Women who raged against oppression
International Women’s Day is 8 March – Socialist Worker celebrates the day with some words from women who have led radical movements or fought for women’s liberation and socialism
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MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT 1759-1797
‘HOW MANY women thus waste life away the prey of discontent, who might have practised as physicians, regulated a farm, managed a shop, and stood erect, supported by their own industry, instead of hanging their heads surcharged with the dew of sensibility, that consumes the beauty to which it at first gave lustre.
It would be an endless task to trace the variety of meannesses, cares and sorrows, into which women are plunged by the prevailing opinion, that they were created to feel rather than reason, and that all the power they obtain must be obtained by their charms and weaknesses. What were we created for? To remain, some say, in innocent: they mean in a state of childhood. We might as well never have been born.’
From her famous book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women. One of the first feminists, she was deeply inspired by what she witnessed during the French Revolution in 1789.
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SOJOURNER TRUTH 1797-1883
‘THAT MAN over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man-when I could get it-and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne 13 children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?’
An ex-slave who blasted the hypocrisy and double standards in society’s treatment of women.
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ELIZABETH DMITRIEFF 1851-1910
‘PARIS IS being blockaded. Paris is being bombarded. Do you hear the cannon roaring, ringing out the sacred call-to arms! Citizens of Paris, descendants of the women of the Great Revolution, the women who, in the name of the people and justice, marched upon Versailles and carried King Louis off as captive-we, the mothers, wives and sisters of the French people, will we go on allowing poverty and ignorance to make enemies of our children, allowing them to kill each other for the whim of our oppressors? Citizens, the gauntlet is thrown down. We must win, or die.’
Dmitrieff issued this declaration from Paris in 1871. Workers had seized control of the city, forming the Paris Commune. She played a key role organising women of the city. They defied all convention-defending their commune on the barricades.
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CLARA ZETKIN 1857-1933
‘WE CARRY on our war for this measure, not as a fight between the sexes, but as a battle against the political might of the possessing classes, as a fight which we carry on with all our might and main.
The aim of that fight will be that one day the proletariat in its entirety, without distinction of sex, shall be able to call out to the capitalist order of society, “You rest on us, you oppress us, and see how the building which you have erected is tottering to the ground”.’
Zetkin was a leading socialist in Germany. She led the calls to establish International Women’s Day.
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ANNIE BESANT 1847-1933
‘WHO CARES for the fate of these white wage slaves? Born in slums, driven to work while still children, undersized because underfed, oppressed because helpless, flung aside as soon as worked out, who cares if they die or go on the streets, provided only that the Bryant and May shareholders get their 23 percent, and Mr Theodore Bryant can erect statues and buy parks?’
From her article “White Slavery in London”, which publicised the appalling exploitation of young women working at the Bryant and May match factory in east London. When the teenage workers read it, they went on strike, won major concessions-and sparked the rebellion known as New Unionism.
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ELISABETH GURLEY FLYNN 1890-1961
‘THE “QUEEN of the parlour” has nothing in common with the “maid in the kitchen”; the wife of a department store owner shows no sisterly concern for the 17 year old girl who finds prostitution the only door open to a $5 a week wage clerk.
The sisterhood of women, like the brotherhood of men, is a hollow sham to labour. Behind all its smug hypocrisy and sickly sentimentality are the sinister outlines of the class war.’
She was a leading organiser for the Industrial Workers of the World, a militant union that broke with tradition and organised both men and women workers. In 1951, at the height of the McCarthyite witch-hunts, she was jailed for two years.
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SYLVIA PANKHURST 1882-1960
‘WHEN I arrived in the East End, mothers came to me with their wasted little ones. I saw starvation look at me from patient eyes. I knew then that I should never return to my art.
Many times I have endured the vile brutalities of imprisonment and force feeding for the crime of working for women’s suffrage. I have gone to war too, and my life will be shortened for it. It is wrong that people like you should be comfortable and well fed while all around you people are starving. Capitalism is a wrong system of society and it has got to be smashed. I would give my live to smash it.’
