HELSINKI
Faces were serious, but there was also joy and hope in the eyes of the participants in the Women’s Day march in central Helsinki on the sunny Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of women, but plenty of men, too. The police estimated the crowd at 20,000.
People gathered at the Railway Square to the rhythm of DJs and soulful singers such as Emilia Sisco, and from there set off, marching along Aleksanterinkatu and Mannerheimintie, holding signs with slogans such as “Stop killing women!” The marchers stopped at the Citizens’ Square in front of the Oodi central library, where they gave speeches.
VIDEO: TONY ÖHBERG/FINLAND TODAY
Jaana Hirsikangas, the executive director of UN Women Finland, said there is much room for improvement in the legal protection of women. “Globally, women have only 64 percent of the legal rights of men. This exposes women and girls to discrimination, violence and exclusion.”
Amani Al-Mehsen, the chair of the Feminist Association Unioni, said that “equality is inevitably promoted when people come together.” Al-Mehsen highlighted the recent citizens’ initiative to secure EU-wide abortion rights, approved by the EU just over a week ago. “It was a success because it created a community around it. More than a million people across Europe wanted to work for a safer future,” Al-Mehsen said.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) was presented with a joint appeal from various women’s right organizations calling action to end violence against women.
“Preventing violence against women requires a major change in attitudes. It seems strange that this even needs to be said out loud. It requires the active participation of us men in this work,” Prime Minister Orpo said in his speech.
The organizers—which included the UN Women Finland, the Feminist Association Unioni and the National Council of Women of Finland—concluded in a news release later that “this day has given us new energy and hope for our work.”
“When people come together for equality, change is not only possible. It is inevitable.”
