In the last year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure on women has increased: they are at the forefront of medical and health services and need more than applause from the balconies. We support the trade union movement demanding decent work and decent wages for this sector. (read “A New Social Contract” by ITUC https://www.ituc-csi.org/IWD2021)
Women are under particular pressure with housework, family care, care for the elderly, they live the multiple burden as they are at the centre of their families, especially in single-parent families. In times of pandemic violence against women has increased worldwide and has no justification whatsoever. Migrant women and women in war zones are particularly exposed.
We condemn all acts of violence which must be legally prosecuted without placing the burden of proof on the women victims.
Anti-discrimination and gender equality must be at the centre of progressive public policies. We are proud that in all parts of the world more and more progressive parties and governments are led by women as well as different social resistance movements defending human, civil and social rights.
In this sense, we call for the celebration of International Women’s Day every day by fighting for their rights – together!
Declaration of Bahia Amra of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), Co-Chair of the Gender Equality Working Group of the Progressive Alliance
Last International Women’s Day, Palestinian women were bracing themselves in preparation for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first cases had been confirmed in the West Bankand city by city, Palestine closed all of its borders.
Globally, 2020 resulted in an increase in pressure on family units, with women carrying the bulk of the burden, often juggling work, with housework, family duties that had increased due tochildren and husbands being home, with many women needing to home school children. This increased the work of women’s “third and fourth shifts” in the home and added unnecessary pressure to home life, often resulting in a global and local rise in Gender Based Violence. Furthermore,as is so often the case in a crisis,women’s health was placed as a lower priority leaving even further unsupported. For Palestinian women, there was also an increase in pressure and work for their communities. With 70 percent of health and social care workers being female.
Despite the risks to themselves, many women volunteered to support their communities during this time, displaying great civic mindedness and leadership both at home,at work and in their communities, directly preventing further escalation of the pandemic. They did all of this, whilst also living under an illegal military occupation, which impinges on their rights as women on a daily basis.In the spirit of this year’s International Women’s Day them- “Leadership for achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” let us not only celebrate and recognize the achievements of all women globally, let us use this period of great change,to ensure women globally and in Palestine are given the opportunity and support to lead, at all levels of society
Statement by Suyen Barahona, President of Unamos, Nicaragua.
