As April is coming to an end, we are going through a very special moment both for Argentina and the world. There arrived a pandemic that faces us with a serious challenge, as part of the responsibility is in the hands of the Government but another great part is in our own hands. We are dealing with a health and a social emergency. We –the Argentine people and here in HPHA– are aware that we have being living the latter for quite a few years now.
Habitat para la Humanidad Argentina has been working and making a great effort to ensure that everyone has access to their own space, their own habitat. During this pandemic –and under mandatory lockdown– each person’s home and habitat plays a key role, with many facets that we need to analyze together.
One of the issues in which Argentina has very daunting statistics is that of gender-based violence and femicides. The number of femicides hasn’t decreased in years. On the contrary, it grows every day. Lockdown has only worsened these figures. Thus, it is highly important for us to reflect on gender equality at home. More than half of femicides are committed by partners, former partners or significant others. It is hard. It is hard to file the complaint, to stop forgiving and to stop believing that everything will eventually work out.
This issue is greatly related to our upbringing. Gender is a cultural issue. We need to demystify the attributes associated with the house, men and women. There is no blue or pink. Let’s seize these days where all the family is at home so that everyone fulfills a role. Let’s try to analyze how we can teach at home that taking care of the house is a responsibility of mom and dad just as much as of your brother or sister. Let’s try to give a gender perspective to every activity we do these days. We need to seize this time to try and understand what is happening to us, why it is happening to us and how we can improve ourselves. These are difficult times but we need to consider how we can make each habitat the best place for us to take refuge. Let’s be creative, ingenious and considerate. Let’s find ways to integrate, discuss things and find new “spaces”.
Let’s be careful and stay home. But let’s also try to keep developing our gender perspective in this habitat that we are living in today.
Graciela Adán
Director of Fundación Global
HPHA Honorary Member
https://www.fundacionglobal.org.ar/
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