From her 1920 courtroom speech while standing trial for sedition. An artist and a militant Suffragette, she organised women in London’s poverty-stricken East End. Inspired by the Russian Revolution, she broke with her family and declared herself “proud to be a Bolshevik”.
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ROSA LUXEMBURG 1871-1919
‘VIOLATED, dishonoured, wading in blood, dripping filth-there stands bourgeois society. Not all spic and span and moral, with pretence to culture, philosophy, ethics, order, peace, and the rule of law-but the ravening beast, the witches’ Sabbath of anarchy, a plague to culture and humanity. Thus it reveals itself in its true, its naked form. The madness will not stop, and the bloody nightmare of hell will not cease until the workers of Germany, France, Russia and England wake out of their drunken sleep, clasp each other’s hands in brotherhood and drown the bestial chorus of warmongers and the hoarse cry of capitalist hyenas with the mighty cry of labour, Proletarians of all countries, unite!’
Luxemburg was among the greatest revolutionaries of the 20th century, leading the left wing of the German socialist movement. She wrote these words during the First World War.
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FREDERICA MONTSENY 1905-1994
‘AS LONG as any woman is kept as an object and prevented from developing her personality, prostitution continues to exist. Prostitution presents a problem of moral, economic and social character which cannot be resolved juridically.
Prostitution will be abolished when sexual relations are liberalised, when Christian and bourgeois are liberalised, when women have professions and social opportunities to secure their livelihood and that of their children, when society is established in such a way that no one remains excluded, when society can be organised to secure life and right for all human beings.’
Montseny was an anarchist activist in the CNT trade union during the Spanish Revolution of 1936-9.
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ANGELA DAVIS 1944-
‘I AM totally committed to the eradication of the oppression of black people. I cannot separate myself as a black woman from overthrowing the system which consigns millions of black children to starvation. Prisons are instruments of political control. There are thousands of black men and women in prison today, not because they are criminals but because they resisted. People talk about moderation. If I see a comrade or friend being attacked by a pig with a machine-gun, I can’t respond with moderation, I can’t say, hold on there while I wonder what to do. You can’t tell a mother to moderately rescue her child from a burning building. We can be non-violent, but only if our enemy is non-violent. If our enemy has napalm and machine guns, we have to do everything to try and destroy that enemy.’
Davis was a black activist sacked from her teaching job at the University of California for being a Communist. In 1970 the FBI put her on their most wanted list, accusing her of supplying guns for a breakout from Soledad prison. She made this speech just before she was caught and locked up for 18 months.
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ARUNDHATI ROY 1961-
‘IF ALL of us are indeed against imperialism and against the project of neo-liberalism, then let’s turn our gaze on Iraq. We have to become the global resistance to the occupation. Our resistance has to begin with a refusal to accept the legitimacy of the US occupation of Iraq. It means acting to make it materially impossible for empire to achieve its aims. It means soldiers should refuse to fight, reservists should refuse to serve, workers should refuse to load ships and aircraft with weapons. We must consider ourselves at war.’
An award-winning Indian novelist and leading figure of the global movement against capitalism and war. Her speech is from the World Social Forum which took place in January this year.
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http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=868
Filed under IWD Statement
Minister leads call to end violence against women in Iraq on IWD
Iraqi women on 8 March, International Woman’s Day, called for an end to violence against women nationwide and for equal status with men, especially in top jobs, including ministries and embassies.
“Iraqi women are now crying out: stop killing, stop violence,” said Nariman Othman, minister of women’s rights, who led a delegation to the head of Iraq’s parliament. She bore a list of women’s rights issues which they wanted to discuss.
“We demand protection from killing and intimidating women in the cities of Basra, Diyala, Mosul and other Iraqi cities, and consider the anti-women violence a crime against humanity,” Nariman said.
