The fundamental objective of the legal profession is the defense of the fundamental rights and freedoms and the dignity of the people, among which is the effective equality between men and women.
Historically, the struggle of the advocacy has been the struggle for rights and equality. There cannot be a democratic society in which women are discriminated, or in which equality is not totally effective. It is unacceptable to be a part of a society in which you receive a lower salary for the fact of being a woman. A society that prefers to have men instead of women in positions of responsibility, a society that hinders the fact of being a mother or a society in which women are mistreated. Ultimately, we cannot and should not admit, under any circumstances, a society in which women are treated differently, are undervalued and are discriminated against for the fact of being a woman. This has been and remains a claim and a historical struggle of the legal profession.
We all have to get involved in this matter, train all generations in equality and respect for the rights, freedom and dignity of the people. In summary: Equality without limits.
On this International Women's Day, let me raise a voice for thousands, I would say, millions of women who suffer in so many parts of the world, exploitation, inequality, humiliation, violence, abuse, the most absolute contempt for their right to dignity, and the list goes on with an endless number of aberrant acts and behaviors allowed by society.
And what is worse, these acts are in most cases protected by political systems and even by aberrant interpretations of religion. Even today, in the 21st century there are many places where women are the object of public stoning. Also, countries and societies where adultery is considered a crime and women are subject to the death penalty. In Iraq, Syria or Nigeria, women and girls, are kidnapped to be exploited as sex slaves, if not tortured and murdered by criminal groups with aberrant ideologies.
Let’s raise a voice for them today. We don’t see them, but today they suffer terribly, and they are the object of rapes, murders, slavery, human trafficking, and thus an endless, as I said, of aberrations. Let’s raise our voices for them, and ask for the commitment of all, so that once and for all, women’s rights and dignity are absolutely respected all over the world.
With our daily effort and commitment, and with the dedication of the whole society, we cannot lose hope that it is possible to have a better world.
Blas Jesús Imbroda Ortiz
President of the BPI-ICB-CAPI
