[ARCHIVO] President Bachelet Appoints Minister of Women and Gender Equity: “We are delivering on a commitment that we made to Chile.”

In the Montt Varas Salon at La Moneda Presidential Palace, President Michelle Bachelet, accompanied by her cabinet, swore in the first Minister of Women and Gender Equity, Claudia Pascual. In addition, Bernarda Pérez, the Assistant Director of the National Women’s Service, assumed the position of Undersecretary of the Ministry. “As you know, the creation of this new institution was a commitment that we made during our campaign and one of the first measures that we promoted when we assumed the Presidency in 2014. Today it is a reality. As is the case with many other areas such as education and tax equity, or the updating of our Constitution, we are delivering on a commitment that we made to Chile,” said President Bachelet as she began her remarks.

She then referred to the priorities of the new ministry, which opened its doors on June 1. “It is not enough to create a ministry. There are tasks that require immediate attention, and the most important of these is undoubtedly addressing violence against women.

“As I was during my first administration, I am personally committed to continuing to promote initiatives that represent concrete steps towards stopping violence against women. I would say that it is the worst violation of human rights that we face as a country today; a true erosion of the social fabric.”

As she ended her speech, the President reviewed the challenges that the ministry faces, stating that, “The promotion of women’s rights also involves strengthening the role of women in our society. That means that in addition to the work that the Ministry must do, there need to be transversal policies throughout all of the ministries with a gender perspective that allows for effective equality. As such, I have asked the minister and her team to also prioritize measures that promote female participation in the labor market and positions of power because if we do not do so, we will not close the enormous gender gaps or move beyond more backward visions of women’s abilities.”