“A bigger role must be given to qualified women in political decision-making positions and other governmental posts such as ministries… and embassies,” she said.
Nariman also asked for more help from the government to meet the needs of the increasing number of widows, and find solutions to their problems, which include unemployment.
Iraq’s constitution reserves 25 percent of the 275 seats in parliament for women, but not all of these have been filled because in some cases female candidates were not available.
Survey
In a recent report(*) on the state of Iraqi women since the US-led invasion in 2003, the US-based Women For Women International said it had become a “national crisis”.
The report, released on 6 March, showed that two-thirds of the 1,500 women questioned said violence against them had increased.
“When asked why, respondents most commonly said there was less respect for women’s rights than before, that women were thought of as possessions, and that the economy had got worse,” it said.
A similar survey by the organization in 2004 found that despite the fact that none of the women felt their families’ most basic needs were entirely met, 90.6 percent were optimistic about the future.
But in late 2007, the report said, the nationwide poll of 1,513 Iraqi women found only 26.9 percent continued to be optimistic about the situation in their country.
The report also found that 76 percent of respondents said girls in their families were forbidden from attending school.
“Forgotten and silent victims”
On 8 March, the UN special representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, called for more support and help to meet the Iraqi women’s needs “as they are the forgotten and silent victims of the ongoing violence”.
He said 70,000 had been widowed in the past 4-5 years. In the south, over 100 women had been killed, and their bodies mutilated. In the north, at least 300 women and girls were victims of “honour crimes” last year, including being shot, strangled and beaten to death, he said.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=77198
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(*) Stronger Women, Stronger Nations: 2008 Iraq Report
Read about the status of women and Iraq through the eyes of the women who live there. Click here for the full report. http://www.womenforwomen.org/documents/IraqReport.03.03.08.pdf
Filed under IWD Reportbacks, Other Country
Uganda’s President Museveni’s Speech at Women’s Day Celebrations
President Yoweri Museveni was the chief guest at this year’s celebrations to mark the the International Women’s Day, held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. Below is the speech in full.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. I salute all the women of Uganda upon this International Women’s Day. I, particularly, wish to congratulate the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development upon the successful hosting of the Commonwealth Eighth Women’s Affairs Ministers’ Meeting (8WAMM) in June, 2007, which was largely viewed as a precursor for the CHOGM meeting. It was, in fact, a test as to whether we could successfully host the main CHOGM event. Our women were, therefore, the vanguard of our effort to host CHOGM and publicise Uganda.
The theme for this year’s International Women Day Celebrations is “The Role of Women in Transforming Societies to Achieve Political, Economic and Social Development.” It seeks to consolidate the involvement of women in development. Before the National Resistance Movement (NRM) came into power, the majority of women had struggled, with immense difficulty, to transition from being second class citizens to becoming empowered and attaining gender equality. The NRM government has endeavoured to reverse this trend.
Women emancipation by the NRM Government
Not only is the African woman the child bearer; she cooks, farms, grinds grain, fetches water and firewood, teaches her children, nurses the sick, provides quality companionship to the husband, etc. It is only in a few African societies where this formula of burden sharing is reversed – men doing more work than women.
In order to enhance their role in the transformation process, the NRM government has liberated women through the following:
* Providing safe water, with coverage increasing from 10% to 63% in rural areas and from 17% to 65% in urban areas between 1986 and 2006;
* Introducing Universal Secondary Education; and
* Improving literacy from 50% to 70% between 1986 to-date. Additionally, 80% of learners in the government-led Functional Adult Literacy Programmes are women.
* Intervention in reducing HIV prevalence from 18% to 6%;
* Ensuring that all children are fully immunised, and;
* Increasing access to health units within the radius of 5 kilometres from 30% to 70%.
Women play a central role in society, right from the domestic to the international scene. Collectively and individually, they have the highest concentrations of human, economic and cultural resources necessary to occupy an enviable position in the global economy. However, the challenge is that only a few women are empowered; the majority still continues to be trapped in the low income category with unacceptable levels of political, economic, social and human development.
