Bulgarian Fund for Women organizes the March for Women’s Rights for a third consecutive year. It will take place on March 8, 2019 at 6 p.m. in front of the Council of Ministers.
On March 8, it is important to recall that women in Bulgaria have been struggling for equality for more than a century. Moreover, that thanks to this long tradition of struggle, today we have the right to vote and participate in the government, to study at the university and to work for a salary. But we are not quite equal yet! We swallow up our opinions to please the boss, take the responsibility of being both homemakers and members of the workforce, at night we are afraid to go home alone, we are afraid to anger our husband / partner because he may attack us, we are afraid we will be violated or abused even when we give birth. The Ministry of Interior statistics* show a dramatic increase in domestic violence cases over the last three years. The data from the jurisprudence of the regional courts ** confirm this terrifying trend. And the Bulgarian court continues to accept jealousy as a “mitigating circumstance”.
In the meantime, the Bulgarian government and MPs continue to use hate speech against the most vulnerable groups and deny the existence of gender-based violence. With the rising conservative response to women’s rights around the world, we can lose everything the women’s movement of our grandmothers and greatgrandmothers has achieved over the past hundred years. For in our country there are sexist politicians, a product of the patriarchal culture. For in our country too all political parties have unanimously betrayed the struggles of women.
March 8 is still a day of political discourse and activism. And on this March 8, the march is for everyone! Because we deserve to live in a just world in which to be free and respected. We insist that we should not be victims of violence, receive wages and pensions not just equal to men’s, but also guaranteeing a dignified life. We call for the ruling parties to work for laws and institutions that protect and uphold the human rights and human dignity of all women, regardless of their ethnicity and religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, migrant and socio-economic status or disability.
If you are tired of reading news about beaten and murdered women every week, if you are a victim of violence, if you are friends or relatives of women who are still victims, or are no longer among us, if you are afraid to walk alone by night, if you do not feel safe in your own home, if you do not want to be judged by your appearance, if you do not want to be poor simply because you are a woman, if you support the right of every woman to make decisions about her own body, if you sick of political inactivity, indolence, insincerity, and fake news, join the Women’s Rights March 2019. Come to demand adequate measures and legislation. Let’s demonstrate together that we care, before we become people who do not respect any human rights!
The March for Women’s Rights is supported by:
