GRAS and Green Youth on International Women's Day: Rights - no roses

2024-03-08 07:05:41

In order to draw attention to the lack of legal and social equality between the sexes, Green Youth and GRAS symbolically bury fundamental rights under roses

Vienna (OTS) – Green Youth and GRAS are burying fundamental rights under roses in a joint action in front of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to draw attention to the lack of legal and social equality between the sexes and are making a joint demand for March 8th to be a public holiday.

Deadly violence against women in Vienna and elsewhere has again reached a sad peak in recent weeks. The Green Youth Vienna sees femicides as the ultimate symptom of the structural disadvantage against women. Despite extensive legal equality, this still has its unmistakable place in Austrian society. ÖVP and FPÖ take up feminist debates with a call for gender bans, but recent events make clear how urgently needed real feminist politics is.

The Green Youth Vienna is therefore calling on Women’s Minister Raab to implement courageous, broad-based women’s policies that will sustainably protect women from gender-specific violence.

“While Minister for Women Raab never tires of praising her own policies, it is obvious: they are far from actually protecting women. Not vehemently advocating for the absolute protection and expansion of women’s rights and equality is a slap in the face to all victims of male violence.” said state spokeswoman Emma Novy against the background of recent events. “Real feminist progress and social change can only succeed if we get to the root of the problem. To achieve this, the enormous wage gap between men and women must finally be closed.”

For Sarah Rossmann, federal spokeswoman for GRAS, it is clear: “It is now time to speak out loudly in the common fight against patriarchal structures. Whether in terms of pay, medical care or education – women, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people (FINTA) are confronted with injustice in Austria every day. Every day FINTA experience patriarchal oppression and are exposed to violence. Femi(ni)cides are just the horrific tip of the iceberg,” says Rossmann.

“Not just on March 8th, but every day we have to fight and organize ourselves for a good life free from misogyny and patriarchal structures,” says the federal spokeswoman for the Greens and Alternative Students. “March 8th must not degenerate into a flower-giving day, but must always remain a day of feminist struggle,” said Rossmann.

The Green Youth Organizations see an attempt to shift and devalue the connotation of March 8th, from a day of struggle for basic rights and equality, to an economically profitable and capitalistically exploitable “Women’s Day”. The organizations therefore renew their joint demand for March 8th to be recognized as a public holiday. “March 8th must become a public holiday. Because this is about a long-needed sign of respect and recognition for the feminist fight for equality!” emphasize Novy and Rossmann together.

You can find photos of the campaign for free use here: