19/09/2023
FSG
The Galician Government (Xunta de Galicia) rewards the work of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano in favour of the social inclusion of the Roma population and, especially, the promotion of Roma women.
Last July, the Department of Promotion of Employment and Equality of the Xunta de Galicia awarded the Emilia Pardo Bazán medal to the Fundación Secretariado Gitano “for its long history in favour of the social inclusion of the Roma population and for its promotion of equal opportunities for the group, as well as the fight against the multiple discrimination suffered by Roma women.”
The award ceremony took place on September 19, in a public event held at the Tobacco Factory of A Coruña in which participated, among others, the president of the Xunta, the Minister of Employment and Equality, the president of the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia, the mayor of A Coruña or the general secretary of Equality of the Xunta and president of the Jury of the awards.
The Emilia Pardo Bazán Medals were created in 2019 to recognize relevant actions in favour of equality between women and men, with the purpose of publicly recognizing the actions carried out in the Region of Galicia by people, groups, entities or institutions, both public and private, that have contributed and stood out in the defence of equal rights and opportunities between women and men. This Pardo Bazán 2023 medal has been shared with María Teresa Cortizas González-Criado, Equality delegate of the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia and the organization Executives of Galicia.
Foto Xunta de Galicia
The medal awarded to the FSG was collected by its president Sara Giménez, who thanked the Xunta de Galicia for this recognition and reaffirmed the organization's commitment to the fight for equality for Roma women: "For us it is essential, in each of our programmes, taking into account what the reality of Roma women is. That is why in each of them we carry out specific interventions with women. But along with this, since the gaps hit us Roma women in a special way, we have specific programmes".
The Fundación Secretariado Gitano works for the comprehensive promotion of the Roma community, through all types of services and programmes that contribute to achieving full citizenship for Roma people, promoting equal treatment and avoiding all forms of discrimination. Since its inception, the organization has been committed to promoting Roma women, promoting continuity in studies, access to professional qualifications and to the salaried employment. Today there are many Roma women who have a university degree, who have accessed qualified employment, who occupy positions of responsibility in the public sphere and also in private companies. Women who exercise their citizenship and are an example for the entire society, in the words of Sara Giménez "if we advance in the equality of Roma women, we will generate cohesion in our society, it is an advance for our entire society."
Through programmes such as Calí - For the equality of Roma women, with national scope, financed by the European Social Fund, and in Galicia, with the support also of the General Secretariat of Equality, the FSG works in the cities of A Coruña, Lugo, Santiago and Vigo with the aim of improving the socio-labour inclusion of Roma women through the promotion of equal opportunities, gender equality and the fight against all forms of discrimination, with special attention to multiple discrimination suffered by Roma women and victims of gender violence.
Last year 2022 alone, 1 262 Roma women participated in the Calí Programme throughout Spain. 105 of them in Galicia.
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