Podemos will defend in the next plenary session a Non-Law Proposal in which the Government of the Canary Islands is urged to avoid sponsoring or granting public aid to events or sports competitions that use the body of women exclusively as an advertising claim. The president of the Parliamentary Group, María del Río, explains that this initiative arises due to the habitual practice of this type of actions "that objectify women as mere sexual objects reducing them to the category of ornament".
"We have verified how the companies organizing these sporting events place women in visible places to promote products or capture the attention of the public, even though their presence is totally unrelated to the sporting activity." "In this way -adds Del Río- young women appear, normally of stereotyped beauty, at the start or finish line of many races, such as the Iroman of Lanzarote or the Rally Islas Canarias", to give two well-known examples".
The deputy assures that this type of practices violate current legislation, since Law 1/2010 on Equality stipulates in its annex "that advertising that uses the body of women as an object of consumption is sexist and discriminatory, as well as that which highlights and uses as an advertising claim and main reason for valuing women beauty, youth or certain characteristics traditionally attributed to the female role".
Del Río asks the Government of the Canary Islands to comply with current legislation and set a precedent at the national level "eradicating an unfair and degrading custom that equates women with an ornamental object". She also asks that the sanctions provided for in the law be imposed.
The president of the Group affirms that machista violence has its origin in an intricate social and cultural structure, and it is the responsibility of governments to design and execute the necessary policies to advance in the construction of a more just and egalitarian society.
This Non-Law Proposal has been worked on and agreed with the Lanzarote Feminism Circle, which is where the initiative was born when verifying this type of sexist and discriminatory practices.