International Women’s Day 2026 : Our Manifesto

The community of Open Cultural Center and Refugees Welcome Spain joins the 8M movement across the world to continuously raise our voices against violence, genocides and inequality. On this day, we remember the continued struggles women and non-binary people have faced under wars, colonialism, the patriarchy and society. We are raising our voices for those in our community who cannot, with our hearts and spirit we continue to say:  No to borders, No to genocides and wars, no to bodily coercion and no to the patriarchy.

Human Worth Beyond Borders

Migration is a right, not a privilege. A woman’s worth is not conditional on their legal status. No human is ever illegal. Rights and dignity are inherent, and should not stop at borders but go beyond. For women and non-binary people, crossing borders carry higher risks than others. Trafficking, sexual violence and kidnappings carry a higher risk when seeking asylum. In sea crossings, more women have drowned in the Mediterranean than men when attempting to seek safety. We demand safe migration passage. International Humanitarian and Human Rights law needs to be upheld and respected by international institutions including the EU and UN at borders and seas. 

Gender-based and State Violence

We strongly condemn the weaponisation of women in wars and genocides, the use of rape and sexual violence as tools of genocide, targeting women’s reproductive autonomy as a means of ethnic cleansing. We call for an end to state and gender-based violence against women and non-binary people. From exploitation to trafficking to domestic abuse normalized by state and culture, we are saying no more. Violence as a form of systemic oppression used to silence women and perpetuates further abuse  strongly condemned. No violence is ever justified and we will continue to stand with survivors of such violence.We believe in protection, from the home to the state. We will continue to fight for the right to live without fear, oppression and persecution. We stand in solidarity with women and non-binary people globally.  We demand those fleeing from gender-based violence be recognised universally as grounds for seeking asylum.

Economic Autonomy and Family

We call for fair wages, recognition of qualifications and capabilities for women and non-binary people. We need protection from exploitation, recognition of women and non-binary people in the role of a carer and their utmost dedication and contribution to building a society full of empowerment. Migrant women and non-binary people carry an essential portion of society and are the backbone of society which needs to be recognised. We honour women and non-binary people in all their complexities, no one’s worth is measured by their reproductive role. We recognise the strength of those who raise families while rebuilding their lives, those in exile and seeking safety. We require systems and policies that support them, not exploit them. We demand justice for all the children who have died as a result of conflict. Children should not pay the price for war.

Power, Voice and Leadership

Representation is neither symbolic nor performative; it is a structural reality with the power to lead, shape policy, and drive meaningful change.We thank the countless powerful women and non-binary people making structural changes, breaking barriers and shaping our future where equality strives, changes are sustainable and futures are bright. We do not forget the endless sacrifices and resilience women and non-binary people before us have made. Their struggles and tenacity have echoed throughout history and paved a way for freedom and autonomy. There is no feminist future without dismantling militarism. War is not gender-neutral. Genocide is not gender-neutral. Occupation is not gender-neutral. In war, women and children will always be a strategic target but it is our responsibility to hold those accountable and work towards demilitarisation.

Community and Collective liberation

We centre those most marginalised and build solidarity across communities. There is no liberation without community. We will fight to eliminate the multiple layers of oppression faced by women and non-binary communities, from race to religion to disability and migration status. Freedom should not be conditional. We must work together towards a fairer and more equal society where we are not viewed individually but as a collective. We must stand up for those whose voices aren’t heard. We must fight for the freedom of others. None of us are free until we are all free.

We thank all the women and non-binary people all over the world distributing aid and assistance, policy-makers, journalists, activists, teachers and those carrying their communities, culture and heritage through exile, rebuilding what war and genocide and colonialism have destroyed. We refuse to be silent in the face of genocide, we need accountability, demilitarisation and a future where safety can be provided to those who need it. We need to see an end to the ethnic cleanising and genocide of Palestinians, we need safety and assistance for the 117 million forcefully displaced people worldwide due to persecution, conflict and human rights violations. We will not rest until there is an end to these genocides, wars and colonialism. We will face the patriarchy as a collective, as one.

Silence is complicity and we refuse both. 

Signed by the workers of Open Cultural Center and Refugees Welcome Spain.