A manifesto for International Women's Day advocating the advancement of women’s rights and the fight against discrimination was read out in Parliament on Tuesday.
Excerpts from the manifesto were read out by the President of the Government, Francina Armengol and the representatives, Silvia Cano of PSIB; Marga Durán of PP; Esperança Sans of Podemos; Joana Aina Campomar of MÉS per Mallorca; Patricia Guasp of Cs; Lina Pons from the PI; Patricia Font of MÉS per Menorca and Silvia Tur of Gent per Formentera before the start of the plenary session reaffirming “the defence of women's equality and the prohibition of sexual discrimination in all areas.”
In the manifesto, deputies stated their concern "for the cases of minors under guardianship and sexually exploited adolescents", condemned "abusers and sexual exploiters who take advantage of the social vulnerability of young women" and urged all Balearic institutions, "to work to strengthen protection guarantees.”
The deputies also acknowledged the massive participation in the demonstrations on March 8 by protestors claiming equal pay and an end to sexist and sexual violence and expressed hope for young women in the protests and this year's UN proposal to join the #Iguality Generation.
They also cited advances in the Balearic Islands such as the law of equality between women and men, the Pact against Machista Violence and Coordination Tables in different municipalities, the promotion of Co-Education in Schools, improved protocols for the detection of sexist violence and an Autonomous Plan to combat the sexual exploitation of women and girls.
"We have to continue to exert influence so that no woman or girl can be sexually abused or exploited in our community," they said.
The manifesto that was read out in Parliament includes a number of issues that need to be addressed.
“We have an obligation to advance Women's Rights and Freedoms and eradicate the inequalities that still persist in our society, such as, the wage gap, labour market conditions, glass roofs, sexist violence, sexual violence, problems of conciliation and the use of time and co-responsibility.”
In 2017 there was a gender gap of 22% with the average gross salary of women in 2017 equal to just 78% of the average gross male salary and women suffered more from job insecurity, partiality and had less chance of promotion.
"It is essential to deepen the improvement of working conditions of women in the field of economic independence," they said.
The Signatory Groups of the manifesto have claimed feminism as a "political and social movement in favour of women and against inequality”; have reaffirmed their commitment to the fight for equality; pledged to promote the 2016 Equality Law and have urged the Government to continue promoting co-education.
They have also urged the Central Government to expand the legal concept of gender violence by promoting the amendment of the Comprehensive Protection against Gender Violence Act of 2004, “to include all acts of gender-based violence that involve or may imply for women, damages or suffering of a physical, sexual, psychological or economic nature, including threats to perform such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, in public or private life.
They consider that the law "must contemplate physical, psychological, sexual violence, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, forced abortion and sterilisation, sexual harassment, and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.”
They urged the Government to pass a law on trafficking, banning the sexual exploitation of women and girls and to reform the legislation on sexual crimes on the basis of the Istanbul Convention.