Denounce the death of Fátima in the street.

On Tuesday 6th April we will gather at 19:30 in Bilbao La Vieja square to denounce the death of Fátima in the street.

WE RECOGNISE that in our neighbourhoods the deterioration of the housing situation of a large sector of our neighbours is increasing: the possibilities of finding a space are scarce and habitability is worsening, the prices of abusive rents are soaring, evictions are increasing, real estate speculation is on the rise and there is an increasing presence of people who live and sleep literally in the streets and squares of our neighbourhoods. This is the visible expression of situations of poverty and social exclusion that are becoming chronic.

This time it was Fatima who died in a street in our neighbourhood.

Because in the collective imagination, the image of the man who faces sleeping rough reigns, but the reality is quite different. Homeless women do not usually stay on the street because it is a very aggressive space for us. Being at risk of eviction, occupying a relative's sofa or renting a room is also being homeless. Because the resources that exist for these situations are designed for men, and the needs that women have are uncovered. 25% of homeless women report having suffered some kind of sexual assault. 26% of these women find themselves in a situation of homelessness. 26% of these women are in this situation because they have suffered gender violence. Because poverty is feminised. And no data is collected on this reality, and therefore no policies are put in place to combat it. They make it invisible / we make it invisible. Because power relations are more marked and machismo is much stronger in the street. Because Fatima has been killed by invisibility, killed by precariousness, killed by patriarchy.

WE ARE INDIGNANT when we see that year after year the number of homeless people increases and the public administrations, having sufficient means at their disposal, do not apply policies that lead to the eradication, once and for all, of this situation.

WE URGE and DEMAND that public institutions in general, and Bilbao City Council in particular, to:

Not to persist in the current irresponsibility of having closed resources while people are forced to live on the streets.

● To halt its intention to close the winter shelter resource on 11 April, thereby preventing more people from being thrown onto the streets.

● To immediately activate the "social registration": an obligation for the administrations and a right for all people who live in the city and have no way of registering.

In compliance with the values it proposes and proclaims: solidarity, social justice, diversity and inclusion, respect for human rights... refrain from continuing to send the municipal police to evict homeless people from one part of the city to another, and instead propose inclusive and integrating solutions.

● Implement policies and resources that not only end homelessness but also enable people experiencing homelessness to live in dignity.

WE COMMIT ourselves not to remain indifferent and to continue to denounce the unjust situations that occur in our neighbourhoods and that can be avoided. We continue to say that our neighbourhoods are very dangerous because the structural injustice that we suffer affects, reduces and shortens the possibilities of living, or directly kills as in the case of Fatima.

GALTZAGORRI talde feminista

BILBO ZAHARRA auzo elkartea

COORDINADORA DE GRUPOS de Bilbao la Vieja, San Francisco y Zabala