Few Improvements for Women Mark Peru's Women's Day March

​International Women's Day was commemorated in Peru with a march demanding further advances in equality and human rights.

However just a few days before the march, a report presented by the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) painted a grim picture of the situation of women in the country, with one of the highest rates of violence against women in the region and an increase in teenage pregnancies. While the report did highlight an increase in women entering the labor force, it also showed that there are high disparities in salaries.

"Unfortunately the economic participation [of women] is giving rise to multiple expressions of persisting discrimination and inequality that makes it difficult for women to join the work force,” said UNFPA official Elena Zuñiga who sits at the Gender Table for International Cooperation. “For example there is a high percentage of informal employment that result in very low levels of social protection and salaries."

The Flora Tristan organization is one of the feminist groups that participated in the IWD’s march. They believe that one way forward is increasing the number of women in politics by first addressing the issue of verbal and physical aggression against women candidates and elected officials.

"We have pushed for a law about political aggression that will be put forward at Congress. It is a response to the fact that for every 5 female officials, 2 have experienced aggression and in the last election more that 40 percent of female candidates in Peru said they have experienced such aggression," said Diana Miloslavich from Flora Tristan.

Laws protecting women from political aggression have already been implemented in Bolivia and Ecuador and are in the process of implementation in several other countries in the region. Other issues that womens movements are pushing for include the decriminalization of abortion for rape victims, protecting job rights for homecare workers, and establishing entities that will look at claims for disparities in salaries.

In addition, organizers of the Peru march choose one particular struggle each year as a symbol of Women’s fight for justice and equality. This year the march chose to support Maxima Acuña and her struggle to protect her land from the massive gold mining project of the multinational, Yanacocha, with the protest ending at the headquarters of Yanacocha to chants of “Maxima, sister, your struggle is my struggle”.