Manifesto of International Women’s Day 2026
Manifesto prepared by the State Women’s Network of the MENTAL HEALTH SPAIN Confederation on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026.
From the State Network of Women’s Mental Health of the Confederation SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA we want to make visible that Stigma is one of the main obstacles to guaranteeing women’s rights.
We denounce stigma and self-stigma as a form of violation of their rights and violence against women, girls and adolescents with mental health problems.
We perceive social stigma and identify it.
THE HISTORICAL STIGMA which is rooted in our society, with archaic prejudices and misinformation or biased information, feeds self-stigma, increases our insecurities and strengthens the belief that everything that happened to us, happens to us and will happen to us, we deserve.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE PAINFUL THAN LIVING IN GUILT.
In the health field we detect paternalism, we are not given all the information. We defend the right to motherhood for women with mental health problemsWe do not have perinatal support, we need mental health professionals who adapt to our needs when we want to be mothers. Bad feelings are diagnosed, a lot of guilt comes from there, “by diagnosing life” we have the right to feel bad.
In our role as caregivers, we are good at taking care of family members, but not at having children. Our motherhood is questioned. Decisions come from us, however, sometimes we feel coerced. To what extent can we say NO.
We, women with mental health problems, feel last, even isolated, it seems that it is not recognized that we need to take care of ourselves.
We experience more stigma By acquaintances, family members and/or friends, we are not taken into account as a reference for support, which leads to behaviors of social exclusion that deepen the feeling of loneliness or isolation. The fear of rejection is brutal.
IF THIS SOCIETY IS PREPARED TO SUPPORT DIVERSITY, WHY DO WE STILL FEEL STIGMATIZED?
In rural areas, women with mental health problems have a greater perception of stigma, because the population is smaller, there is greater proximity between inhabitants and more difficulty in confidentiality. Therefore, there is greater reluctance to ask for support, for fear of experiences of discrimination in these contexts.
Prevention and dissemination of tools are needed for the empowerment of a very vulnerable group of children/youth due to a distorted perception of mental health. We need to put an end to the past, so that it does not happen again.
We do not want girls and adolescents to experience what we have experienced. We urge attention to stigma in schools, including by teaching staff. According to the GEA Study, the trivialization of the experiences of minors is perceived more acutely.
BY CARING FOR OUR PRESENT, WE CARE FOR THE FUTURE.
We claim and propose To eliminate these types of situations:
- Take into account historical memory in relation to women, adolescents and girls with mental health problems and promote a change social, freedom of thought, education in rights.
- Early care, detection. Other major problems would be avoided. More mental health awareness is necessary in schools, as it would facilitate creating a safe space, offering support and the necessary detection, aimed at girls and adolescents with mental health problems. In addition, provide more information to families, qualified personnel to work, eliminate self-stigma and boost the strength of girls and adolescents, MAY STIGMA DO NOT HURT.
- Erase self-stigma.
- Know how to say NO. We have to be ourselves, and how we want.
- Create a self-care guide for women with mental health problems.
- Frivolizing mental health terminology distorts your perception. We propose to teach, disseminate, incorporate our discourses of opposition to discriminatory experiences. Let us not forget that almost half of the victims of violence have suffered it in their immediate environment, therefore, as an empowering and revolutionary element, we make our mental health problem visible.
WE DEMAND FREEDOM TO CHOOSE AND DECIDE IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE!
LET’S NOT FORGET THAT THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN THE LOVE FOR OURSELVES!
