UKRAINE: Feminists, gays and anarchists take part in march through the centre of Kiev to mark International Women's Day

Record ID: 861799

  • Title: UKRAINE: Feminists, gays and anarchists take part in march through the centre of Kiev to mark International Women's Day
  • Date: 8th March 2013
  • Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (MARCH 8, 2013) (REUTERS) PEOPLE MARCHING ON STREET BEHIND BANNER PEOPLE DRUMMING AND MARCHING MARCHERS WALKING BY PEOPLE IN SQUARE WOMEN TALKING
  • Embargoed: 23rd March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • City:
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics,People
  • Reuters ID: LVA80U9QFU9QUX2TXBE40VLWAJ2
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Hundreds of people marched through the streets of the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Friday (March 8) to mark International Women's Day, a hugely popular public holiday throughout the former Soviet Union.
    Feminists were joined by LGBT activists and anarchists, who marched to a lively beat being tapped out on drums played by women in bright winter gear.
    Activists, holding signs reading "Feminism will save the world" and "Wash Your Dirty Traditions With My Feminism" stopped at a couple of Kiev squares to rally, before marching on.
    The activists demanded introduction of feminist education in schools, greater sensitivity to all kinds of inequalities, free access to contraceptives.

    "We want to say that in our country equality doesn't exist. We have to fight for it, because women get lower wages, but everything rests on them - all the housework, all the work of raising children," said activist Irina Kogut.
    An activist from abroad rallied the crowd in English.

    "Here today with you, where we reclaim this public space and we reclaim our bodies, it's a powerful statement that we will not be silenced by patriarchal traditions," she said, topping it off with the Ukrainian tiding "Happy Women's Day!"
    March organiser Yelena Shevchenko said it was important to include gay activists in the country where homophobia is rampant.

    "In our country, as you probably know very well, there are a lot, right now five legislative initiatives that want to forbid any information about different sexuality, homosexuality and different people in general. It's censorship," Shevchenko said.
    Human rights bodies have condemned moves by Ukraine to ban "promotion of homosexuality", saying a new law went against the former Soviet republic's commitments.
    The European Union has repeatedly criticised Ukraine, which wants to join the 27-nation bloc eventually, over issues of human rights and democracy.
    Homosexuality itself is legal in Ukraine where a 2011 poll conducted by the Gorshenin Institute, a local think tank, found 78 percent of Ukrainians viewed it negatively.
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