Sibiu for equal rights. Call for candidates for the 2024 local elections
On 9 June 2024, local elections will be held for mayors, local councils and county councils, and for the European Parliament. Parliamentary and presidential elections will also take place this year.
Women are greatly under-represented among candidates in local elections. Of the 227 candidates on the electoral lists for the 64 mayoralties in Sibiu county, only 21 are women (9.25% of the total). Gender equality and human rights are marginalised in the existing candidates.
In this context, and in view of concerns about growing social inequality, the Association for Gender Equality and Freedom – A.L.E.G. invites all candidates for public office to prioritize six areas that will make Sibiu County and its localities an equal rights area where gender violence and social inequality are directly and comprehensively addressed:
I. Responsible leadership anchored in human rights
II. Eliminating violence against women and girls
III. Sexual and reproductive health and rights
IV. Care justice
V. Housing justice
VI. Mainstreaming gender and intersectionality in public policies and projects
Download the Sibiu Manifesto for Equal Rights 2024 here
Gender equality is an important indicator of the quality of democracy. Studies show that the prosperity of countries (including GDP growth) is closely linked to gender equality and elimination of barriers that prevent women's rights capabilities from being fully fulfilled. Countries that are usually at the top of the European Gender Equality Index are also among the most prosperous.
The benefits of gender equality are not just for women, but for society as a whole. When women feel safe and their rights are respected, children, the elderly, persons with disability or who are ill, whose care still falls overwhelmingly on women, also benefit. A safer community for girls and women is a safer and more dignified community for everyone.
Many changes start at the local level. Mainstreaming gender in local government policies is a crucial step towards a more equitable and inclusive Sibiu, with a strong social infrastructure and public policies that promote the rights of girls and women and socially vulnerable groups; policies that contribute to a structural change in society making gender equality and human rights not an endeavor but a reality.
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The Sibiu for Equal Rights 2024 manifesto can be accessed here. The launch of this call is a continuation of A.L.E.G.’s advocacy work to promote gender equality and human rights in local
public policies and projects.
