On the occasion of International Women’s Day, party chairperson Sandra Gauci said:”ADPD-The Green Party reaffirms its commitment to a society where women enjoy full equality, dignity and autonomy.”
While progress has been made in recent years, women in Malta continue to face structural inequalities. Gender-based violence remains a serious concern, with domestic violence representing a significant portion of police reports. Women are also under-represented in decision-making positions and continue to face economic inequalities such as the gender pay gap. This gap is decreasing year on year, but we must make sure that this trend continues.
We also welcome the effort in schools to facilitate access to menstrual products, ensuring dignity for all. Access to such products should be more widespread. Access to an essential aspect of women’s health, contraception, is still problematic especially for certain demographics.
We believe that equality cannot remain a slogan. It requires concrete political action: stronger protection against gender-based violence, effective support services for victims, fair pay, and policies that enable women to participate fully in political, economic and social life.
Women must also be trusted to make decisions about their own lives and health, and public policy must respect their dignity and autonomy. Unfortunately there are those who still insist that a woman should be at a serious and imminent risk of death for proper and timely healthcare. That is not health care, but cruelty.
International Women’s Day reminds us that equality benefits everyone. Progressives will continue insisting on fairer Malta where every woman and girl can live free from violence, discrimination and injustice.
Sandra Gauci, ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson, said that on International Women’s Day she augurs a Happy Women’s Day to all women in Malta, wherever they hail from, and expressed her solidarity with the activists and citizens participating in today’s Women’s Day march in Valletta, who continue to raise their voices for equality, dignity and justice.
***
Fl-okkażjoni ta’ Jum il-Mara, iċ-Chairperson tal-partit Sandra Gauci qalet: “ADPD – The Green Party jerġa’ jafferma l-impenn tiegħu lejn soċjetà fejn in-nisa jgawdu ugwaljanza sħiħa, dinjità u awtonomija.”
Filwaqt li sar progress f’dawn l-aħħar snin, in-nisa f’Malta għadhom jiffaċċjaw inugwaljanzi strutturali. Il-vjolenza bbażata fuq il-ġeneru tibqa’ tħassib serju, bil-vjolenza domestika tirrappreżenta porzjon sinifikanti tar-rapporti lill-pulizija. In-nisa mhux rappreżentati biżżejjed f’pożizzjonijiet ta’ teħid ta’ deċiżjonijiet u jkomplu jiffaċċjaw inugwaljanzi ekonomiċi bħad-differenza fil-paga bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel. Din id-differenza qed tonqos minn sena għal oħra, iżda rridu niżguraw li din it-tendenza tkompli.
Nilqgħu wkoll l-isforz fl-iskejjel biex jiġi ffaċilitat l-aċċess għal prodotti mestrwali, biex tiġi żgurata d-dinjità għal kulħadd. L-aċċess għal dawn il-prodotti għandu jkun aktar mifrux. L-aċċess għal aspett essenzjali tas-saħħa tan-nisa, il-kontraċezzjoni, għadu problematiku speċjalment għal ċerti gruppi demografiċi.
Aħna nemmnu li l-ugwaljanza ma tistax tibqa’ slogan. Teħtieġ azzjoni politika konkreta: protezzjoni aktar b’saħħitha kontra l-vjolenza bbażata fuq il-ġeneru, servizzi ta’ appoġġ effettivi għall-vittmi, paga ġusta, u politiki li jippermettu lin-nisa jipparteċipaw b’mod sħiħ fil-ħajja politika, ekonomika u soċjali.
In-nisa għandhom ukoll jiġu fdati biex jieħdu deċiżjonijiet dwar ħajjithom u saħħithom stess, u l-politika pubblika trid tirrispetta d-dinjità u l-awtonomija tagħhom. Sfortunatament hemm min għadu jinsisti li mara għandha tkun f’riskju serju u imminenti ta’ mewt biex tingħata kura tas-saħħa xierqa u f’waqtha. Dik mhijiex kura tas-saħħa, iżda krudeltà.
Sandra Gauci esprimiet is-solidarjetà tagħha mal-attivisti u ċ-ċittadini li ipparteċipaw fil-marċ tal-Jum il-Mara tal-lum fil-Belt Valletta. Dawn qed ikomplu jgħollu leħinhom għall-ugwaljanza, id-dinjità u l-ġustizzja.
