Lula: Respect for women is nonnegotiable

During a ceremony in honor of International Women’s Day on Wednesday (Wed. 8), Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it is the duty of the state and society to tackle all forms of violence against women. After signing resolutions, decrees, and bills, President Lula listed the 11 female members of his cabinet and referred to respect for women as nonnegotiable.

“Nothing can ever justify gender inequality. Medicine can’t explain it, and neither can Biology. Or Anatomy. Maybe the explanation lies in men’s fear of being surpassed by women. It doesn’t make any sense—first because women want equality, not superiority, and second because, as women advance, so does the country. It’s good for everybody,” he stated.

The president also noted that gender inequality is not exclusive to Brazil. He cited UN data revealing that the issue goes deeper than previously thought.

“It will take humanity 300 years to achieve equality between women and men if current conditions are kept, so we can’t accept conditions to remain as they are. Gender equality will not come overnight, but we need to speed things up. As far as this government is concerned, inequality should end today with a simple presidential decree,” Lula concluded.