Speech by the Secretary General of the C.C. of AKEL A. Kyprianou at the breakfast in honor of International Women’s Day
AKEL C.C. Press Office, Wednesday 8th March 2017, Nicosia
On behalf of the C.C. of AKEL I express our warm thanks for your reply to our invitation. This gathering on International Women’s Day has now been established as a custom, not for formal but substantive reasons. We don’t simply want to wish and congratulate you for all that you do and what you offer daily, but we also want to listen and learn from you. We want to talk with all of you, each and every one of you separately about what we as AKEL could do more on women’s issues and as regards wider social issues that concern you.
Last year’s “Eurobarometer” revealed that one in four consider “rape is legitimate.” A women today can’t dress as she pleases, because if something happens to her, many will think or suggest that she provoked it. A woman can’t speak as she wants, as some will say she talks too much. A woman can’t decide about her own body, because some will say she’s a murderer. A woman can’t currently get promoted in her job, without even one person thinking that she got promoted in a devious way. A woman today is permanently forced to battle with time, to adapt herself and her body to stereotypes, to obey her father, brother, husband and boss. At the same time she is forced to be the best employee, wife, housewife and the best mother. In addition, she is expected to fulfill all these roles and to do so equally well.
Women have experienced and still experience a double oppression today. They experienced and still experience the exploitation of the system, both as working women and women. It’s true that almost everyone today speaks or writes about gender equality. The question is what content one gives to it, from what starting point and with what objective each political force speaks about these issues.
Today’s woman is working more and getting paid less. How many working women keep silent about pay inequality so that they won’t find themselves unemployed? How many young working women don’t even have the self-evident, namely the whole maternity leave because if they fight for it they will lose their job? How many young women can’t count on any state assistance whatsoever, on any state infrastructure if they want to be both working women and mothers? How many young women don’t have access to the necessary annual gynecological exams due to financial difficulties, but also because of the chaos that exists in public hospitals?
The economic crisis and its consequences have particularly hit and are hitting women doubly. Just a few days ago the European Commission’s country report on the Cyprus economy stated that the economic crisis has led to increased inequalities, risk of poverty and growing social exclusion. It also reveals that the unemployment rate remains at high levels and that the economic indicators relating to social exclusion and poverty of working people are deteriorating. Furthermore, access to health care is limited. All this cannot but cause subsequent effects on women’s lives too. All these tie women’s struggles with the struggles for labour and social rights of all working people.
Today we are honored to have with us women who have made and are making their own mark on political, social and cultural affairs and struggles. We want to hear what you want to tell us. We want to stand by your side, as supporters and in solidarity, and where we can offer our practical assistance.
Our positions, for example, on health have women at their core because the understaffed gynecological clinics cannot meet the demands, but also because public hospitals with the many problems they face do not allow us to hope for the immediate functioning of a Breast Centre or the promotion of vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer.
We led the way in submitting a bill for the modernization of the legislation governing abortion and the full protection of sexual and reproductive rights. We tabled concrete proposals for the revision of family legislation, but also for the provision of social support towards single parent families. We are at the forefront and will continue to play a pioneering role on the issue of safeguarding the sexual and reproductive rights of women and the need for sex education in schools. At the same time we do not omit to simultaneously promote, both inside and outside Parliament, positions and proposals for unemployed women, but also for the provision of all-round support of working women.
What I can assure you is that we will continue to struggle not only inside the House of Representatives, but also outside it, by projecting radical proposals in order to win a very difficult battle: the battle to break taboos, prejudices, stereotypes and sexist attitudes and perceptions. This should be everyone’s cause. This objective characterizes and should characterize the consciousness of each and every one of us, in the family, the educational system, the mass media, the Internet and many other fields.
I wouldn’t like to end my intervention without saying a few words about the principal issue facing our people, namely the Cyprus problem and the attempt to solve it.
A completely wrong decision taken by the majority of the House of Representatives was the reason for the talks to be interrupted. However currently the real intentions of each and every one will be revealed. We will not tire of repeating the following: the two leaders must rise to the occasion. They should overcome whatever personal feelings they have and find a way to resume the negotiations.
Since the crisis began AKEL has been trying to help towards overcoming it. We called on Mr. Anastasiades to categorically denounce the substance of the decision approved by the majority of the House of Representatives.
We called on Mr. Akinci not give excessive dimensions to the issue.
We undertook initiatives for contacts with Turkish Cypriot political forces, calling on them to act positively towards Mr. Akinci.
We urged both leaders to refrain from making statements that would add to the tension that already existed.
Unfortunately the nationalism of one community is being invoked by the nationalism of the other community, and both of them meet at the point of preventing any attempt for reunification.
Let’s not do them the favour by sacrificing the future and perspective of our homeland and people.
Can we nevertheless go to the negotiating table and continue from where we had remained?
Woe betide if we don’t do so.
Woe betide if the two leaders don’t find a way of overcoming the situation created and don’t resume substantive negotiations.
Woe betide if once again the future of the country is sacrificed, either for obsessions and emotions, either for petty-party and petty-political and other expediencies and considerations. If we do so, we will be worthy of our destiny. If we think we will now stop the talks and in March 2018 after the presidential elections we will subsequently find the Cyprus problem where we left it, we are completely fooling ourselves.
As AKEL we are determined to follow the path towards the solution with consistency and dedication. We are determined to fulfill our patriotic duty. To the point we have arrived, everyone must assume their responsibility.
If Mr. Anastasiades has decided that he wants to give priority to his pre-election campaign, if DISY has decided that it does not want to disappoint its extreme right wing then they should say so quite clearly, so that the people and all of us know.
This day for us is not some routine anniversary.
Today we don’t fulfill a self-evident duty: that is, to remember and honour the historical women’s struggles in Cyprus and all over the world.
Today, we reaffirm that we will not stop struggling for every woman: for the mother of the dead hero, the mother of a missing person, the enclaved woman and the refugee woman.
We will not stop being on the side of every woman; the woman who is a victim of employers, the woman immigrant, and the woman victim of violence, the women – victims of traffickers, the woman who can and must break her chains!
The woman who can and must attain the position she truly deserves in society!
