Women: every day stronger
In countries like Ireland, a referendum is scheduled to be held in late May to decide whether the right to abortion is relaxed, an act that is only authorized in that country at present if the pregnancy poses a real and substantial risk to the mother's life.
In Central America, on the other hand, anti-abortion laws are strictly strict, as illustrated by the release of El Salvador, Teodora Vásquez, imprisoned for 11 years after a dramatic birth that was qualified by the courts for aggravated homicide. These and others could be the most difficult struggles that women and movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp have to carry out, which seek to make women's voices heard. Christine Mauget, denounces the cases of women who are forced to emigrate for economic reasons and in the place that they end up being disrespected, they are even violated.
The #MeToo movement will enjoy a lasting impact on women's rights? After the Harvey Weinstein scandal erupted five months ago, mobilization against sexual violence is almost universal, yet the challenges of gender equality remain.Regardless of #MeToo and #Timesup born in the United States, other historical initiatives have allowed women to conquer rights in recent months.
A tangible example of this is Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world that prevents women from driving and has said in a statement to the press that women can take the wheel from next June. Also, in January, for the first time, they managed to enter the football stadiums, although they are still subject to the sponsorship of a man to study or travel.
On the other hand, in Iran, since December, some women are notoriously and publicly challenging not to wear the veil in public spaces. According to the French Family Planning Agency, on the occasion of the International Day of Women's Rights, Christine Mauget, assumes that these are small steps in worlds where the issue of women is very controlled.
Due to the size of the #MeToo movement, Mauget is optimistic but foresees that although the right path has been taken when raising his voice, he recognizes that there will be setbacks, such as the right to abortion and contraception. Regarding the issue, the Council of Europe spoke last December and spoke about retrograde restrictions on access to contraception and abortion in several countries in Europe, with a notable emphasis on Armenia, Macedonia, Georgia, Slovakia and Russia.
Likewise, Poland values the possibility of fortifying its already restrictive legislation on abortion. The voluntary interruption of pregnancy, under the impulse of the ultraconservatives, could stop being considered for cases of malformation of the fetus. According to the commissioner for human rights, Nils Muižnieks, in the report of the Council of Europe in countries where the law is less restricted, women sometimes face important obstacles. For example, in Italy, seven out of ten health professionals refuse to license an abortion, invoking a conscience clause. In Turkey, on the other hand, a married woman must count first, with the consent of her husband to have an abortion.
