The PSOE of Lanzarote inaugurated this Friday its Feminist School with the celebration of the conference Women's Network, a space for political, institutional and social encounter that gathered in Arrecife prominent representatives from the field of equality, justice and public action, together with the former President of the Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
During his speech, Zapatero left one of the most notable reflections of the event by stating that “being a feminist makes one happier”, in a clear defense of feminism as one of the great engines of democratic and social progress. The former president vindicated the role of socialist governments in the expansion of rights and in the construction of a more just and egalitarian society.
The Secretary of State for Equality, María Guijarro, stressed the importance of continuing to consolidate public equality policies from institutions, highlighting that “the advances achieved in recent years demonstrate that when there is political will, rights are expanded and genuinely improve women's lives”. Guijarro emphasized that the current moment demands “strengthening democratic consensuses and continuing to promote an ambitious feminist agenda, capable of responding to new challenges”.
For her part, the general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, highlighted that “this Feminist School is born with the vocation of being a permanent space for reflection, training, and political action around equality”.
Corujo pointed out that “Lanzarote has hosted a day of enormous political value, which allows us not only to take stock of what has been achieved, but also to reinforce the commitment to everything that remains to be done.” Likewise, she defended that “faced with those who question rights or try to backtrack on equality, the PSOE responds with more public policies, more commitment and more feminism.”
One of the central moments of the day was the round table moderated by the general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote, María Dolores Corujo, which brought together Lidia Guinart, president of the Monitoring and Evaluation Commission of the agreements of the State Pact on Gender Violence; Gloria Poyaros, first woman president of the Social Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands; Andrea Fernández, Equality spokesperson for the Socialist Group in Congress; Milena Herrera, spokesperson for the Monitoring and Evaluation Commission of the agreements of the State Pact on Gender Violence and Vanessa Frahija, first woman general secretary of CCOO Canarias.
Throughout the debate, the evolution of the institutional response against gender violence was analyzed, highlighting the role of the State Pact as a key tool to strengthen the coordination and involvement of all administrations, while the focus was placed on the need to continue adapting public responses to new forms of violence.
The table also incorporated the perspective of justice, emphasizing the importance that regulatory advances translate into effective guarantees, real protection and trust in institutions, as well as the need to continue integrating the. gender perspective throughout the judicial system.During the debate, the current political context was also addressed, marked by discourses that question rights and try to weaken the consensuses reached in matters of equality. In this sense, the importance of defending and consolidating the progress achieved against any attempt at setback was highlighted.
The day concluded with a shared reflection on the need to keep advancing from institutional coordination and joint work with civil society to strengthen a solid, useful feminist agenda and with capacity for response to present and future challenges.
The event concluded with the emotional presentation of the “Women who transform” awards, a recognition of careers committed to equality and social justice. The PSOE of Lanzarote honored Nieves Rosa Hernández Gorrín with the Root Award, Vanessa Frahija with the Magma Award and Gloria Poyatos with the Horizon Award, in a closing full of gratitude and recognition for women who have contributed to paving the way and continuing to expand rights in our society.
