XÀBIA COMMEMORATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Xàbia Council marked International Women’s Day yesterday (Friday 8th) with a gathering in front of the town hall at midday, the façade of the building having been decorated with murals created by high school students, to listen to the reading of a manifesto in defence of women’s rights and gender equality (see below for transcript).

The councillor responsible for Equality, Fátima Jarjor (PP), opened the reading before representatives from each of the political parties on the local council continued, with the concluding part read by the mayor of Xàbia, Rosa Cardona.

After the reading, all those attending were able to listen to the four songs that were written by students from IES La Mar and IES Antonio Llído in collaboration with the guitarist from the group Smoking Souls, Pau Camps, which conveyed messages demanding equality.

At the end of the event, the mayor and councillors distributed commemorative 8M bracelets to all those attending whilst, during the morning, both the mayor and the Equality councillor handed out white roses to all local council workers, an act made possible with the collaboration of the Rotary Club Jávea.

Xàbia Manifesto · March 8th

March 8 has its roots in women’s struggle for their rights. In 1908, a group of women textile workers went on strike in New York to protest their inhumane working conditions and demand better wages, hours and working conditions. This strike was an important precursor for women’s rights.

Undoubtedly, much progress has been made, but we are aware that there is still much to be done, and without doubt the Town Councils play an essential role in achieving the much-needed real equality that we all desire.

On International Women’s Day, local organizations commit to promoting gender equality in all areas of society. We recognize that there are still systemic inequalities that affect women in our communities and we are committed to addressing them actively and effectively, having special sensitivity to those women who have it most difficult, such as women with disabilities, migrant women, women of different ethnic groups and women who live in the rural environment.

Progress cannot be made without half the population, which are women, or at their expense. As expressed by the United Nations, “gender equality is today’s greatest challenge in terms of human rights”. In addition, the progress of women is a factor that benefits society as a whole.

We reaffirm our commitment to the human rights of all women and girls, including the right to equality, autonomy over their bodies and decisions, and the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination, and this is why we undertake to comply with the measures implemented in the State Pact against Gender-Based Violence. For this reason, it is essential to renew the great social and political achievement that the State Pact against gender-based violence entailed, and to combine efforts and increase prevention resources to attend to women who are victims of gender-based violence.

We are committed to implementing policies and programs that promote gender equality in access to education, employment, health, political participation and decision-making at all levels.

We urge all local entities to adopt concrete measures to achieve parity in decision-making and end the gender wage gap, end the involuntary partiality to which many women are exposed, guarantee the equitable representation of women in all areas of public life and promote a safe and respectful environment for all women and girls. It is essential to promote care services from the public to facilitate that motherhood does not penalize women in the labor market, because the burden of care falls on them.

We call to action our communities to unite in solidarity with women around the world and work together to create a fairer and more equal future for all people, regardless of gender. Equality policies must be transversal and permeate all of our actions. F

Xàbia Council commits itself to continue promoting the advances that achieve a better society. Together and together, we can build a world where all women and girls can live free from discrimination and violence.