The Formentera Department of Equality and LGBTI Affairs and Espai Dones have unveiled details about the activities lined up to commemorate International Women’s Day.

From 10.00am on the big day, Monday 8 March, members of Espai Dones will set up an information stand and put up posters emblazoned with political messages in Plaça de la Constitució. In the same square, female volunteers will read the International Women’s Day manifesto from 5.30pm.

Also included in International Women’s Day programming is Descobreix-te sense tabús, on view in the Ajuntament Vell gallery from 1 to 13 March. Photographer Llorco Llorenç and poet/model Nadine Marina’s exhibition is about changing perspectives and exploring the myriad ways of smashing stereotypes about the roles of women. The show is open to the public from 11.00am to 2.00pm and 6.00pm to 8.00pm, and closed Sundays and Monday mornings.

8 March activities in the Plaça de la Constitució and the Descobreix-te exhibit will be held in person, with Covid-19 safety protocol in place. Local premiere Alejandra Ferrer and equality-LGBTI affairs chair Vanessa Parellada applauded Espai Dones for “the tremendous effort that went into putting together this year’s Covid-safe programme, with many activities taking place online”.

Three more virtual activities will close out the month. On Thursday 18 March, islanders can log on to a web-based screening of Claudia Rei’s documentary En la bretxa plus a colloquium on workplace gender inequality to follow. To sign up, send an email to igualtat@conselldeformentera.cat.

At 7.30pm on Thursday 25 March, islanders are invited to help kick off an online book club dedicated to Ana de Miguel’s “Neoliberalismo sexual: El mito de la libre elección”. The four-part series will happen the last Thursday of each month, with moderator duties handled by Rocio Pavón and the inaugural session focusing on the book’s first chapter. Interested parties can register by emailing espaidonesformentera@gmail.com or phoning 697 941 016. Copies of the book are available for purchase at Llibreria Tur Ferrer.

Finally, Friday 26 March comes with a 7.00pm webinar by Ritxar Bacete titled “Masculinity and men in the age of feminism”. Bacete is an anthropologist specialising in gender, masculinities and positive paternity and a member of Men for Equality. To register for the webinar, send an email to igualtat@conselldeformentera.cat.

“This year it’s more important than ever that we recognise women’s role in society and continue fighting for real equality; Covid-19 has highlighted our relevance while at the same time exacerbating some of the threats we face”, said President Ferrer. “As far as women’s rights and real equality, backward steps at this point are out of the question.”

5 March 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

In celebration of World Pride Day on 28 June, the Formentera office of equality and LGBTQ+ has unveiled a bill of activities bringing together, under the banner “Proud to Fight for Equality”, a host of events which are designed, said Consell president Alejandra Ferrer, to defend diversity.

The seven-day programme kicked off Wednesday afternoon when Formentera Marxa interviewed Sa Clau de s'Armari’s Xose Agulla on Instagram. The Casal de Joves hosted a 6.00pm screening of Lukas Dhont’s film “Girl” about the struggle of a young trans woman.

President Ferrer, equality and LGTBQI+ consellera Vanessa Parellada and department staffer Azucena Carrasco stood for a photo in front of the rainbow pride flag — a symbol of support that will be hung across the façade of the Consell until 5 July. At tomorrow’s full-house assembly backing is expected to come for a proclamation in support of the LGBTQI+ community.

LGBTQI+ allies are encouraged tomorrow to take to the Consell’s social media profiles to post their own supportive photos. From 29 June to 4 July the Marià Villangómez Library will share daily recommendations of literature that touches on LGTBI themes.

The outdoor film series Cinema a la Fresca starts at 10.00pm, Tuesday 30 June, with Sebastián Leilo's “Una mujer fantástica”. A reckoning with the fraught realities of life for trans women in Chile, the film will be screened to crowds in Jardí de ses Eres in Sant Francesc.

The World Pride Day programme culminates at 5.00pm on Wednesday 1 July with a livestreamed interview with Chrysallis Balears president Carmen Alberto on the Instagram account of the Casal de Joves.

25 June 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

This morning the Formentera Council and the Espai Dones association renewed a pact by which the local administration will provide €3,000 in funding to support the organisation of dynamic and educational activities that work toward equality promotion and the prevention of domestic violence.

At the signing were Council president Jaume Ferrer, social welfare councillor Dolores Fernández Tamargo and Espai Dones president Vanessa Díaz. All three affirmed their satisfaction with the results of collaboration between the Council and Espai Dones to this day – to wit, yearly pledges of funding that had until this year been set at €2,500.

The last week of March was the final hurrah for activities celebrating Women's History Month. Coordination of the March Women's History Month programme calendar, as well as the activities that accompany International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) constitute the bulk of Espai Dones programming.

The Institut Balear de la Dona, a local association established to fight for the rights and interests of women, together with the Formentera Island Council have this morning lent their signatures to an important joint accord. Acting as representatives of their respective institutions were Dolores Fernández Tamargo, councilor of Social Welfare, Youth Services and Equality of the Formentera Council, and Isabel Llinàs, director of the Institut Balear. The collaborative accord set out several different goals: preventing domestic violence; attending to the victims of such abuse; promoting equality and maintaining an actively-operating point of information, accessible to all women on the island.

By virtue of today's accord, the Institut commits to providing the Formentera Council with 9,000€ in economic support, one thousand euros more than any of the four previous years. In addition to its financial support, the Institut commits to providing training as required by the island's social care professionals.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Council, for its part, commits to providing the human and material resources necessary to managing abuse prevention and treatment programmes and to administering assistance to victims of such violence.