25 November, Mattarella: ‘Women’s freedom is an achievement that must be defended every day’

Rome, 25 Nov. (LaPresse) – “In every area of social and private life, in homes, workplaces and urban spaces, the principle of equality is slow to take hold, limiting women’s autonomy, compromising their safety and impoverishing the progress of society. Theatres of armed conflict, where violence against women is used as a tool of intimidation and oppression, are a dramatic example of this. Today, we are witnessing the spread of forms of violence enabled by the digital world and amplified by social networks, with effects that are anything but virtual: humiliation, blackmail and coercion, which in the most serious cases lead to physical assault and femicide. Equality means, first and foremost, educating people to use respectful language. On the 65th anniversary of the assassination of the Mirabal sisters, tortured and killed on 25 November 1960 in the Dominican Republic – today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – their choice to oppose dictatorship continues to inspire entire generations, reminding us that women’s freedom and empowerment are collective achievements to be defended and consolidated every day. Thus spoke the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.