The President of the Republic celebrates this Wednesday the “unbreakable strength of women”, on the international day dedicated to them, and considers that the steps taken towards equality in Portugal are still insufficient.
“On this International Women’s Day, at a time when the challenges of the recent pandemic are added to the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the daily lives of all, the President of the Republic celebrates the unbreakable strength of women in all domains of Portuguese society”, says the head of state.
In a message published on site official of the Presidency of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa adds: “Workers, caregivers, protagonists of big and small history — mothers, grandmothers, companions, friends — continuous example, through generations, of wisdom, courage, care, despite the obstacles with they encounter, the violence, harassment and discrimination that so often victims them, even within their families”.
“Our democracy has taken decisive steps to safeguard equality in the law and mitigate discrimination against women in the Constitution, in legislation, in the family, in the revision of the Civil Code, in employment parity, in salaries, in management positions, in politics , family and domestic responsibilities, protection against violence — big steps, but still insufficient in promoting equal opportunities”, he considers.
The President of the Republic argues that on this international day “it is important to recognize the role of women in the fight for their rights, historical inspiration of other fights against injustice in our society and around the world”.
“To all women and especially to those whose invisibility, fear and suffering are lived in silence, the President of the Republic today extends his solidarity recognition, his gratitude felt in his role for the construction of a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous Portugal “, reads the message.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa ends this note with “a word of hope”, referring that today, symbolically, he will have a meeting with an association created by women who live or have lived in a homeless situation.
Costa and Government promise more equality
The Prime Minister, António Costa, also marked International Women’s Day this Wednesday with a message in which he highlighted the Government’s commitment to the fight for equality so that “all men and women” can explore their potential.
“On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements and progress of all women, achievements of society as a whole. I salute the courage of all those who fight for equality and those who raise their voices, throughout the world, for this common cause”, wrote the leader of the executive, in the social network Twitter.
In his message, the prime minister also highlighted “the Government’s commitment to this fight for equality, so that everyone can explore their potential and make their dreams come true”.
The Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Ana Catarina Mendes, praised the role of all women over time in favor of equality, noting that there is still “a long way to go”.
“On International Women’s Day, a word of praise to all the women who, over decades and centuries, have fought for equality to be less and less a mirage”, he said in a message published on Twitter.
According to the minister, who oversees issues of citizenship and equality, “there is still a long way to go, but much has been achieved thanks to your courage”.
In the message to mark International Women’s Day, Ana Catarina Mendes also stresses that everyone must continue to “build and consolidate equality” on a daily basis.”This is our commitment and the best way to honor the courage of so many women who yesterday and today they fight for a more equal world and for less and less women to suffer from inequalities”, she pointed out.
Women’s struggle is everyday, says Santos Silva
The President of the Assembly of the Republic, for his part, stressed that democracy was removing from the law the discrimination that existed in relation to women and considered that the fight for their rights should be waged every day, in a video message.
“It is very important that we continue to celebrate International Women’s Day as a day for equality, equality between women and men, between men and women. This equality is stronger today than it was in law, in the sense that certain barriers have been removed that represented discrimination against women. And I wanted to remember that, remember that before the 25th of April in Portugal there was even legal discrimination, in the law, against women”, he observed.
Augusto Santos Silva later mentioned that, for example, “women were prevented from being soldiers, diplomats or judges”. “Fortunately, with democracy, these discriminations in law have been systematically removed. But not all discriminations in practice. .
The President of Parliament defended that it is “important to be aware of the most serious problems that the country faces, because some of them are problems linked precisely to gender discrimination”. As examples, he pointed to the “scourge that is violence against women, in particular, domestic violence against women”.
“This day, International Women’s Day, is the day that exists and deserves to exist to remind us that the fight for equality, the fight for women’s rights, is a fight not for this day but for every day,” she added.