A theme for this year’s Women’s Day is #PressforProgress. Global action for women’s equality in areas hitherto not highlighted enough have this past year been #MeToo and #TimesUp.

There is thus a strong worldwide momentum pushing for women’s rights in areas from sexual harassment to equal pay. This must be seen in the context of the 2017 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, which says that gender parity is over 200 years away.

This means that so much more needs to be done and at a faster pace in terms of pressing for progress in these areas of policy if we want to see significant progress during our lifetime.

That is why we should keep this momentum of growing global advocacy.

Closer to home, the Bill on gender-based violence is in its final stages, and we have tried to leave no stone unturned when it comes to rights, protection and penalties.

It is not easy, and the usual suspects again are trying to detract from the strength of the Bill. But we are forging ahead with the conviction that we are doing the best that we can to give those affected the strong legislation they need to enjoy a life free from violence wherever they are, be it home, work or a public space.

Our law will now be up to speed with the Istanbul Convention and among the best in the world.

Of course, it has to be up to us, each and every one of us, to make it happen. The law will be in place; we have to put it into practice by enforcing it through strengthening the support structure and bringing about a culture of change, that violence is never acceptable, in line with the legislation.

Women’s rights are human rights, and all of society will gain from a more equal society

It is also time to act upon the gender pay gap. We have been talking about this reality for some time now. Iceland took the plunge at the beginning of the year and went ahead with strengthening their legislation.

Like Iceland and various other countries, legislation for equal pay for work of equal value has been on the statute books for scores of years, but we also know that instances of abuse may be widespread.

A recent case investigated by the NCPE resulted in the female employee being allocated an ‘extra’ €500 in salary monthly so that the discrimination between her and her male colleagues doing similar work was addressed.

We continue to work for the economic empowerment of women by facilitating a work-life balance and providing the necessary structural support for all parents to continue holding on to their jobs and seeing to their family responsibilities.

This new legislature saw the setting up of a Consultative Council for Women’s Rights. This council discusses all present and future legislation which impacts women. It is made up of all NGOs which work in this area, and thus their expertise and experience will contribute to the development of laws and policies.

We have been talking for too long about women’s under-representation in Parliament. If we don’t want to continue doing so for the next 200 years, we must take the plunge and introduce that so-called necessary evil: quotas.

Labour’s electoral manifesto is clear on this, and therefore the government is exploring how best to introduce quotas in order to ensure gender-balanced representation in Parliament.

The Equality Act will be another step in this direction. For instance, it will be obligatory for boards to have on them a minimum of 40 per cent of the under-represented sex, again aiming at gender balance in decision making.

But more than that, the law will reinforce the relationship between individuals and the State, in that the State strengthens its resolve to safeguard the basic needs of the citizens and protect their rights and freedoms regardless of who they are.

We shall continue pressing for progress not just by legislation but importantly by  putting forward the message that women’s  rights are human rights, and that all of society will gain from a more equal society.

Our work will not be finished in our lifetime, as UN Secretary General, António Guterres, strongly acknowledged: “Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world.”

Happy Women’s Day.

Helena Dalli is Minister for European Affairs and Equality.