In this city, women of all ages took part in the several-kilometer-long demonstration, which began at Plaza Baquedano called De la Dignidad, passed in front of La Moneda Palace and ended at Los Héroes train station.
“We are here for equal rights and so they don’t keep killing us,” activist Daniela Lavarello of the Rebelión del Cuerpo collective told Prensa Latina.
He denounced that even women’s salaries for equal work are much lower than men’s and that women still die from gender-based violence.
In 2021, according to official figures, the wage gap widened to 21 percent, combined with the effects of Covid-19, which led to a decline in women’s labor force participation due in part to their focus on care and housework.
For her part, Verónica Sagal of the Metropolitan Regional Teachers College expressed that the pandemic has also exacerbated violence against women due to the two years in prison.
“We need to change the old ways of raising children and move towards non-sexist parenting,” Sagal said, stressing the importance of participating in this march for women’s dignity.
The demonstration along Alameda Avenue was peaceful and ended with an action in the Plaza de los Héroes.
Similar demonstrations took place today in Valparaíso, Concepción, Temuco, Puerto Williams, Osorno, among others.
To commemorate International Women’s Day, the government announced its decision to process the Right to Live Free from Violence Bill as soon as possible, so that it will come into force in the first half of this year.
jha/car