Important issues highlighted for Women's Day

Important issues were highlighted Sunday in Regina at events leading up to International Women's Day, which is March 8.

On Sunday afternoon women gathered at the Albert Street Memorial Bridge and waved red-coloured scarves.

The bridge event was a nod to an international campaign called Join me on the Bridge that began in 2010 as a call for peace in the warring countries of Rwanda and Congo.

Rhonda Rosenberg was among those participating in Regina.

She said International Women's Day is important because there are many issues that still need to be addressed.

"We still see real inequality in everything from the number of political candidates that are running to the work that's expected in the home, the unpaid work," Rosenberg said.

"We still need to raise our voices," she added. "We raise our voices in both resistance and in joy and celebration."

Earlier on Sunday, a number of women took part in an interactive dance partyfeaturing dances from around the globe.

The event was meant to explore the resilience and strength of women through movement.

"It doesn't require language. It just requires moving,"Neelu Sachdev, executive director of the Regina Immigrant Women's Centre and one of the organizers of the event, said. "It means, to me, interaction on a different level."

Sachdev said the event was meant to bring women together from many backgrounds.

"We're presenting different kinds of dancing, but we're having the dancers come and be interactive with the audience," she said.

The event was for women only.

"Some of the women, especially those from different countries, may not be so comfortable dancing in front of men or with men," Sachdev said. "We want to be respectful of that and provide a worry-free environment."

Theme of resilience and strength

Sachdev said this year's theme for International Women's Day events in Regina resilience and strength resonates with her through her work with newcomers to the city.

"For many women, it's really tough because they don't have any supports," she said. As well, many are facing challenges with language and adapting to a different way of life.

"The resilience we see is in the women who tackle those things head on," she said.