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Tomorrow, the Prime Minister’s wife, Kim Barrow is calling out all women to march twenty thousand strong in an empowerment rally. Â But, the Roman Catholic Church, now joined by the 7th Day Adventists have come out against the event. Â The Catholics say the National Women’s Commission is behind it, and that office, quote, “promotes values that contradict Christian and moral teachings regarding respect for all human life, family marriage, and human sexuality… the well-being of women (cannot) be enhanced by advocacy which promotes abortions and so called pseudo rights of men and women and same sex relationships.â€￾

That’s the equivalent of a drop kick in karate, delivered just less than 48 hours before the rally. Â Today Special Envoy Kim Barrow reacted:

Kim Simplis-Barrow - Special Envoy For Women And Children
"Well, it's of course disappointing. It's something that I wasn't expecting. It's regrettable that I was not asked for an audience, that no clarification was requested from me as to what this is about. So, it's really bothersome, but we move on. We respect the church."

Jules Vasquez
"The statement from the church says the National Women's Commission, which is the lead organizing agent, is an advocate of abortions and an advocate of disordered sexual activity."

Kim Simplis-Barrow
"I have to say this. My office is the organizer of this 20,000 Strong Women's Empowerment Rally. The National Women's Commission is serving as the Secretariat. They are doing the logistical works for my office. So, I really respectfully think that the Catholic Church was fed wrong information, really seriously wrong information I would hope that they would reconsider, and they would join with us in celebrating our Belizean women. Is the Catholic Churches, in your opinion, is the church's attack on the rally sexist?"

Kim Simplis-Barrow
"I think that from the feedback that I've gotten, yes." 

Barrow’s office sent out a release this afternoon the event is intended simply to honor and uplift women. Â But it also wants to underscore how important women are to the operation of every sphere of endeavor in Belize, from home-making to office-running. Â WE asked her about the real purpose of tomorrow’s rally:

Kim Simpliss-Barrow - Special Envoy For Women And Children
"It's a symbolic gesture for women. It has never been done before, where we call our women to come together under one umbrella, no matter who you are, or where you all. It is a kick-off. It is the launch of a series of events that we'll be having. Janelle Chanona will be presenting a way forward inspiring women, the day, tomorrow, which will include our action plan for the rest of the year. Now, we wanted to make it big because we wanted to make people, women, away of what we're doing, and to capture people's attention, to get them to come out. This - and I must repeat - it's really about celebrating who we are as women, how far we've come. I might be marching tomorrow for celebrating my life. I'm celebrating life; I'm celebrating a second chance that was given to me. Someone else might be celebrating the fact that their husband left them with 3 kids, and saying, you know what? I'm working and struggling, but my kids are in school, and I am surviving."

Jules Vasquez
"You're asking employers, or you're asking people to leave their work to come out and march, but is that practical?"

Kim Simpliss - Barrow
"It's symbolic, yes, it's imagine a day without women, and it's not a punishment to men. Imagine your workforce without women. Imagine how that day would be."

Jules Vasquez
"So, you want to feel it."

Kim Simplis-Barrow
"Yes, that's the point, to feel what it would be like." 

The march starts at 8:00 am tomorrow at the Memorial Park and it will be followed by a rally. Â We’ll have coverage on tomorrow’s news.