Minister of Women’s Affairs says they are committed to fight for gender equality

Mayra Jiménez said on Monday that the Ministry of Women has the firm commitment to continue working in the fight for gender equality in all personal, political, economic, and social lives.

The Minister for Women said that to achieve this, they are encouraged and strengthened by President Luis Abinader since they fully trust that his example will permeate the work of all the instances of the State.

During the delivery of the Medal of Merit to Dominican Women, when commemorating International Women’s Day, Mayra Jiménez added that the pandemic’s challenges are incalculable, so they will have to use their strength to recover lost spaces while continuing to build new ones.

Full Speech:

Ministers, ministers, vice-ministers, vice ministers, government authorities, representatives of the Judicial Branch, representatives of the Legislative Branch, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country, representatives of cooperation organizations, representatives of the private sector, of the working class, of churches, civil society, women’s organizations, the press.

On behalf of the Ministry of Women, we thank you for your presence at this ceremony of delivery of the Medal of Merit for Dominican Women, whose life stories make them worthy of this important award that, every year, the Dominican State gives.

With this tribute, we symbolize the recognition of extraordinary women because, in the history of each one of them, there is a piece of history of all of us.

In the eyes of these women, we recognize our own gaze. In their struggle against difficulties, our historical determination to defend every minute the rights that others, before us, were uprooted from a patriarchal society. The women of the future will expand that.

Because each of us is all, I feel the spirit of Juana Saltitopa floating over this room, the serene courage of María Trinidad Sánchez in front of the firing squad, the patriotic teaching of Salomé Ureña and Ercilia Pepín, the insubordination of women against the North American interventions of 1916 and 1965.

I also see Evangelina Rodríguez and Abigail Mejía walking here giving speeches for our rights and Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal standing up over the political repression of Trujillo, and I see women like Magali Pineda, a reference and Mentor to many of us in this room.

That is our women’s story. A history of struggles that History with capital letters, generally written by men, have tried to silence. We will be scarce in the texts, but we are massive in the people’s lives and in each of the steps we have taken towards a more just, supportive, and democratic Dominican Republic.

This International Women’s Day, which serves as the framework for this act, is also conducive to paying tribute to working women, who fought and offered their lives for better working conditions and defense of fundamental rights.

In honor of his memory, I would like us to experience this act as a moment of solidarity, to continue forward until we overcome discrimination, which insists on cutting our wings and banishing all kinds of violence from our lives.

Nothing stops us, women. Therefore, we are here in the middle of a pandemic that has forced us to change our social practices. Women, who are the majority of health personnel, have been at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 from the beginning, waged by the government and Public Health authorities.

And we have done it with generosity and dedication, with a high sense of responsibility and empathy for the victims of the virus. We have been in front of the supermarket checkouts and dispensing in the pharmacies, opening furrows in the field, and harvesting the harvest.

Also, we have been in front of the industrial machines and in front of the computer camera to teach virtual classes. And we have become teachers so that our sons and daughters do not miss the school year and thus prevent the country from going backward.

The challenges posed by the pandemic are incalculable. We will have to use our forces to recover lost spaces while continuing to build new ones.

The Ministry of Women is firmly committed to continuing working in the fight for gender equality at all levels of personal, political, economic, and social life.

We are encouraged and strengthened by the resolute support of President Luis Abinader, a public defender of our ministerial objectives and convinced of the cause of women. We fully trust that his example will permeate the work of all instances of the State.

The process of evaluating and selecting these extraordinary women, whom you will meet shortly, has been very emotional when learning about their stories and trajectories. In which strong, resilient, committed, professional, caring, and deeply human women are reflected. For them, all our recognition, all our recognition, and gratitude.

In concluding these words, I express our gratitude to the Reserve Bank, in the person of its administrator, Mr. Samuel Pereira, and his team, who have made possible the production of this solemn act. Likewise, to Mr. Steven Puig, executive president of the BHD León and other private sector entities, as well as to the European Union, who, with their contributions, will make a change of life possible for these women, both materially and in their projection. Social.

We also thank the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, our First Lady, Raquel Arbaje, and our honorable Vice President, Raquel Peña, for their unconditional support with this award.

Thank you very much for joining us in this recognition, and we invite you to continue working to build an inclusive, egalitarian, supportive, and humane country.