Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya published an address to Belarusian women on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The leader of the democratic forces thanked Belarusian women in Belarus and around the world for their resilience and emphasized the strength of Belarusian women.
“March 8 is not a gentle holiday at the beginning of spring. It is a struggle for the right to be safe. For the right to real equality in society, the right to hold leadership positions, receive equal pay with men and the opportunity not to conform to someone else’s standards. For the right to have a voice that cannot be banned,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya recalled that Belarusian women are imprisoned for political reasons, their children are waiting for their mothers to return home, and they are being dismissed from their jobs for their views, likes and courage. At the same time, women remain insufficiently protected by proper legislation from domestic violence.
“Belarusian women have already shown many times that they will not remain silent. You took to the streets, defended each other and refused to be broken. And even when they tried to intimidate you, you still chose humanity and, most importantly, the strong woman within yourselves,” she said.
“My dear ones! Girls, young women, women! Those who are in Belarus today and those who are forced to be far from home. Those who work, study, raise children, provide medical care, volunteer, run a small business, support their relatives or start everything from scratch in another country. Wherever you are and whatever you do — you are a great force.
You raise children while building successful careers. You are not afraid to start over. You do what many now consider almost impossible: to live, love, care for others and remain honest at the same time. I am proud to call myself a Belarusian woman. Happy March 8, dear ones,” the politician said.
