On March 8, we say no to violence, war and patriarchy and we demand the implementation of measures to achieve true equality
8 March, International Women’s DayThere is still a long way to go before true equality is achieved – Photos by Matheus Ferrero, Yogendra Singh, Nasik Lababan, Etty Fidele, and Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
By Montse Rafel, Director-General of Dianova – Today we celebrate the International Women’s Day, a symbol of the historic struggle for full equality of rights between men and women around the world. We celebrate the progress that has been made over the past decades, but there is still a long way to go before true equality is achieved.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the structural inequalities faced by women, which has led to increased vulnerability and lack of protection. It is therefore necessary for governments and society itself to provide effective responses to these problems. In addition, climate change has a dramatic impact on the most vulnerable, namely women and children. In fact, it is the most important challenge facing the world today. The time to take action to mitigate the consequences of global warming is now. Time is running out!
Women have always been exposed to gender discrimination in different forms (unbalanced responsibility for care and domestic tasks, wage gap, glass ceiling and sticky floor, sexual harassment, gender-based violence, under-representation in power bodies and political spaces, invisibility, etc.).
Climate change only amplifies these discriminations. Poverty has a woman’s face and the consequences of poverty are exacerbated by the fact that one is (born) female.
It would be impossible not to mention Ukraine, given the extreme violations of the rights of its people, especially women and children.
In the words of journalist Violeta Assiego, “there is a direct link between war and patriarchy, because it is women and people from the most precarious, vulnerable and fragile sectors who suffer the most serious consequences: children, sexual dissidents, migrants, the poor, the elderly, the sick or the disabled, etc.”
On the occasion of this World Day, Dianova calls for peaceful solutions to conflicts, for distancing ourselves, as a society, from violence and injustice, for building feminist alliances to protect women and children.
Furthermore, there is an urgent need to realize that women with addiction problems still represent only a small proportion of patients accessing recovery programmes and that the pandemic has made it even more difficult to access specific health services.
In our association, we work to develop actions and programmes that actively contribute to personal self-reliance and social progress, and to make this happen, it is essential to advocate a more gender-equal society. This is why, in addition to participating in various advocacy initiatives with our partners, we will set up reflection and awareness-raising activities with the beneficiaries of our centres and the professional teams.
Fighting for a more equal society is everyone’s business, and as a social organisation, it is our raison d’être.
