The first National Woman’s Day was celebrated on February 28, 1909, by the Socialist Party of America.  A year later, Clara Zetkin a German fighter for women’s rights, proposed the idea of an International Women’s Day.  On the third consecutive year, March 19, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was held; more than one million people in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark took part.

This ideal inspired women in Russia, who in 1917, honored the day by beginning a strike for “bread and peace” as a protest to World War I and advocate for gender parity. The Military was given instructions to shoot any woman who refused to stand down. But the women would not be intimidated and continued their protests, which led the Czar to abdicate just days later. The provisional government then granted women in Russia the right to vote.

These were drastic times when women were heavily discriminated against, shut down, ignored and unnoticed.

Over a hundred years down the line, this day is commonly driven by PR agendas, commercializing the appreciation to the female gender and female employees.

At Oney Insurance we do it a bit differently, we engraved the true significance of what this day stands for in our ethos; by embracing diversity, practicing equality, and acting impartially, towards all employees, all genders, all cultures, all nationalities, as we encourage our employees to feel complete, whole and fulfilled – irrelevant of their gender.

As part of our daily effort to recognise women’s rights, the Company will be presenting a €500 donation to the Dar Merhba Bik Foundation, the first, and the largest emergency domestic violence accommodation in Malta, established in 1980.

The Foundation operates two homes, Dar Merhba Bik, an emergency accommodation for female victims of domestic violence and their children, and Dar Santa Bakhita, a second stage accommodation for survivors of domestic violence.

Oney Insurance CEO David Maly Of Waly said that on behalf of all the employees this year, the Company will be forwarding the budgeted cost usually spent on gifts, to a much better cause and one which adds value to the life of these women and children.

Oney Insurance commemorates this day dedicated to all the women who fought to make a difference by narrowing the gap, to all the leading women who brought gender equality, to all our female employees who, on a daily basis, strike a marked difference to the Company’s growing success!