Carmen Quintanilla Barba is the President of the association of women and families in the rural milieu “AFAMMER”. She headed the Women’s Committee of the Parliament of Spain (2000-2019), senator (2019-2020), and vice-president of the Women’s Committee of the Council of Europe in 2019
Message to the International Conference at Ashraf 3 marking the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Iranian Resistance, June 20, 2020
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Carmen Quintanilla, the national president of the association of women and families in the rural milieu “AFAMMER”, the first NGO born in Spain 38 years ago to give a voice and visibility to women on the countryside.
Today, this organization, an old organization well known in the field of rural women’s rights in Spain, has more than 198.570 rural women under its banners. Women that talk about leadership, women that talk about justice, women that talk about entrepreneurship, women that talk about our fight against gender violence, and summarizing, women that talk about and advance in the search of equal opportunities.
And of course, today, I want to stand with the President of the Iranian Resistance, Maryam Rajavi. A woman that I have known for many years and whom I have always admired because of her great commitment to justice, freedom, and equality for Iranian women. Those Iranian women who today do not have freedom, who cannot raise their voices and are not free to decide about their own life and who see, on many occasions, their human rights violated.
That is why Madame Rajavi has been a brave woman, a hero who has raised the flag of human rights for Iranian women. And in these moments when United Nations strive for a great progress in the matter of equality and women’s rights, as part of the same generation, I want to call United Nations and all international organizations so we can achieve one day the end of the violations to women’s human rights in Iran.
So Iranian women can live in freedom, and progress towards equality. That’s why I unconditionally support Madame Rajavi and her commitment towards equality and of course, I want to say to her: thank you, please keep fighting, because many women are on your side so we can keep advancing towards equality of all Iranian women. Thank you very much.