00:00Before we begin our video, a short note. We'll be glad if you like, comment, and share our content.
00:06We are the largest left-wing civic association in Slovakia, and we want to keep growing.
00:12New videos are published Fridays. If you like what we do, you can support us financially
00:17and become our members. More information is available on our website, and most importantly,
00:23don't forget to subscribe to our channel.
00:27If this were happening to men, the world would be on fire.
00:31Approximately 4 billion women live on Earth. That is not a minority. That is not a special
00:38interest group. That is half of humanity. And yet, for hundreds of millions of women,
00:43someone else still decides what happens to their bodies, their education, their work,
00:49their income, or their future. When we talk about women's rights in Europe,
00:53we often forget that we live in one of the safest and most developed parts of the planet.
00:59For most women in the world, reality looks very different. According to the United Nations,
01:05approximately 142 million women are missing from the world today. Not because they disappeared,
01:12but because they were never born or did not survive childhood. For decades, in many countries,
01:18boys were considered more valuable than girls. The result has been millions of sex-selective
01:24abortions, neglected girls, and tragedies that took place behind closed family doors.
01:30Imagine if the entire population of Germany disappeared, along with half the population
01:35of France. That is roughly the number of women we are talking about. Approximately 640 million
01:42women alive today were married while still children. They should have been thinking about school. They
01:48should have been making friends. They should have been discovering the world. Instead, they became wives,
01:55often before they had even reached adulthood themselves. And many of them lost the opportunity
02:01to complete their education or make decisions about their own lives. More than 230 million women and girls
02:08are living today with the consequences of female genital mutilation. This involves damaging or removing
02:15parts of the female genital organs. Not for medical reasons, not for health, but because of traditions,
02:22control over female sexuality, and the belief that women should be obedient. This practice exists among
02:29Muslims, Christians, and followers of traditional African religions. It is not the problem of one faith.
02:35It is the problem of patriarchal power. But even in the European Union, not everything is okay.
02:43Official data says that approximately one in three women in the European Union has experienced physical
02:49or sexual violence at some point in her life. That means tens of millions of European women.
02:56Interestingly, the highest numbers are not found in the poorest countries of Europe. The highest rates are
03:02reported in Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. Researchers point out that part of this difference may be
03:07explained by the fact that women in these countries are more likely to recognize violence, speak openly
03:13about it, and feel less afraid to report it. Lower numbers, therefore, do not automatically mean a safer
03:20life for women. They may also reflect more silence, more stigma, and less reporting. So this map does not only
03:28show
03:28violence against women. It also shows where women are able and willing to talk about it. Despite the high
03:35availability of health care services in the European Union, an estimated 5 to 10 million women still have
03:42an unmet need for contraception. Globally, it's staggering 260 million women who can't fully control when they
03:50will have children. The most common reasons in the EU are cost, limited access to services, or a lack of
03:58reliable
03:58information. In some communities, religious and family pressures also play a role. For what is often
04:05considered the most developed region in the world, this is a troubling reality of millions women. 708 million women
04:13are outside the labor market because they are caring for children, the sick, or elderly family members.
04:20Their work is essential. Without it, society would stop functioning. And yet, we pretend it is not work.
04:27It is not counted in GDP. It does not appear on a paycheck. And it remains deliberately invisible.
04:35Researchers say that this invisible work is worth 11 trillions every year. What does it say about today's
04:42world when it pretends that 9% of the world's GDP doesn't matter at all? Remember, it is not help.
04:50It is not a hobby. It is work. When we talk about the position of women in the world,
04:55we often look at Africa or Asia. But Europe is not an exception. Even here, women still perform
05:02approximately two to two and a half times more unpaid work than men. They care for children,
05:07children, for parents, for the household, for the everyday functioning of family life. It is work
05:13without which society would not function. And yet, it does not appear on a paycheck. It is not counted
05:19in GDP. And we often take it for granted. Economic estimates suggest that if this work were included
05:26in the economy, it would be worth approximately 5 trillion euros per year. That is more than the entire
05:32economy of Germany. Work performed by millions of women every single day. Work that holds Europe
05:39together. And work for which most of them will never be paid. As an added reward, many of them will
05:46also
05:46receive lower pensions later in life because years spent caring for others are often valued less than years
05:53spent in paid employment. This video was not about history. This was not a story from the past.
06:00This is the brutal reality of 2026. Many people say, that's just the way the world is. Nothing can be
06:09done
06:09about it. But history tells a different story. On October 24, 1975, approximately 90 percent of
06:18Icelandic women decided to stop all paid and unpaid work for one day. They did not go to work. They
06:26did not
06:26cook. They did not clean. They did not take care of children. And Iceland came to a standstill.
06:33Because when women stop, the world stops too. That protest helped launch the changes that turned
06:40Iceland into one of the most gender equal countries on earth. Last year, on the 50th anniversary of this
06:46historic event, we joined a commemorative protest in Vienna. And this year, we want to bring its message
06:53to Slovakia. That is why the New Left is working together with women and organizations from across
06:59the European Union to organize an annual protest for women's dignity, safety, freedom and equality.
07:06Join us. Not because women need saving, but because a fairer world will not build itself. It is built when
07:13people decide to change it. That is what Icelandic women did in 1975. And it is what we can do
07:20today.
07:21Because 51 years later, there are still far too many reasons to stand up and say,
07:26ENOUGH!
07:29Before we end our video, a short note. We'll be glad if you like, comment, and share our content.
07:35We are the largest left-wing civic association in Slovakia, and we want to keep growing.
07:41New videos are published Fridays. If you like what we do, you can support us financially and become
07:47our members. More information is available on our website. And most importantly, don't forget to
07:54subscribe to our channel. Thanks for watching.
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