[ARCHIVO] President Bachelet on Women’s Day: “Despite the progress made, we know that there is still a long way to go before we can say we have reached full equality”
The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, this morning headed the official celebration of International Women’s Day at the Civic Square in La Pintana, with nearly 2,000 representatives in attendance of women’s organizations, international agencies, government authorities, congresswomen and beneficiaries of programs sponsored by the Women and Gender Equality Ministry.
During the act, recognition was given to the women who participated in combating the recent wildfires such as firefighters, National Forestry Service (CONAF) brigade members and park rangers, nurses, and others.
“I’m happy because over the last few days I’ve met with women from different backgrounds. Yesterday, I was with international women leaders. Later, I met with women entrepreneurs, who work hard every day to advance with their businesses, ideas, and projects. And now I see all of you, as always, full of energy and joy”, President Bachelet said in her opening remarks.
Likewise, she said that “until recently, women’s history was full of duties and with very few rights” and that “despite the progress made, we know that there is still a long way to go before we can say we have reached full equality”. In this regard, she made a call “to change this reality, end with the double shift, discrimination, stereotypes, injustice, and we need to do it fast, because we can’t wait another 70 or 80 years for things to become more equal”!
President Bachelet placed special emphasis on that “we don’t have 70 or 80 years to stop domestic or intimate-partner violence, to end harassment on the street or on the job, to establish equal pay, to be able to work and conciliate that job with life at home without becoming exhausted, for our voice to be represented in Congress or for us to be able to decide over our bodies and our family planning. We don’t have that patience, and it isn’t ethical to ask us to have it. We have to hurry up now”.
Referring to the remaining challenges, President Bachelet emphasized the need to end with the violence. “Last year, 34 women died at the hands of their current or former partners, and so far this year, 6 women have been killed while another 19 were frustrated femicides. This is unacceptable. It is a reality that we all know, either directly or indirectly; we all know stories of violence that have to stop now”.
In this respect, she said that “we are making every effort to put a stop to this as soon as possible. We are developing a series of actions for women to have a place to go to with their children in case they are in danger. To provide them with legal and professional counseling, to accompany them in filing a complaint and in the court, to implement harsher sentences, to also punish violence while dating and to guarantee their integrity and peace of mind”.
To this effect, the President explained that the number of shelters and women’s centers has increased, and different programs have been implemented to facilitate their entry into the job market and develop their own business such as More Capable, Entrepreneur Schools, Bee Capital, Banco Estado’s Women Entrepreneur Growth, among others.
Additionally, in a move to foster promotions and for women to reach higher positions, the State has set an example by increasing, from 5% to 40%, the number of women directors in public companies.
In conclusion, President Bachelet emphasized that “it is time for our daughters and granddaughters to know that there will be no barriers in their development just for being born female. It is time to do the job together so all of this can happen quickly and we can witness this new Chile, even those of us who are not that young. For this we unite, to give each other strength, to commemorate this Women’s Day. So that, within a few years, the changes that we need today and that we are pushing for become a reality and we can say the battle has been won”.