As the world celebrates International Women’s Day 2025, the conversation is shifting beyond mere recognition of women’s contributions toward urgent calls for real, tangible actions to ensure gender equity.

This year’s theme, powerfully articulated by Amb. Nafisat Abdulazeez, the Executive Director of Crest Centre for Peace and Social Advancement (CCPSA), emphasizes that celebrating women must go hand in hand with concrete steps to secure their rights, dignity, and opportunities.

In a stirring statement to mark the occasion, Amb. Abdulazeez shed light on the ongoing struggles women and girls face globally. She reminded the world that the time for empty gestures and words has passed. “It is not enough to celebrate with words. We must take deliberate action to create a world where every girl and woman, regardless of background, ability, or status, has the opportunity to lead, thrive, and live with dignity,” she asserted.

The CCPSA Executive Director highlighted a persistent issue: the culture of silence around abuse. Women and girls, she noted, are often pressured to endure mistreatment without complaint. “For too long, women and girls have been told to endure, to shrink themselves, to stay silent in the face of injustice,” she said, stressing that silence is never the solution. “No girl or woman should ever feel obligated to accept abuse, oppression, or inequality as her fate.”

Amb. Abdulazeez underscored the need for women to reject the narrative that endurance is empowerment. “Abuse is not love. Violence is not discipline. Endurance is not empowerment,” she stated unequivocally, urging women to speak up and demand justice. She further called on society to be proactive: “If you witness abuse, do not look away. Your voice could save a life.”

In her statement, Amb. Abdulazeez celebrated the power of mentorship, describing it as one of the most effective tools for advancing gender equity. “A strong, empowered woman does not stand alone; she reaches out and pulls others up with her,” she remarked. However, she quickly added that mentorship alone is insufficient if systemic discrimination and inequality remain unchallenged. “We must actively dismantle the systems that allow discrimination, abuse, and inequality to persist,” she said, calling for broader societal reforms.

Addressing the broader implications of gender equity, Amb. Abdulazeez made it clear that the issue transcends women’s rights; it is a societal obligation. “When women and girls are empowered, communities prosper, economies thrive, and the future becomes brighter for everyone,” she noted. She emphasized that achieving true equity requires access to quality education, economic opportunities, leadership representation, and the strict enforcement of laws protecting women from violence and discrimination.

“A truly just society does not debate whether women deserve safety, education, and economic opportunities. It ensures that they have them,” Amb. Abdulazeez said, reminding the world that gender equity benefits all, not just women.

Amb. Abdulazeez concluded her statement with a powerful call to action directed at women and girls everywhere: “Do not shrink yourself to fit into oppressive spaces. Do not accept abuse in the name of love or culture. Do not let society dictate your worth. Speak up, claim your space, and demand the rights that are yours.”

As the world observes this year’s International Women’s Day, Amb. Abdulazeez’s message is a reminder that the fight for gender equity is far from over. Her call for action is a clarion cry to build a future where every woman and girl can rise, lead, and live free from fear—because equity is not just a goal, it is a necessity for a better world.