“Pasacalle”: International Women’s Day in Trujillo

Every year international women’s day is held on the 8^th March. It is an opportunity to celebrate past achievements and highlight the continuing global struggle for women’s rights and equality.

This year in Trujillo various groups and individuals took part in the occasion by joining together for a demonstration that led through the centre of the city. Sixty mothers from the SKIP programme, along with many children and volunteers marched on behalf of SKIP. Thanks to the “Libertad” bus company a free bus service was arranged to pick up the mothers and children from the SKIP office in the morning and take them to the Plaza de Armas (the city’s main square) where thousands gathered for the demonstration.

It was an exciting occasion, as many of the children and mothers very rarely get a chance to visit the city centre, especially with such a festival spirit in the air. The many different political and social groups in attendance joined together to protest against the culture of ‘machismo’ and sexual discrimination that are still prevalent forces in Peruvian society. There was live music and clowns for entertainment and after the demonstration a speech underlining the political importance of the day was given by a representative of the MINDES (Women and Social development Minister)