Brussels, 15 March 2023
President Metsola, dear Roberta,
Dr Ebadi,
Captain Cristoforetti,
Honourable Members,
What an honour to be here with you today among women who have blazed a trail for so many other women. Dr Ebadi, for decades you have fought for women’s rights in Iran. They tried to silence you. They put you in jail. They forced you into exile. But you kept fighting, with bravery, day in, day out. You are amazing and we thank you for your leadership. What you have done is outstanding. Today, countless women have joined in your fight. And the whole world stands in awe of the women of Iran. More and more women are choosing to defy the prohibitions of a regime that does not see them as equal. They take off their headscarves. And for this, they get beaten up, put in jail, even killed. They, too, are blazing a trail. For their sisters, their mothers, their daughters. For all the people of Iran. They are claiming not only the freedom to show their hair or to cover it but also the freedom from fear, from violence, freedom to study, to work, to love without asking anybody’s permission. As it should be. It is: Women, Life, Liberty. That is what you stand for.
The fight and the courage of Iranian women move and inspire women all across the world. Because the challenges we face may be different, but the rights we strive for are the same. First and foremost, the most basic of all rights: the right to be free from violence. This is still a global curse, including here in Europe. And how can you be equal if you are constantly under threat? There is massive work to do to change everyone’s mind-set, to ensure that it is never justified to beat a woman, that it is never justified to mutilate a girl’s body, that no always means no. This is why we are pushing hard to ensure equal protection to all women, in all European countries. And I know, Honourable Members, you share my aspiration. So let us join forces. Let us bring to life the first-ever EU law on combating violence against women and domestic violence. It is time to deliver.
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests,
Gender equality does not ‘just happen’. Even in countries where there is no morality police. Progress is hard won and easily lost. It requires day-to-day attention and commitment to ensure that women and girls are free from violence; that women as well as men can have both a family and a career; that women earn the same as their male colleagues because they deserve it; that women do reach the very top levels because they are qualified. We have a duty to set an example to society and the economy of what a world of fair chances looks like. And this duty counts every day, not just on International Women’s Day.
Beyond laws, women and girls also need role models. Women who blaze a trail for everyone else. And that is why I am so glad to meet you, Captain Cristoforetti. You once said: ‘As a child, I did not dream to be the first Italian woman astronaut. I just dreamt to be an astronaut.’ You just wanted to follow your dreams. And with passion and hard work, you have made it. And now girls look up to you as a role model. Thanks to you they know that they, too, can aim high. And just like you, they can reach for the stars.
Captain Cristoforetti, Dr Ebadi, your examples inspire us. You strive for a world where young girls and boys can be whatever they want to be in life, where there are no jobs that are simply for men or simply for women, where not even the sky is the limit. This is our goal, and again, not because women are better, but because we are different, and also, very simply, because it is right. This is the time for a world of equal rights and fair chances. Not just for women, but for all of us.
Long live Europe.