International Women’s Day
Happy international women’s day to all of our friends and sisters! ❤️🌻 We continue to stand together and fight for our rights, in order to ensure an equal and feminist future.
Eastern Europe is sadly, still far away from this reality. This is why CDN continues to prioritise these causes, which are crucial in the Eastern European context:
✊Preventing physical and sexual violence - this is one of the most pressing problems that still occurs. Research has shown that up to 20% of women in Eastern Europe have experienced some form of violence during their lifetime. Maybe the worst statistics come from Turkey, where this violence resulted in femicide of up to 315 women in 2023, and likely even more in 2024. Despite protests organised in Turkey, the issue continues. We wish to put the problem of violence against women and the problem of femicide as the pressing issue that all the Eastern European governments must tackle as soon as possible.
✊Reproductive rights - We experienced abortion ban in Poland, and there is a wave of anti-abortion movements in the region, for example in Croatia. We must protect women’s right of choice and autonomy of our own bodies in every country!
✊Women’s health - beside the problem of abortion, there is an ongoing problem with availability of women’s health. In Eastern Europe women's health is usually not the priority for the health departments, even though there are various issues that trouble only those with reproductive organs. Gynecologists often prioritise reproduction, and the general health of these organs is put aside. In various countries there is a lack of gynecological care - like in Serbia, where there are only 107 gynecologists in Belgrade that has 740 000 women. Health for everyone continues to be one of the basic human rights!
✊Dignified work conditions and work rights for women - 8th of march has begun as the international women’s day because of women workers who fought for their rights, which is why we alway have to continue fighting for good, dignified and safe work environments for all women! We will continue educating youth of Eastern Europe about the issue and continue speaking about the fact that all women must have these rights!
✊Equality and safety for all queer, trans and non-binary people - when we talk about equality, we talk about it as something that is available for all, no matter of their sex and gender. Today’s fight must be for more than cis-women. Various queer and LGBTI+ groups in Eastern Europe continue to lack basic human rights, including safety. One of the main values of CDN is freedom and equality for people of all sexual orientations and genders! No one is free, until we all are.
