Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
In 2010, the World March of Women will be in the streets around five regions of the planet where it is present – Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania, Europe and Middle East/Arab world – carrying out its Third International Action. The WMW will once more demonstrate our strength as collectively organised women with diverse experiences, political cultures and ethnic backgrounds, but with a common identity and goal: the desire to overthrow the current, unjust world order that provokes violence and poverty, and to construct the world we want based on peace, justice, equality, freedom and solidarity.
Under the slogan “Women on the March Until We are all Free!”, the Third International Action will be organized around two prominent moments:
* The first one from 8th – 18th March, with regional marches of different types, forms, colours, and rhythms that will also mark the 100-year anniversary of the Declaration of International Women’s Day, called by delegates of the 2nd International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhaguen, in 1910;
* Simultaneous marches and actions in the countries will mark the second moment, from 7 to 17th October, with an international meeting point in Sud Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a way to express international solidarity with women leaving in conflict situation and to strengthen women’s protagonism in the resolution of conflicts. This action in Sud Kivu will close the WMW Third International Action.
In addition to these two big moments, actions in regional level, putting together women from different countries from the same continent, will organized in Asia/Oceania (in May, in Philippines), Europe (in June, in Turkey) and the Americas (in August, in Colombia).
In each country, mobilization is prepared around demands and commitments in the four action areas of the WMW:
– Common good and public services
– Peace and demilitarization
– Women’s work (for women’s economic autonomy)
– Violence against women
Each WMW National Coordinating Body (NCB) has defined specific issues that better represent their realities and national and local struggles within each one of those fields. They look for raising awareness for the link between oppression that occurs in local level and the global capitalist and patriarchal system, as well as for the common problems that women experience in different realities around the world.
The challenge facing WMW activists is very big: the world context in which the action will be developed is marked by an increasing offensive of the conservative sectors of society, religious fundamentalisms of every kind, like communalism, the criminalisation of protest, the disrespect of people’s rights over their territories, rising militarization and violence, implemented by governments in the name of a allegedly “war against terror”.
“Patriarchy, capitalism and racism are three systems which are interlinked to control our bodies and our lives. In the South and North countries, their institutions - governments, big companies, religions - want to avoid us to achieve our rights and try to take away rights gained”, affirms the call to action issued from the VII WMW International Meeting, held in October 2008, in Galicia.
Below, follow further information ion the actions in the countries and regions, as well as on the closing action in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Soon the website of the WMW Third International Action will be online, where complete details on the actions in each country will be available as well as other information: www.wmw2010.info
For further information on the WMW, please visit the website:
www.worldmarchofwomen.org
National preparations for 2010
For the first moment of 2010 action, there are countries preparing marches and mobilizations during all the period that lasts from 8th to 18th March or during same days in the same period, in this way bringing women’s situation and demands for justice to the attention of the press, civil society and authorities. It is the case of Kenya, for instance, where activities will start on the 8th and will finalize on the 18th and will include street theatre, cultural events, conference, marches, vigils and visit to communities. In Brazil, around 3,000 women from the WMW and allied movements will march together during 10 days, from Campinhas until the capital of Sao Paulo state. The same will happen in Pakistan, where rural and urban women will march from Hyderabad to Karachi with buses, tractors and bullcars. In Sri Lanka, the march will be developed between the cities of Thalahena and Marawila, from 8th to 11th, will stop some days and will restart from 15th to 18th. In Mali, workshops to prepare material for diffusion and a launching ceremony, as well as descentralized march will be organised in six districts of Bamako from 8th to 15th March. These actions will culminate in the organization of a march on the 18th, in the North region of the country.
National and local demonstrations and / or other activities are also being planned on, or close to, the 8th March to launch our International Action and to celebrate the Women’s International Day in the following countries around the world: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, the Basque Country, Belgium, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Canada, Chile, England, El Salvador, France, Galicia, Greece, Guatemala, India, Italia, Japan, Kurdish Territory, Macedonia, México, Mozambique, Nepal, New Caledonia, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Quebec, South Africa, Sudan, Switzerland, Turkey, Western Sahara.
In October, sisters from Quebec will also be marching during five days, from the 12th – 17th October in a march composed by different marches which will depart from different regions of the province and will arrive in Rimouski, in Bas Saint-Laurent.
Other countries will carry out actions in other months of the year, particularly from 11th June to 11th July, when activists will denounce the promotion of the industry of prostitution during the World Cup in South Africa.
