We See You, We Respect You, We Act Together!”

The National Agency for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (ANES), within the Ministry of Labor, Romania, in cooperation with the Institute for Social Studies of Gender, within Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Bucharest, propose people to join the campaign “We See You, We Respect You, We Act Together!” which will take place at national and international level and will aim to highlight the work done by women on the front lines during the COVID 19 pandemic, in areas such as health, public order, defense and education. These predominantly feminized fields are now proving to be of major interest for the functioning of the society as a whole, as demonstrated by the statistics accomplished by the National Institute of Statistics: 70% of doctors are women; 91% of nurses are women; 78% of family doctors are women; 90% of pharmacists are women.

One of the actions of the campaign is to prioritize the work of auxiliary staff in medical care units (nurses and caregivers, who ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of health facilities, preparation of materials necessary for the activity, accompanying hospitalized patients and taking care of deceased persons) and, on the basis of social dialogue, the campaign kindly asks personalities from the public space, to try to make visible their efforts, sacrifices and dedication. Thus, the campaign also aims to reduce the existing social cleavages in the company for categories of staff that are not very visible, but indispensable for carrying out day-to-day activities in any public or private entity. Thus, both institutions appeal to personalities from the education field, media and the artistic environment to promote respect and appreciation of the work of these categories of staff, by sending short video messages of gratitude, encouragement and trust (1-3 minutes). At the same time, according to the legislation in force, the institutions ask radio and television stations, as well as social media influencers, to get involved in broadcasting and popularizing these messages during the Equal Opportunities Week (called like this since 2015, when May 8 was proclaimed the Day of Equality between Women and Men, according to Law 23/2015)