The former mayor of Algeciras, Juan Antonio Palacios known writer has written an opinion piece published in the newspaper "Viva Algeciras", reproduced for your interest.

Despite this progress has been made in equality policies in our country in recent years. Many objectives achieved at the level of legislative development in the educational, social, institutional, political, economic and combating sexual harassment and violence against women, as well as an adequate strategy approach that we further forward in real equality between women and men, but we still have major challenges facing the present and future.
Last Thursday was invited in my capacity as Chairman of the jury of Poetry and Stories annually convenes the Association of Progressive Women "Victoria Kent," the act award while the award for social work in this time has deservedly fallen with the Fibromyalgia Association of our region in the person of its representative Maria Granado.
In its development took place at the headquarters of District Live, another significant benchmark in our area, in the fight against drugs, mused aloud that we may be in one of the most unique areas of land as Andalusia is already unique.
My thoughts out loud, were not only were a tribute to the associations but a cry of commitment that we all must keep, as we have people who keeps it alive and active in defending the rights of citizenship, with authenticity, because behind its agents not only speeches but there are ideas and actions and programs.
They are associates but vindictive against inequality and indifference, and protagonists of solidarity towards those in difficulty. Of all these, perhaps one of the most unique examples is the ship captains, with passion, intelligence, tenacity and skill, two decades Maribel Garcia Revilla and has an exceptional team.

I mean, without a doubt, the Association of Progressive Women "Victoria Kent," which in November will meet no less than its twentieth anniversary. They say as the tango VOLVER, Carlos Gardel and Alfredo la Pera " twenty years is nothing". Maribel and her team have shown during these two hundred forty months that much can be done to promote equality between women and men in social policies for the disadvantaged and even combine culture, through narrative and poetry as a weapon of present and future to make us more equal in the exercise of our rights.

Is a long road traveled in the last two decades, and in fairness, the Association of Progressive Women "Victoria Kent" Algeciras, has pioneered many of the things we enjoy today as the most normal of the world. From accusations to face as individuals risking the type to integrated actions with groups of immigrant women, cross-border programs or employment policies and social integration for groups of women at risk of exclusion.

And to paraphrase the tango by Gardel, in the case of this group of women and men, "there has been neglect that has been able to kill his old and new hope, and continue to keep hidden their humble hope that is the fortune of their hearts ".

Juan Antonio Palacios Escobar