Women's Day march planned for Sunday

A march is planned to mark women’s international day on Sunday to celebrate women’s achievements.

Organised by Moviment Graffitti and Women's Rights Foundation, the general theme of the March is “all different, same struggle,” celebrating women from different cultures and backgrounds coming together to fight for the rights of women.

In a statement, the group highlighted that women in Malta have achieved the right to vote, the right to own property, the right to work, yet women continue to face injustice. It said that patriarchal structures are still deeply ingrained in society, stressing that despite the “empty talk” of equality, women continue to be treated differently and unequally from men.

“Malta continues to have low female representation in parliament and in decision-making positions. Gender pay gap continues to widen even though women have access to the labour market. Women are still expected to be carers and sacrifice their time to deal with family needs, be it raising children, dealing with the household, looking after their elderly parents even - if they work full-time. And yet if a woman opts to pursue her career and achieve her ambition, she is still frowned upon because that’s not what women should do.”

The group highlighted that the laws are still not fully compliant with ensuring that women have full independence and equal treatment at law.

“In the last couple of years, the rate of femicide has increased, and women and girls continue to suffer some of the worst forms of violence whilst equally being blamed for exaggerating, lying and even that they had come what they deserved. From rich to poor, migrant, trans, lesbian, bi, differently-abled, women’s experiences are different but their struggles remain the same.”

The march will take place at 3pm on 8 March. It will start from Valletta City gate, and continue through the city.