Malaga’s International Women’s Day rally finished at the end of Calle Larios with the reading of a declaration. Migue Fernández

Costa del Sol unites to mark International Women's Day

A large march was held in Malaga city on Wednesday evening and many other events were organised in the annual celebration of women's rights

Cristina Vallejo / David Lerma

Malaga.

Friday, 10 March 2023, 01:00

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The 8 March Women's Day rally through Malaga kept a united front this week despite ongoing differences in the feminist movement nationally.

Up to 10,000 people, according to organisers, came together for the annual demonstration in favour of advancing women's rights and equality; the main event on the Costa del Sol to mark International Women's Day. The numbers were up on last year, when an estimated 5,000 people had taken part.

Spokesperson for the organisers, Andrea Barbotta, said, “It has been a huge demonstration. We make the mistake of comparing it to 2018, which was the biggest we have had anywhere in Spain. But then the pandemic came along. This has been much better, with more of a spirit of participation than last year. We are alive and we keep on going.”

Last year's marches in Spain had been marred by splits in the feminist movement centring on the definition of a woman and the debate on the abolition of prostitution.

This year in Malaga, at least, everyone from different points of view across the generations came together on most of the main route, which finished at Plaza de la Constitución at the end of Calle Larios.

Ana and Rosa, two participants, reflected on the split in feminism which was still especially visible this week nationally in a bitter dispute in the Congreso in Madrid over emergency reform to the prison sentences' guidelines of the new 'only yes is yes' sex offence law.

“It is just a few creating the divisions and in Madrid, the rest of us are all together,” Ana and Rosa said.

The atmosphere in Malaga was festive, although local members of left-wing Podemos said they didn't support the statement written by the organisers of the march, despite attending it.

This statement said, “We demand the scrapping of all national and regional laws that help make women invisible, blank them and erase them,” and continued, “It is intolerable that crimes against sexual freedoms are what have gone up the most in Andalucía and that sentences are being lowered,” a reference to the 'only yes means yes' law.

Across the Costa del Sol and Malaga province, town halls, institutions and private organisations held numerous events. Torremolinos town hall recognised three local women's sports teams, among others, for their work promoting equality at a special ceremony.

And at Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella staff gathered to read a statement. “For the last three years, women and men of Hospital Costa del Sol have united their voices to achieve real equality.” they said.

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