The government, albeit belatedly, has taken some steps with the measures it has announced for the economy, which we as AKEL do not consider to be sufficient and more must be taken, said AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou, noting at the same time that AKEL has asked the President of the Republic to convene the Council of Heads to discuss the consequences of Ukraine.
In statements following a visit to a supermarket in Nicosia, where he gave flowers to working women and female customers on the occasion of the 8th March International Women's Day. Stefanou said that there is a need to discuss the consequences and what will arise because of the situation in Ukraine "which directly and indirectly affects us and for this reason we have asked the President of the Republic to convene the Council of Heads and we are ready to come with specific proposals and specific views."
He added that we are in the midst of a period of austerity caused by the increase in the prices of basic goods and basic raw materials that occurred before the Russian invasion and the war in Ukraine broke out.
He also reiterated that AKEL "has every goodwill and intention in these difficult times to do its bit to address the problems".
Referring to 8 March, he said that it needs no special reminder because it is a universally internationally recognised day that has to do with women's rights and the hard and sometimes bloody struggles of the women's movement worldwide and in Cyprus have made it recognised and universally accepted.
Since progressive women started to put women's rights on the agenda of the society, a long distance has been covered both globally and in Cyprus, said Mr.Stefanou and added that this does not mean that the problems have evolved, on the contrary there are many problems that exist in modern societies and in a significant part of the world issues that were raised from the beginning of the demands still exist.
Modern societies put a lot of pressure on women here in Cyprus too, the AKEL Secretary General said, noting at the same time that there are too many problems that have intensified due to policies that lead to the disintegration of the welfare state and the degradation of the rule of law.
There are also statistics from the UN that show that even in the time of pandemic and incarceration many problems have a positive fine, they have a female fine, he said, adding that "the problems are there".
We as AKEL together with POGO and other organisations are doing a series of events, both symbolic and substantive, to mark the day but also to underline the distance we have to go to address the multiple problems women face, he said.
Stefanou also said that "AKEL and the popular movement does not limit itself to 8 March to highlight the importance of addressing the problems faced by women and to underline the need for gender equality."
"It is a constant struggle, it is a constant effort to address the problems along with a number of other social and economic problems," he said."
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
