Our Secretary-General, Tamara Espiñeira, will open one of the working sessions of the ITECHMER trade fair on October 16, 2019.
This seminar entitled “What is the future of women in the fishing industry?” It is organized in cooperation with WSI, the international association of women in the fishing sector.
Here, we present the interview with Mrs. Espiñeira about this seminar.
Interview
• What is the Atlantic Cities association?
The Atlantic Cities is a network of local authorities whose job is to facilitate cooperation and communication between its members and with other actors, also by encouraging the European institutions to become aware of the interests of the Atlantic cities.
The influence of our members abroad and its participation in European projects is our reason to be. Belonging to a network like ours allows Atlantic cities to have a European window, not only for monitoring, but also for visibility.
• What is its relationship with Lorient?
Lorient is the founding city of the Atlantic Cities. The city is very active there, especially in the themes of fishing and entrepreneurial development. Thus, the idea of the animation of a seminar at ITECHMER came quite naturally, following others like Atlantic Habor Cities during the Interceltic Festival of 2010 or during the COP21 on the necessary implication of the fishing communities in the preservation of the ocean. *Curious note, the secretary-general, Tamara Espiñeira, is Galician; the region that is honored this year in the Festival Interceltique.
• What is the She4Sea project?
She4Sea is a communication campaign of the Atlantic Cities that seeks to recognize the role of women in Atlantic maritime affairs as an asset for the EU.
The main objective of this campaign is to raise awareness of the presence of women in maritime affairs by recognizing their daily work and their successes. What is expected is to encourage other women to work in areas related to the blue economy and improve their working conditions.
Atlantic Cities act as the voice of women working in the maritime sector in the Atlantic
• Are women invisible in the fishing sector more than elsewhere?
Yes, because the maritime industries and fishing sector are also invisible, little known or even despised. And so women are victims of a double forgetfulness of society. As one of our She4Sea says, Ms. Sophie Leroy “being a woman generates respect. The fishermen knew that I was very involved in this work but the position of women in this sector is underestimated. ”
• Has it evolved?
Little by little, consciences are waking up to the situation of parity in different sectors. #Metoo served as an alarm clock. Nevertheless, there are still some inertia and clichés that hinder the full integration of women.
• What message do you want to give during this seminar organized at ITECHMER?
Join us! She4Sea is a sea women’s movement for the women in the sea. We are taking your ideas and your testimonies, in order to build a network and make enough noise so that the question arrives at the European level.