Call of the world women ́s movement against violence against women and children


World Women‘s Conference of grassroot women Continental coordinators
25.11.20
Call of the world women ́s movement against violence against women and children

Enough is enough! All over the world, women are rising up against the right-wing development of governments which goes hand in hand with increasing violence against women and children. World women denounce all forms of physical, psychological, social and structural violence, torture and feminicide.
In April 2020, we stated in the International Call and catalogue of demands to Governments:
“The Corona crisis reveals a systemic crisis. Capitalism is not able to provide us with a life in dignity” and “We do not agree with the way we are governed.” This is confirmed. The Corona crisis in combination with the world economic crisis has fundamental impacts on our lives:
• the system-inherent special oppression of women is intensifying; right-wing governments are demanding compulsory births while existing life is not protected.
• Patriarchal patterns of thought and behaviour, including fascist ideologies, degrade women to subordinates of men, promote sexism and violence
• Unemployment, lockdowns lead to poverty, hunger.
Women organise life under the most difficult conditions. They say:
“Greetings from Ecuador, the pandemic means double work for women, violence and feminicide have intensified. The government is breaking laws for workers and women”
“Greetings from Argentina, we are the vanguard in the fight against the pandemic and hunger, especially for women. Our CCC (Classist and Combatant Current) force serves more than 1400 soup kitchens throughout the country every day, for many of them perhaps the only meal of the day. We women continue our national campaign against violence against women and the presentation of the bill for free public hospitals”.
“Greetings from Peru, the number of pregnancies among girls and teenagers has increased, including abuse and maltreatment, even by their own parents. There is no clear law that interrupts these forced pregnancies because bad people in power rule through corruption and mismanagement. We, the Association of Fighting Women of Peru (Asociacio4 n de Mujeres Luchadoras del Peru) demand laws to protect their physical and mental integrity”.
“Greetings from Bosnia-Herzegovina, since the corona crisis many people have lost their jobs, the loss of livelihood increasingly leads to domestic violence. Women and children suffer.”
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Song of South Africa against Apartheid from 1956

“Greetings from Asturias from the female miners (Mujeres de Carbon) Our full support and cooperation in the fight for freedom“!
“Greetings from India, the number of rapes and sexual violence against women has risen sharply during the pandemic, the economic situation is catastrophic. The government is presenting people with the choice between death by corona or death by starvation. AIRWO (All Indian Revolutionary Women) provides aid and organises struggles”.
“Greetings from Bangladesh, here there have been 1000 rapes in 9 months, 208 of them gang rapes. 68 girls were younger than 6 years, 139 girls between 7 and 12 years, 43 women were murdered. The Bangladesh Students Union (BSU) and the Garments Workers Trade Union organised an action week. The economic situation is bad and the women workers are not paid. We are fighting”.
“Greetings from Sri Lanka, especially poor families have no money, not enough food. The nutritional status of pregnant women and children is low, leading to a generation of sick children. Women are the most affected by the economic crisis. They are exposed to sexual harassment as well as domestic violence”. (vikalpani national women’s federation)
“Greetings from Uganda, in the face of lockdowns hunger is increasing and we have an incredible number of rapes and violence against women and girls. (Christian women’s movement).
“Greetings from Tunisia, here is the second wave of the corona pandemic. Thousands of people are affected because those responsible have not dealt with the situation adequately. Contraceptives, once distributed free of charge in rural areas, are no longer available. Abortion is now only available in some private clinics at very high prices. The health, economic, social and political conditions are catastrophic”. (Tunisian Women’s Committee and Saloua Guiga/WFK)
President Duterte/ Philippines is conducting an anti-communist hunt against progressive women. Her answer: “red lips instead of red line”. President Erdogan/ Turkey uses rape against Kurdish freedom fighters. Their answer: “We defend ourselves”, a campaign against violence. In Poland PiS party leader Kaczynski tightens the abortion law with the help of the constitutional court. The women’s answer: “We don’t go to work” and nationwide mass protests with more and more allies in the fight against the reactionary government policy.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women goes back to the Mirabal sisters, freedom fighters of the Dominican Republic, who were murdered by the fascist regime. The international militant women’s movement is in the tradition of the struggle for freedom. This includes openness for a liberated society and is incompatible with anti-communist agitation. The independent struggle for women’s liberation requires the solidarity of the women’s, youth and labour movement.
We welcome agreements outlawing violence and oppression of women such as the Istanbul Convention for countries of Europe, the Maputo Protocol for countries of Africa, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Combating of Violence against Women or the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. But we do not rely on them. The governments ratify – we act! We demand:
• Punishment of all who commit violence – the repeal of anti-women and discriminatory laws.
• Resignation of all responsible politicians.
• Safe and legal abortion – a hundred years ago, in 1920, the then socialist Soviet Union passed
the first law legalising abortion.
In the middle of the 21st century, the moment has come when women receive power and rights. International solidarity for women is more necessary than ever. Let us act together.
Organise yourself in the militant women’s movement in your country. We are not victims but actors of the future. Be part of it.
V.i.S.d.P. www.worldwomensconference.org

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