Press Release, 08.03.2014

YABLOKO’s Gender faction and a number of public organisations conducted a rally for protection of women’s rights in Russia. This time the annual rally was held under the slogan “Women against war” in connection with the situation in Ukraine. The participants of the action came out not only for equal rights for men and women, but also for a peaceful solution of the conflict in Ukraine.

“Despite our struggle for gender equality, the situation with women’s rights doesn’t improve. But women are not alone here. The situation with the rights of migrants, representatives of ethnic minorities, LGBT groups, journalists, scientists, bloggers doesn’t improve as well,” said Chair of YABLOKO’s Gender faction Galina Mikhaleva at the beginning of the rally and announced its slogan “Women against war”.

Galina Mikhaleva

Galina Mikhaleva reminded of the high level of women’s discrimination in Russia. The law ensuring equal rights and opportunities isn’t still adopted. There’s no law against domestic violence though 14 thousand women die of domestic violence every year in Russia. Women earn 2/3 of men’s wage, it’s difficult for young women to get employed, the rate of child benefit is minimum, it’s hard to find a place in a kindergarten and so on.. According to Galina Mikhaleva, the project of the Family Code proposed by Deputy Mizulina will force women to live by rule of the Domostroy [Household Book written in Old Russia, 16th century]. Mizulina suggests that only a traditional family with three children can be considered a family, taxes are imposed on a divorce, the reproductive rights of women are limited.

Grigory Semyonov

YABLOKO’s municipal deputy Grigory Semyonov spoke about inequality that exists in Russia.

“It is so that all the troubles in Russia are solved by women. When there are not enough doctors and medicine women find expedients to cure their children. When there’re not enough schools women teach children to read and write,” said the municipal deputy.

Semyonov believes that the present condition of things is not right and that family problems should be divided fifty-fifty.

Tatyana Ovcharenko

“What women really disagree to put up with is sending children and husbands to war. Let’s try to free them at least from this trouble,” added the deputy.

Head of YABLOKO’s School of Active Citizens Tatyana Ovcharenko also said that that year she would remember the 8th of March due to Vladimir Putin’s actions who got the Council of Federation allowance to send troops to Ukraine. “Women at both sides of the boarder are terrified by the thought that military actions might break out,” said Ovcharenko.

Nikolai Kavkazsky

“The struggle for women’s rights is very important, especially when the state force patriarchy and adopt repressive laws”, reminded the amnestied “prisoner of Bolotnaya”, member of YABLOKO’s Gender faction Nikolai Kavkazsky. He came to the rally with a rainbow flag, but the police demanded to take it away otherwise they threatened to arrest the organisers of the rally.

“It’s a complete violation of Article 31 of the Constitution on the freedom of assembly,” said Kazkazsky.

Maria Karavayeva

Maria Karavayeva, the activist of the Gender faction, said that the holiday of the 8th of March lost its original sense and became a holiday of all women. “All the world’s practice show that women’s participation in politics, legislative power, judiciary, management of companies make the policy of the state more social-oriented and effective. At the moment the tasks connected with human’s life, safety, education, medicine are sacrificed,” said YABLOKO’s activist.

A famous activist, leader of “Women of the Kola Peninsula” movement Lubov Shtilyeva spoke about her twenty years struggle for women’s rights and expressed thanks to the YABLOKO party, the only party which struggles against gender discrimination.

A civil activist Darya Garmonenko reminded that during Putin’s term the citizens were persuaded that feminism is a shameful ideology and a woman should struggle for her rights.

“The state tried to show feminists as crazy man-haters. And in many ways managed to do it as the society looks down upon feminists. It isn’t beneficial for the state if women go to authority and public organisations, that’s why we are being persuaded that a woman’s role is to serve a man,” announced the activist.

Darya Garmonenko

At the end of the rally Galina Mikhaleva reminded the winners’ names of the Sexist of the Year award.