Women, some with children, marched through San Jose in the March for International Women’s Day. Some of them held banners for Allison Pamela Bonilla Vasquez, an 18 year old woman who has not been seen since last Wednesday.
Women want to be able to walk the streets peacefully, without fear. One slogan used on banners was “It is no. I said no. What part did you not understand, the “n” or the “o?” Another, “I want to feel safe, not brave.”
A Nicaraguan-Costa Rican was brought to tears as she explained, “We march here because we cannot in our country.”
One woman’s daughter raised her arm to show strength. Dressed in a wonder woman costume, she said “I come for all women.”
The family atmosphere included music and dances. The march was orderly, with some blocks for women with kids, another for politicians, and others for women marching alone or in groups of adults.