At the commemoration of International Women’s Day, former president and current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet greeted the women who make up the front line of health, women who have fought for their rights, and a new constitution written with parity. In addition, he highlighted the role of those who, since quarantine, have worked and raised, as well as those women who lost their jobs under the pandemic.
Through a video published by Horizonte Ciudadano, the former representative referred to the constituent process, noting that “there will be no peace, progress or equality if women do not have the same rights and full participation. And in this 2021, the struggle for equity continues in a very concrete way because this April 11th defends itself at the ballot box worthy and accompanied old age, free and quality education, life free from violence, sexual and reproductive rights among so many other things”.
The high commissioner’s call is not to back down. “We must continue to make progress in the quest for equality between women and men.” Ahead of the April 11 election, Michelle Bachelet invited “individuals and collectively committed to doing everything possible to protect and promote women’s rights, who seek to end discrimination in all areas of women’s lives and girls in all territories of the globe”.
In addition, the former president emphasized that “this year we have a unique opportunity in history: we have never before witnessed this impetus and this mobilization so that equity is embodied in a new Constitution.”
The final message was clear. “It is time for our daughters and our granddaughters to know that there will be no barriers to their development just because women were born. It’s time to do the glue together, together and together, so that we can all witness that new Chile.”
