Feature: International Women's Day
Women around the world are involved in a huge variety of different actions, campaigns and events, constantly challenging, resisting and speaking out against oppression. International Women's Day, March 8th 2000, draws attention to this. On this day, and on others, women will be showing solidarity with each other, celebrating their strength, and highlighting the links between different types of oppression they are involved in fighting every day.
Stop The War On Women!
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade Women's Network
While everyone is affected when arms are sold to repressive regimes, women find themselves on the front line in modern wars; the nature of conflict has changed so that over 90% of today’s casualties are civilians, not combatants. Women are targeted specifically through the use of sexual violence, and are affected more generally by conflict in ways which men are not. 8 out of 10 of the world’s refugees are women and children, while those most likely to be hit by the misuse of scarce resources are female: if a family can only afford to educate one of its children because a government has slashed social spending to subsidise arms buying, that child is probably male.
We want to draw attention to the UK’s role in arming regimes which abuse women’s rights, and express our support for women in conflict zones around the world. Ending the arms trade obviously wouldn’t end violence against women, but banning the sale of weaponry to states such as Turkey, where Kurdish women are routinely raped by Turkish soldiers, would at least send a clear message to the perpetrators of such abuses. At the moment, potential arms customers can abuse, rape and displace women, with no diplomatic ill effects - still offered loans and credit at the taxpayers’ expense to purchase ail the guns and tanks their hearts desire.
On March 8th, the Campaign Against Arms Trade Women’s Network will be taking action to mark International Women’s Day, in solidarity with women around the world who are at the receiving end of the UK’s mercenary attitude to human rights.
The action is in London on Wednesday March 8 th , from 9-11 am. Meet at the Department of Trade and industry, Kinsgate House, 66-74 Victoria street (next to the Clinton card shop) - nearest tube: Victoria/St James’ Park.
If you’d like more information, or materials, if you’re interested in NVDA, or if you’d like to find out more about the CAAT Women’s Network, call June or Sarah at the CAAT office on 020 7281 0297, or e-mail womensnet@caat.demon.co.uk
And if you can make it on the 8 th . we'd love to see you!
Women Speak Out!
Women Speak Out organise weekends of political, feminist, radical, anti-capitalist ideas and actions. Their broad aims include empowering women involved in environmental and anti-nuclear campaigns, encouraging new women to become involved in activism, providing workshops where women can learn skills for non-violent direct action, and building up strong networks to lay foundations for future actions.
The next Women Speak Out weekend will be 26 th - 29 th May, in London. The weekend will embrace a mixture of discussion, skill sharing and practical workshops on a wide range of subjects such as history of feminism, sustainable living in cities, bike maintenance, sexuality, guerrilla gardening, direct action, anti-patriarchal struggles, fighting racism...
Sleeping space, creche and cheap, tasty vegan food. For more info. Tel: 0181 374 9885 email: womenspeakout@hotmail.com
Women make up half the world's population, perform two-thirds of its work-hours, receive one-tenth of the world's income and own less than one-hundredth of its property. (UN Report, 1980)
Global Women’s Strike
Stop the world and change it!
Women all over the world will be taking action to demand a total change of priorities. $800bn a year is spent on military budgets worldwide, while less than $20 billion is spent on all the essentials of life - accessible clean water, health, sanitation, basic education. March 8th 2000 will be the first-ever Global Women's Strike - for a Millennium which values all women's work and all women's lives.
INDIA: Women will do no housework or other work in the villages of Madhya Pradesh; thousands will march in : Raipur, Ragard & Mahasmund. Chhattisgarh Women's Organisation will go to Bhopal to meet officials and to Delhi to lobby the government Chief Minister, pressing demands to end violence and poverty.
USA: Events in several major cities including Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC, co-ordinated by US Wages for Housework. The Welfare Warriors (Wisconsin) gathering women's Bills for Billy (Clinton) - what welfare they're owed for their work, which he's stealing from them.
SPAIN: Women from churches, trades unions, local government and feminists are calling a stoppage of women (and men supporters) at 12 noon for a Millennium without Poverty or Violence. Women in waged work will gather outside their workplaces, and women doing unwaged work will gather in the central square of their village, town or neighbourhood for the reading of a manifesto outlining stoppage demands.
BURKINO FASO: Rural women are Striking to Exist, demanding money for birth certificates and identity cards which most cant afford.
CANADA: Raging Grannies holding a workshop downtown and a Press Conference with Queen's Women’s Centre, publicising Women Take Off March 8.
MEXICO: Daughters of the Corn Women's Collective holding a strike day with public meeting, debate and celebration in Mexico City.
PHILIPPINES: Community groups will lobby the president to issue a Presidential Proclamation making 8 March a paid holiday; women's parties and picnics in communities and villages; a "No Shopping Day" to protest against the consumer industry's profits at women's expense.
IRELAND: The Women Count Network will be Striking for a Change in any way they think appropriate and, along with the National Women's Council, is pressing for a National Paid Holiday on 1 February (St Brigid's Day), to Value Women's Work: "A DAY OFF - because we're worth it!"
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: The National Union of Domestic Employees will lead a women's march and rally in the capital, Port of Spain.
NIGERIA: The Grassroots Women Foundation is demanding that 8 March be declared a national public holiday and that breastfeeding working mothers be paid a special allowance.
Women are also making plans in: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Kurdistan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan...
UK Events In LONDON, women are invited to be audacious and bodacious at a Day of Celebration and protest, films and live performances by women singers, dancers, poets, from a range of countries. Full wheelchair access; childcare; food & refreshments. 1-11pm, Union Chapel, Compton Avenue, Islington, London, N1 (Highbury & Islington tube). Activities also planned at Bolton Unemployed Centre; Salford Women's Centre; Liverpool Black Sisters; Keithley Women's Centre, & in Ashton under Lyme.
For info. on the Global Women’s Strike contact Crossroads Women’s Centre on 0207 482 2496. Website http://womenstrike8m.server101.com Strike leaflets available in 15 languages.