President Piñera signs Constitutional Reform bill to promote gender equity
The measure seeks to establish as a State duty the promotion and guarantee of full equality of rights, duties and dignity between men and women, avoiding all forms of abuse or discrimination. “I see a strong will and commitment from the entire country, which has said ‘enough’ and has enthusiastically and decisively joined in this great mission to bring about a legislative change as well as a cultural one,” the President said.
On Monday, President Sebastián Piñera, Women and Gender Equity Minister Isabel Pláand Minister Secretary General of the Presidency Gonzalo Blumelsigned the Constitutional Gender Equity Reform Billto establish the promotion and guarantee of full equality of rights between men and women as a duty of the State.
“Our mission as a government is to take a major step forward so that Chile will achieve comprehensive development and can eliminate poverty before the next decade is over. In order to achieve this comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable development, we must move forward starting today with new vigor and iron-clad decisiveness towards a society in which men and women have the same rights, duties, opportunities and dignity,” the President said. He was accompanied by First Lady Cecilia Morel.
Last Wednesday, the government presented a series of initiativesto promote gender equity in the public and private sectors. The Women’s Agendaincludes 12 measures including this constitutional reform.
They also include the passage of the Public Universities Law, which extends the prevention and prohibition of discriminatory acts and regulates the relationship between teachers and students; the reform of the private health system to end pricing differences between men and women; the expansion of the 4-7 program coverage; and streamlining of the process by which child support can be collected by women.
“The quality of a society is measured by the justice with which we treat women and the respect that we provide for their dignity. In addition, truly comprehensive development must be inclusive, that is, it must allow all people to realize their potential, ideally to the fullest extent,” the President said.
President Piñera also reminded his audience of the words of Rainer María Rilke: “The new world that we need today can only come from the hands, intelligence and heart of women.”