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Faced with gender violence, feminist leaderships

2021-03-29T05:32:04.926Z


The pandemic threatens to unleash a regression in the situation of women around the world. To avoid this, we launched the Generación Igualdad forum, which will try to help transform reality


EVA VÁZQUEZ

This March marks the first anniversary of what was, in many countries, the outbreak of covid-19, with all its consequences.

A pandemic that for millions of women around the world has represented a particular hell as a result of the worsening and exacerbation of cases of violence and abuse suffered, often in silence.

The confinement and quarantine measures sorely needed to contain the spread of the virus have led to an alarming increase in violence against women around the world.

The United Nations estimates that sexist violence has increased by 30% globally during confinement.

According to the latest available data, in Latin American countries, helplines have reported an increase of between 30% and 50% in the number of calls received, while in Spain there was an increase of 60% in calls. requests for help compared to the previous year.

Locked up with their abusers, women victims of violence have had greater difficulties in accessing support networks and care services.

In addition, the economic impact of the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected women, has also created additional barriers.

The massive destruction of female employment, both formal and informal, as well as the increased burden of care work, has prevented many survivors from walking away or reporting their perpetrators due to increased economic insecurity.

By the end of this year, for every 100 men living in extreme poverty there will be 118 women.

In many cases of violence, income is literally vital.

Without them, the vulnerability of women grows exponentially.

Latin America is one of the most progressive regions in the world in terms of legislation on gender violence.

In this sense, it should be noted, for example, that the countries of the region have been pioneers in the approval of laws or reforms in criminal codes to classify the crime of murdering a woman for the mere fact of being a woman, under the name of femicide or feminicide.

However, there is still a long way to go in all Ibero-American countries to ensure the effective implementation of these laws, as well as to strengthen women's access to justice and comprehensive support for victims-survivors of violence.

It is intolerable, in the XXI century, the persistence of this “shadow pandemic” that affects one in three women at some point in her life, and that claims thousands of lives every year.

According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2019 alone, at least 4,640 women were victims of femicide in Latin America, which implies an increase of more than 30% compared to the previous year.

Violence against women and girls has many faces.

From its most definitive manifestation, murder or femicide, to forms of violence directed against girls, such as child marriage or female genital mutilation.

It also includes sexual violence carried out in humanitarian contexts and in conflicts, harassment in public spaces and in the workplace, political violence and, of course, violence at the hands of a partner.

Many of these types of violence also converge on a worrying phenomenon and against which we must act decisively: trafficking in human beings.

Women and girls represent more than 70% of the victims of trafficking.

Impunity, silence and the enormous challenges of international coordination make this crime a real scourge, which we must urgently address.

In this context, no society, no political leader can afford to look the other way.

Violence against women is not only a profound injustice, but a drag on the social and economic progress of the entire society.

The United Nations estimates the cost of gender-based violence at a loss of 2% of GDP globally.

We will not end poverty if we do not say enough to sexist violence.

Offering solutions to the health crisis and its economic derivative must therefore go through a collective effort that allows us to advance in the fight for equality between women and men: it was a priority before the pandemic, and even more so now. .

Not only in the most evident drama of the fight against gender violence and its intolerable impunity, but also in confronting all aspects that sustain and perpetuate discrimination and inequality against women in all areas and at all levels.

A society that integrates women in all areas of politics and the economy is not only fairer, but more prosperous;

its growth will be more sustainable, in the medium and long term.

The participation and leadership of women in the definition of public policies is necessary not only in order to address the specific needs of women and the gender-differentiated impacts of the pandemic, but also because it represents an essential element for strengthening our democracies and to improve resilience to future crises.

The economic empowerment of women generates employment, health and wealth, for them and their families, because women also tend to invest more in their respective homes.

In short, it is necessary to have gender equality as the backbone of recovery.

For this, we need more transformative feminist leadership in institutions and in civil society;

that they implement transversal public policies in favor of real equality between men and women and that promote citizen awareness to support and promote successful collective actions, avoiding the risk of setback.

Institutional actions are much less effective if they are not accompanied by a change from below, if they are not complemented by a widespread conviction among an aware population.

Something that we have seen with challenges such as the fight against climate change: it has been with citizen involvement - with special mention of the younger layers of the population - that the environmental cause has taken a truly transformative momentum in the public powers and in the private company.

The feminist struggle has advanced in this regard in recent years, but not enough.

Hence, in an increasingly massive way, we took to the streets to demand our rights and an effective and real equality.

With special symbolism in the massive marches of each March 8, International Women's Day, in Madrid, Mexico or Buenos Aires, but also in other cities around the world, from Jakarta to London or Rabat.

Now, the pandemic threatens to unleash an involution that will punish, no doubt, millions of women around the world.

To avoid this, let us launch from the Generation Equality Forum, convened by UN Women, Mexico and France and whose first meeting will take place at the end of March in Mexico City, an appeal to all citizens who share this cause to transform the reality of millions of women and girls.

A cause that challenges all of us —in Latin America and in any other region, in the institutions and in the streets—, because feminism is a flag of the entire society.

Arancha González Laya

is Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation of Spain;

Rebeca Grynspan

is Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat;

Epsy Campbell

is Vice President of Costa Rica;

Marta Lucía Ramírez

is Vice President of Colombia;

Also signed are

Isabel de Saint Malo,

former vice president of Panama;

Patricia Mercado,

Mexican senator and

Carmen Arístegui,

Mexican journalist and writer.

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2021-03-29

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