and society. In today’s dim context of Covid -19 pandemic there is an increase in other forms of shadow pandemics – Choose to Challenge is a point of cheer to promote women’s agency of being leaders by choosing to challenge and men joining as gender champions choosing to challenge patriarchy and eliminating it for women around the globe and all across.

– Joycia Thorat, Gender Focal Point

CASA