The Third International Action in the regions
Asia: struggle against free trade, military bases, and trafficking of women
The WMW National Coordinating Bodies in Asia and Oceania will meet from the 12th – 14th May in Quezon City, the Philippines. This will be a time to reflect on and evaluate the mobilisations carried out in March in the countries of the region, deepen the debate around the four WMW Action Areas, and plan actions for the expansion and consolidation of the WMW in the region following the 3rd International Action. In addition to the meeting, a street demonstration is being planned to raise awareness of, and make known our demands, in relation to the struggle against trafficking of women, free trade, militarisation, and climate change as part of the regional action.
In the Americas, meeting of women against war and for peace
The meeting, being organised by the Social Movement of Women against War and for Peace, of Colombia, and the World March of Women, will be held from the 16th – 23rd August. The objective is to reflect, and take action, on the critical situation of social and armed conflict that the American people are experiencing, particularly in Colombia. This situation affects the territory, the sovereignty, and especially, the lives, autonomy, and bodies of women, who suffer from the social, psychological, economic and physical damages caused by war.
The invitation to the meeting affirms: “War has worsened violence, poverty, and inequality; it is women who suffer most perversely from displacement, feminicide, and disappearances, as well as being responsible for supporting their families due to the fact that the State prioritises military spending over the provision of basic services.”
In addition, the recently-announced installation of U.S. military bases in Colombia represents a threat to the entire continent, as these bases become an instrument of military intervention for political and social control of the people, placing their sovereignty at risk.
The meeting will consist of three parts; it will begin with an international humanitarian action in different regions of the country, followed by the meeting of women in Bogotá, and closing with a public political action represented by a mobilisation and vigil for life and sovereignty.
In Europe, a march and discussion of demands at the regional level
The European WMW action will take place on the 30th June in Istanbul, Turkey, the day before the European Social Forum (1st – 4th July) – although independent of this event – with the participation of 200-300 WMW activists. Plans for the day of action include the organisation of a march, plenary discussions and workshops on the four Action Areas, with presentations of the struggles of Turkish and Kurdish women. Actions are also planned together with the media. A working group is currently preparing a proposal for WMW demands at the European regional level to be debated by the NCBs prior to the meeting in Istanbul.
Africa: international mobilisation closes the 2010 action
The closing mobilisation will take place from the 14th – 17th October in Bukavu, in the province of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with the presence of an international delegation composed mainly of women from the African continent but also women from other countries in conflict around the world. During the first international planning mission which took place in October 2009, the format of the action was defined: two days of panel discussions on the four Action Areas of the WMW, a day of a food sovereignty fair, and a day of protests in the streets where women will speak out against war and for peace. Planned activities also include planting trees and the inauguration of a memorial to honour women victims of violence in the DRC, particularly the women were buried alive in Mwenda territory (Kasika).
The next edition of the newsletter will bring more information about the social, political, and economic situation in the DRC as a whole, and particularly of women.
WMW focus on the fields of action
The four fields of action synthesizes the whole set of actions carried out by the different participant groups which are in the base of the WMW in various countires. They were the result of a large process of discussion held in local levels (by the National Coordinating Bodies) and, after, in international level (mainly in the International Meetings). You can find highlighted below some of the struggles that will be put in evidence along 2010 in each field of action:
Common good. We fight against the privatization of nature and public services and against the market solutions to face climate change. We affirm the principle of food sovereignty and the right to health care, education, potable water, and sanitation.
Peace and demilitarisation. We strive to show the complexity of the causes of war, which include the desire to control women’s lives and bodies, the manipulation of ethnic and religious conflicts, the exploitation of natural resources, and the interests of the arms industry.
Women suffer violence inflicted by members of the army and paramilitary groups as well as their own communities, especially the men, who reject them and blame for the violence inflicted on them.
Women’s work. We defend access for all workers, men and women, to their legal rights, social security, and equal pay, including a fair minimum wage, everywhere in the world, without discrimination of any kind.
Violence against women. We combat violence through actions to increase awareness in society, together with allied social movements, and also through the elaboration of demands made to the State. We want to show how violence towards women occurs, its causes and how they manifest themselves, and make visible all forms of women’s resistance to sexist violence, particularly in the collective sphere.
Complete texts for each field of action are available on the WMW website, in the links below:
English – http://www.marchemondiale.org/actions/2010action/text/en/
Castellano - http://www.marchemondiale.org/actions/2010action/text/es/
Français - http://www.marchemondiale.org/actions/2010action/text/fr/
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