This International Women’s Day, Caritas Australia invites Australians to join a series of online public forums this month, held by the global Caritas network for Caritas Women’s Month.   

The forums focus on the role of women as “builders” of a new humanity founded on solidarity, compassion, equality, effectiveness and resilience and aim to animate and mobilise people through witness and dialogue, building a culture of equality, encounter and renewal, in which the experiences, leadership and participation of women are valued and promoted.   

“By every measure, women are disproportionately affected by poverty,” said Kirsty Robertson, Caritas Australia’s CEO.   

“Despite important progress to change this in recent years, women do not have economic equality in any country. And women are far more likely than men to live in poverty.”  

“We need a world and an economy that works for women and men alike. For us [at Caritas Australia], women’s leadership means women making decisions for themselves and having influence on their communities and on the people around them. We need to ensure that women become leaders across our communities, our institutions, and our Caritas Confederation.”  

Go to the website, https://www.caritas.org/caritaswomen/ to learn more, and watch the online forums live, as well as view the testimonies, resources and a photo exhibition.  

Media contact: Jessica Stone 0490 684 867 /  jessica.stone@caritas.org.au    

Note: Kirsty Robertson, Caritas Australia’s CEO is available for interview.