Women Empowerment to Humanize the World
Michelle Bonev, as Founder and President of Amatar Foundation, launches in Italy the initiative: Women Empowerment to Humanize the World Movement, which will be the starting point of a Global Movement. The aim of the initiative is to turn the spotlight on women's and girl's issues in order to promote solutions and raise people's awareness about the importance of women empowerment and gender equality for the well-being of the entire community.
Amatar Foundation aims to organize a cohesive network, uniting women, girls, associations and foundations, as well as men and boys, committed to safeguarding women's rights, with the aim of promoting and supporting legislative amendments and initiatives regarding gender-based violence, equal opportunities and gender equality in STEMM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine), in politics and in economics.
Amatar Foundation is committed to offering online and offline cultural, educational and professional training to women and girls, preparing them to face the world with confidence, self-respect, a sense of cohesion and universal responsibility, aware that there is no personal growth and human development without humanity.
Michelle Bonev's Statement Follows:
I will dedicate my voice, my testimony, my social channels and my skills to this initiative, in order to turn the spotlight on women's rights and promote solutions to achieve gender equality and equal opportunities between women and men in all areas of life.
I will bring women in front of their stories and contribute to raise awareness that without gender equality and equal opportunities a society cannot prosper!
Gender equality is not only respect for human rights, it is the key to economic growth, political stability, social and cultural transformation of every country. Women are equal to men in dignity and rights and therefore deserve to be paid fairly for their work and to have the same growth opportunity, both on a human and professional level, without their dignity ever being trampled on.
Despite the battles undertaken for many years now, a world where women and men have the same rights and the same opportunities is still far away. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023, gender equality may not be achieved for another 131 years. It takes another 162 years to close the gender gap in political empowerment, 169 years in economic opportunity, 16 years in educational attainment. The time to close the health gender gap is still indefinite.
The data is not encouraging, but one in particular is negatively surprising: in the last year, Italy has lost 16 positions in the ranking, falling from 63rd to 79th place out of 146 countries. Low female employment, wage gaps, low participation in politics and little presence in top positions in both the public and private sectors, few female workers in STEMM disciplines. This is in short the situation regarding gender equality in our country.
Where lies the root of this negative result that shows our country taking this huge step backwards? Are Italian women less intelligent than men, less prepared, less ambitious or dignified? Or are there other reasons? Let's try to investigate.
We must realize that the world is ruled by a Patriarchal System, which also involves our country. For us women it is not always possible to make choices. For millennia we have been considered the inferior species and even today we are considered such by many men, still too many. Our decisions do not always depend only on us, if we want to stay in the game.
Not all women are willing to give up their career and ambitions in order not to compromise. Also because giving up is itself a compromise. Not all women have enough self-confidence to overcome people's judgment or the devastating consequences that come from reporting abuse and harassment at home and in the workplace.
There are two courtrooms of judgement, one is in the tribunal and the second is in the public opinion. Every mistreated and abused woman has the right to report and to be legally and morally defended, so that she can get justice and the prejudice in public opinion can be extinguished.
Without laws designed to protect women from abuse and harassment both at home and at workplace and without a mentality in favor of women's free will and gender equality, many women feel powerless and become victims of abuse, harassment and femicide.
My dream today is that all women in Italy and in the world can live, grow in their careers, develop their talents and progress without suffering and compromises. Because we women are worth it, we women count, "We Matter", but we are not always aware of it. We are endowed with feelings of compassion and caring. In an inhuman world like ours we can bring our immense humanity. That's why I'm here, to remind us every day of our value and our importance to society.
I'm also here to remind men that we are equal in dignity and rights and I'm sure that the majority of them are not happy with the inequality that is taking place, but they are too busy chasing their ambitions to care. Meanwhile inequalities are growing and the chain of femicides does not stop. How can such injustices and such appalling facts be tolerated! This is no longer a strictly women's issue, but is a lethal epide- mic affecting the entire society.
Perhaps the problem is bigger than it seems? Perhaps we need to look for the root of gender inequality beyond The Patriarchal System that we have all contributed to existence through both our actions and our submissions? Perhaps the deeper root is our inability to imagine and create a better world than this one?
What we know for sure by now is that as long as we human beings do not act with humanity we will not be able to resolve inequalities, climate, economic, cultural, racial, pandemic crises, because the greatest crisis is the loss of our Fundamental Human Values.
Women Empowerment to Humanize the World Movement initiative is my concrete proposal to recover our values. The time has come for the female part of the world, which represents the majority of the world's population, to be empowered in order to be able to act, so as to show its different, more human approach to social, economic and environmental problems, which is essential for survival of the Human Species.
I invite you all, women and men, girls and boys, to come with me on this new and extraordinary journey of sharing and awareness. The awareness that a better, more just, humane and sustainable world can only be built if women and men work together, side by side.
So let's work together to end Patriarchy, chauvinism and all forms of violence against women and girls, to stop femicide, to achieve gender equality and equal opportunities between women and men, to close the gender pay gap and the gender gap in STEMM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine). Let us empower women and girls in order to achieve full and equal participation in political, civil, scientific, economic and cultural life!
Get into action! And do It now!
And as Mother Teresa of Calcutta teaches us:
"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin!"