How was at the 19th edition of the Gender Equality Festival?
The 19th edition of the Gender Equality Festival®, organized by A.L.E.G. Association, brought four days full of activities to the public in Sibiu, aimed at encouraging social engagement and promoting women’s rights and gender equality. The festival’s events addressed essential topics for today’s society, from the prevention of gender-based harassment and combating human trafficking to exploring the recent history of reproductive rights in Romania.
The first day of the festival was dedicated to preventing gender-based harassment in various environments, such as schools, universities, workplaces and public spaces. Both the workshop organized together with RaColaj, attended by A.L.E.G. volunteers, and the session dedicated to students from Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu provided essential information on recognizing forms of harassment, protection mechanisms, and reporting methods. Together with Tetiana Kolot, students experienced a demonstration of the ESD (Empowerment Through Self-Defense) method, a tool for combating and preventing harassment, recognized as a form of violence. Key prevention messages created by participants were shared with the general public through the Orizontal Newspaper, with the support of artist Dan Perjovschi. In the evening, the film “MO”, screened with support from the ESTE Film Festival, offered an opportunity for open discussions on safety and respect for women.
On the second day, A.L.E.G. volunteers presented the forum theater performance “Paper dreams” to the audience. The script was conceived by them during this summer’s Youth Camp and rehearsed under the guidance of Doriana Tăut and Iulia Rusu, who also directed the play. The performance was an emotional experience, illustrating the risks of human trafficking for young people who dream of a better future abroad. The audience participated actively – their interventions guided the story toward avoiding the exploitation of the main character and highlighted the importance of repairing parent-child relationships. Even in cases where addiction has caused fractures, strong alliances are essential in preventing human trafficking.
The third day of the festival brought a discussion on the recent history of reproductive health in Romania, marked by the screening of “Children of the Decree” directed by Florin Iepan. Camelia Proca moderated a dialogue with prominent women’s rights activists on both national and international levels: Daniela Drăghici, Mihaela Miroiu, Adriana Lamackova and Veronica Teleuca. They discussed the devastating impact of the abortion ban during the communist era and the actions taken over the past thirty years to ensure access to reproductive health and education. The participants also had the opportunity to get involved by signing the My Voice, My Choice and Free Contraceptives for Youth initiatives.
The festival concluded with the Living Library, an event where the “books” were real people with remarkable stories of supporting their communities. Guests – Ioana Ciuban, Daniela Drăghici, Marian Enache, Tetiana Kolot, Adriana Lamackova, Roxana Mărcoiu, Ligia Moise, Ioana Pasc, and Veronica Teleuca – shared life experiences that inspired participants to “Dare!” to take action for a safer world.
The Gender Equality® Festival is an awareness campaign organized by the A.L.E.G. Association, aimed primarily at young people, to help them become friends with concepts such as human rights and women’s rights. We want to invite them to see beyond stereotypes and prejudices.
A.L.E.G. is a non-governmental organization active since 2004 in the field of combating and preventing violence against women and promoting gender equality. Find out more: www.aleg-romania.eu
The partners of this year’s edition were Center for Reproductive Rights, British Embassy Bucharest, GONG Theater Sibiu, Este Film Festival, Promenada Sibiu, Radu Stanca National Theater Sibiu, Lucian Blaga University Sibiu, RaColaj. Sweet breaks were provided by our sponsor, Simpa Sibiu.