Thousands of women stage 'mass scream' in Switzerland in fight for gender equality

More than 2000 women gathered for the annual event
@enginakyurt/Unsplash

Women across Switzerland gathered together for a "mass scream" to demand gender equality and an end to gender-based violence on Sunday.

The annual march, named the Women's Strike or Frauernstreik, heard the vocal protest echo through Geneva and cities around the country at exactly 3.24pm local time.

The timing was chosen for a reason. According to Swiss government data, it is the time in the working day that the average woman in effect begins to give away her labour for free due to the country's gender pay gap.

Despite its reputation for high quality of life, Switzerland falls behind other highly-developed countries on equal pay.

According to recently released figures, Swiss women typically earn a fifth less than their male colleagues - a disparity larger than it was in 2000.

One participant, Roxanne Errico, a 19-year-old student, told Reuters news agency that she joined protest in tribute to her mother, who was killed by a violent boyfriend.

She said: “For me it is emotional. Because I scream for me, but I also scream for my sisters and brothers, I scream for all the other children who lost a mother or a father, and I also scream for my mother, who would have screamed if she was still here."

The Women's Strike protest has run for decades, this year the event was subdued due to Covid-19 restrictions, but in 2019 half a million people joined.

Marchers also staged a flash mob and held a minute’s silence for women killed by husbands or boyfriends.

Another Geneva resident, Rose-Angela Gramoni, said she had taken part in every strike since 1991.

Ms Gramoni, who is in her 70s, explained: “Now I can die in peace, the next generation is here to take over. But for a while, I was very sad. I thought we fought for many things, but we did not finish the job and nobody was here to finish it."

Demonstrators also used the march to stand in solidarity with the LGBT community, and called for recognition of often unpaid work caring for family and relatives.

“I would love to walk at night wearing a skirt, shorts or leggings without being insulted, without being scared to be raped,” said Geneva resident Vani Niuti, 20.

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