Message on International Women’s Day in Platanias in a nationwide interactive action: “Femicide has to be recognized as a term and as a crime”. 8th March – Platanias

A message against gender-based violence was sent by the Municipality of Platanias on the occasion of International Women’s Day in the interactive, nationwide awareness action “Say it by its name: Femicide”.
Representatives of the Municipality Platanias, among them Deputy Mayor for Culture Aspasia Loupaki, Sofia Malandraki and local people gathered at the main Square of Platanias at 18.30, participating in an action organized by the “Strong me” movement under the auspices of the Central Union of Greek Municipalities (KEDE), which united live a total of 30 municipalities across Greece against gender-based violence.

The “Strong me” movement for the prevention and fight against gender-based violence organized this interactive campaign against Femicide, with the aim of legal recognition of the term and to bring about a change of the legal framework.

At the same time the symbolic monuments were illuminated, which were set up in 30 Greek  towns in memory of the women murdered in  2021. The signal for the lighting was given by the City Hall of Thessaloniki to Alexandra Makou, mother of Garyfallia who was murdered last July in Folegandros.

Any kind of violence against women becomes a responsibility that weighs on us all, and in order to deal with it we must act collectively. Stereotypes that fuel violence against women have no place in modern society. “Distorted perceptions that lead to unacceptable behaviors that harm women’s dignity and threaten their lives and physical integrity must be eradicated.”

Deputy Mayor Aspasia Loupaki, referred to the effort being made to prevent and combat gender-based violence, as well as the legal recognition of the term “Femicide”. She also sent out the message to the women concerned by any form of gender-based violence: ‘You are not alone. We are here for you’.

The monument based on the initiative of the movement for the prevention and fight against gender-based violence STRONG ME, lists the names of the murdered women, as well as the message “We are not all here. “The murdered are missing”, while next to the monument 17 pairs of “empty” shoes are placed, one for each woman who was killed last year and 2 additional pairs of shoes, for the two murdered women this year.

The event was accompanied by the song about gender-based violence, ‘WAR’, sung by the founder of Strong me Aspasia Theofilou, in a live broadcast.

For more photos and video click here

SUPPORT THIS ACTION,  YOU TOO  through Avaaz  by scanning the QR at the bottom of the red Strong-me photo.