El cap de setmana passat vam tenir l’oportunitat de participar al Sirene Festival, una trobada organitzada per Maghweb en el marc del projecte IRIS, que reuneix activistes, professionals, investigadores i col·lectius compromesos amb la defensa dels drets sexuals i reproductius a la regió mediterrània.
Durant diversos dies, el festival es va convertir en un espai de trobada, intercanvi i aprenentatge compartit entre persones i organitzacions que treballen, des de contextos molt diversos, per garantir l’accés a la salut sexual i reproductiva i el dret a l’avortament. Des de l’Associació pels Drets Sexuals i Reproductius hi vam participar juntament amb la Paula Feijen, Vicepresidenta d’Afers Externs de l’Associació d’Estudiants de Ciències de la Salut i Comissionada de Salut del Consell de la Joventut de Barcelona (CJB).
Compartint experiències i aprenentatges sobre l’accés a l’avortament
Una de les activitats centrals de la nostra participació va ser la xerrada “NONOSTANTE VOI – Reti, ostacoli e disobbedienze intorno all’aborto”, un diàleg internacional que va reunir experiències d’Espanya, Itàlia, França i diversos països del Nord d’Àfrica. L’espai va permetre analitzar els obstacles que encara dificulten l’accés efectiu a l’avortament i vam poder compartir estratègies comunitàries que contribueixen a garantir aquest dret.
El festival va oferir un programa ampli de tallers, xerrades, performances i espais de reflexió. Entre les activitats en què vam participar, destaca el taller “RETI DI SORELLANZA NELL’ACCOMPAGNAMENTO ALL’ABORTO”, centrat en les xarxes de suport mutu i acompanyament en els processos d’avortament, amb les companyes de Obiezione Respinta, IVG Ho Abortito e Sto Benissimo i Non è un veleno.
La importància de construir aliances transnacionals
Un dels grans valors del Sirene Festival és la seva capacitat per connectar realitats diverses i generar aliances entre organitzacions de diferents territoris. En un context en què els drets sexuals i reproductius continuen sent objecte de qüestionament i retrocessos en molts llocs del món, aquests espais esdevenen essencials per compartir coneixements, reforçar estratègies comunes i construir respostes col·lectives.
La participació en aquesta trobada s’emmarca en el projecte IRIS, que té com a objectiu promoure l’accés a informació científica, rigorosa i lliure de prejudicis sobre la salut i els drets sexuals i reproductius.
ENG The Sirene Festival, also in its third edition, aimed to strengthen the role of young people and raise awareness of sexual health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The main objective was to enhance participants’ agency by providing tools to support the development of their skills as conscious, active and informed citizens. The festival’s main target was twofold: on the one hand, young people, who were encouraged to take on an active role; and on the other, civil society organisations and local groups, with the aim of strengthening support and mutual aid networks. The event officially opened with the internal partners’ meeting, a space dedicated to coordination and to defining monitoring strategies among the partners.
The event took place over three days and offered a range of activities. The festival included three main panel discussions, structured as open-mic talks to facilitate direct and horizontal dialogue between health professionals, international experts and young people. The latter actively asked professionals questions about institutional barriers, conscientious objection and obstetric violence, transforming scientific and political information into shared knowledge. Through the sharing of real-life cases and networking tools, the festival acted as an incubator for young activists and professionals, helping them improve their strategies to support reproductive autonomy.
The workshops, by contrast, focused on the acquisition of practical skills related to various topics, such as one’s own body and sexual health, as well as the collective imagination of new inclusive languages and words. In particular, in the workshops dedicated to scientific appropriation and health, such as Biohack Lab and Guarda un po’!, beneficiaries acquired technical and science-based skills relating to the use of the most common gynaecological instruments, self-monitoring and how to detect an infection at an early stage.
Furthermore, the workshop dedicated to sexuality and disability, Abitare un corpo che non rientra, enabled young people and organisations to map practical tools aimed at reclaiming the sexual and reproductive rights of marginalised bodies. Another topic explored through the workshops was language and self-expression, offering young people the opportunity to take a direct and active part in creating something. In the Punchline workshop, focused on transfeminist rap, participants acquired writing techniques and rhythmic metre, using them to translate systemic issues and social barriers into political verses, followed by a collective jam session.
The live events and theatrical performances, such as Tekken Drama and Travesia y Conjuro, used art as an innovative tool to engage both young people and the general public. By bringing highly sensitive topics such as emotional dependency and violence in relationships to the stage, the performances addressed social taboos, transforming them into moments of public debate and reflection.
Read and download the Event description sheet.
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