#niunamenos

Spain.

May 2017.

In the same weekend, in May, 3 women were killed by their partners or ex-partners, in less than 24 hours. Strangled. Stabbed. Found tied and gagged. In 2017.

(The gags must have been invisible for a long time).

Since the beginning of the year 27 women have been killed in Spain. 27. From these murders, these deaths, 11 children became orphans. 11 children whose mums were murdered.

Meanwhile, several mobilisations in which women are protesting for the Spanish government to act, regarding gender violence, are taking place. For the government to take care of the people, to take care of the women. But no one seems to listen.

These women were protesting at the beginning of the year, they were in hunger strike in Madrid.  In March, the government said they would act. They told them to go home. They went home. The government did nothing. And now they are back to the protests.

In March 2017, the Valencia city hall, organised an urban art event, with the objective to raise awareness regarding equality between men and women, and for the overcoming of the gender stereotypes. This event was also open to the diversity of cultures and to people with functional diversity.

The city asked the artists to work on a 90 metres long wall, that would be a symbol of the advances to an equal society, which is, according to them, where they want Valencia to go. But, after it was finished, the art did not last much more than a month.

In April, the wall was vandalised, the works were covered and filled with insults.

We are still afraid of the “F-word”.

We are still afraid of witches.

It is easy not to see when something doesn’t affect us.

I never saw this before, until one day, some years ago, it started to happen to me. First, it was at work. And then I saw what was happening, or had happened to some of my friends, and to other women all over the world.

Then, I started to see what happens to refugee women and girls fleeing from wars.

And I started to see women in South America disappearing and being found dead some time after. Every day.

And I saw that in Spain, women try to make their voices heard regarding gender based violence. And no one listens.

And I can’t stay quiet. Even if I never get slapped again in my life, there are other women who will be. Right now. In this moment. I can’t stay quiet, I can’t be complicit in this. No one can. We need to protest and shout out loud, that women are being killed because they are women.

#nosestánmatando #feminicidios