In 2020 women are still in need to go to the streets and stage ‘mass scream’ over domestic violence and the gender pay gap… Why on earth?

Thousands of women taking part in Switzerland’s annual Women’s Strike Sunday held a “mass scream” at 3:24 p.m.—signifying the time of day that women across the country essentially begin working for free due to the Swiss gender wage gap. 

Organizers said that due to coronavirus precautions, the demonstration was smaller than the 500,000-strong protest which took place last year, but women in Geneva, as well as smaller cities around the country, took part in the collective catharsis.

This year’s strike, which has been held every year since 1991, focused on violence against women as well as wage inequality. 

According to Swiss Info, there were 0.40 murders of women per 100,000 women in Switzerland, compared with 0.13 in Greece, 0.27 in Spain, and 0.31 in Italy.  

“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.”

—Roxanne Errico

In July, the government is set to enforce new protections for victims of intimate-partner and other violence, including relieving victims of the sole responsibility of deciding whether to press charges against an assailant. 

An Amnesty International report last year found that one in five women surveyed in Switzerland had been subjected to sexual violence.

Switzerland also does not define rape as sexual activity with a lack of consent but rather stipulates that an attack must include physical violence, threats, or coercion to qualify as rape.

“In 2020 women are ‘still’ in need to go to the streets and stage ‘mass scream’ over domestic violence and [the] gender pay gap,” tweeted radio host and environmental campaigner, Chiara Muzzi. “My question is: why on earth?”  

The gender pay gap has long been a focus of the annual Women’s Strike in Switzerland, where the government lags behind other European countries in mandating pay equity. 

Women in Switzerland earn about 20% less than what men make. Click to Tweet

In addition to staging the mass scream for one minute at 3:24 p.m., women across the country held one minute of silence for women who have been killed by intimate-partner violence. 

“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,” Roxanne Errico, who said her mother was killed by her violent boyfriend, told Reuters.

What do you think? Comment on our Facebook page.

Common Dreams Logo

This article is republished from Common Dreams under a license.

Original Publication

Know Your Worth Unisex Short Sleeve T-Shirt
$23

Know Your Worth Unisex Short Sleeve T-Shirt

It's a known truth that the strong treads on the weak. Don't be exploited by others. Know your worth, spread the word with this merch! 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

End Domestic Violence Unisex Hoodie
$42

End Domestic Violence Unisex Hoodie

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of violence by a partner in their lifetime. Express the continued commitment to ending domestic violence. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

End Domestic Violence Unisex Long Sleeve T-Shirt
$37

End Domestic Violence Unisex Long Sleeve T-Shirt

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of violence by a partner in their lifetime. Express the continued commitment to ending domestic violence. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

End Domestic Violence Unisex Short Sleeve T-Shirt
$26

End Domestic Violence Unisex Short Sleeve T-Shirt

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of violence by a partner in their lifetime. Express the continued commitment to ending domestic violence. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Pay Me What I’m Worth Women’s Long Sleeve T-Shirt
$38

Pay Me What I’m Worth Women’s Long Sleeve T-Shirt

Know your worth! Demand your compensation to be commensurate with your true worth! Express it with this yaKesho graphic tee. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Pay Me What I'm Worth Women's Short Sleeve T-Shirt
$26

Pay Me What I'm Worth Women's Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Know your worth! Demand your compensation be commensurate with your true worth! Express it loud and proud with this yaKesho graphic short sleeve tee. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Pay Me What I'm Worth Women's Cropped Hoodie
$45

Pay Me What I'm Worth Women's Cropped Hoodie

Know your worth! Demand your compensation be commensurate with your true worth! Express it loud and proud with this phat yaKesho graphic cropped hoodie. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Pay Me What I'm Worth Women’s Cropped T-Shirt
$30

Pay Me What I'm Worth Women’s Cropped T-Shirt

Demand your compensation be commensurate with your true worth! Express it loud and proud with this phat yaKesho graphic cropped tee. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Equal Pay Equal Work Women's Joggers
$38

Equal Pay Equal Work Women's Joggers

Keep the demand for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender front and center with this authentic yaKesho graphic joggers. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Equal Pay Equal Work Women's Long Sleeve T-Shirt
$38

Equal Pay Equal Work Women's Long Sleeve T-Shirt

Keep the demand for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender front and center with this authentic yaKesho graphic long sleeve t-shirt. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Equal Pay Equal Work Women's Cropped Hoodie
$45

Equal Pay Equal Work Women's Cropped Hoodie

Keep the demand for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender front and center with this authentic yaKesho graphic cropped hoodie. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

Equal Pay Equal Work Short Sleeve Women's T-Shirt
$26

Equal Pay Equal Work Short Sleeve Women's T-Shirt

Keep the demand for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender front and center with this authentic yaKesho graphic short sleeve t-shirt. 👊🏿👊🏽👊🏻

yaKesho | Express what matters.

All views and opinions expressed by contributing authors are their own and do not represent those of yaKesho. Licensed content on yakesho.com does not constitute or imply an endorsement or recommonendation of our products or services by the licensor.