Gender based violence
The liberation and empowering of women, therefore, is a means of solving many socio-economic and political problems; especially for Africa. Among the major challenges faced by women globally is Gender-Based Violence, as is evidenced by almost daily media reports of resultant murder and child neglect. It should be noted that 78% of women experience some form of domestic violence such as sexual assault, physical violence, economic, verbal and emotional. (Ug. Law Ref. Com.2006)
Gender-Based violence has the following dire socio-economic and political consequences:
* It hampers women from using their skills in development activities;
* It prevents women from claiming their socio-economic rights e.g. property rights and inheritance;
* It leads to loss of human resource through death and maiming;
* It leads to increased rates of school drop-outs and teenage pregnancies;
* It aggravates social stigma, rejection and family breakdown which lead to negative forms of behaviours like prostitution and abuse of drugs.
In order to curb these negative socio-economic effects of Gender-Based Violence, there is need for legislation, awareness-raising on causes and consequences, increased resource allocation; and involvement of all stake holders in a holistic framework. The Domestic Relations Bill is currently on agenda for presentation to Parliament. We should expedite the passing of the legislation on domestic violence.
Political empowerment
Decision making is one of the main indicators of women empowerment. Today, women’s prospects for formal participation in politics have greatly improved, in spite of the many challenges they are faced with. The NRM government has put in place conducive mechanisms which have enabled women to contribute to political transformation. We now have increased numbers in the political arena. The proportion of women in Local Councils rose from 6% in early 1990s to 44% in 2003; while in parliament it rose from 18% in 1996 to 30.4% to-date, which is the internationally recommended quota.
Government also established in 1988 what is now called Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development which, among others, caters for Women Affairs; it is headed by a Cabinet Minister. These milestones have promoted women’s visibility and voice in decision making processes at all levels, which is a key tenet of democratic governance.
Education
The NRM Government regards Education as key in the liberation and emancipation of women. I am happy to note that since the introduction of UPE, in 1997, enrollment has increased from 2.5 million to 7.7 million in 2006 with a 50:50 female/male ratio. Likewise, affirmative action at Makerere University increased enrollment of females from 23.9% in the academic year 1989/1990 to 48.2% in 2005/06. While education has a positive effect on the earning capacity of both men and women, it is stronger for women. Similarly, households with such women are likely to have quality life in terms of education, health, nutrition, access to safe water and sanitation facilities etc.
As we work towards industrialisation in a bid to transform our society, I call upon parents to encourage and support the girl-child to study sciences. Young women who have attained other qualifications should go for further studies in order take up science courses.
Health
Productivity as a function of economic growth and development heavily depends on the health status of a population. Countries with higher levels of economic growth and higher indicators of the quality of life have a corresponding high investment in health research and health infrastructure. The result is reduced morbidity and mortality, long life expectancy, improved child survival and high human development index. Other advantages include less expenditure on health. On the contrary, countries with the highest disease burden tend to invest less in health and health research, culminating into low productivity. There is, therefore, a clear relationship between health status of a population and its productivity.
Women in Uganda continue to experience high maternal mortality rate which still stands at 435 per 100,000 per annum and is among the highest in the world. The total fertility rate is at 6.7 children per woman. Sixteen percent (16%) of women are married by age 15 and 53% by age 18, according to the Uganda Health and Demographic Survey of 2006. Evidence from the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2006 shows that infant mortality has come down to 76 deaths per 1,000 births; and under 5 mortality is 137 per 1,000 births. The high fertility rate at 6.9 has a bearing on the provisioning of health services for women. Those are too many children per woman. A lower figure would be better for the sake of her health as well as for family economics.
Gender equality
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are vital to the transformation of societies for political, economic and human development. There is clear evidence that gender equality reduces poverty (World Bank 2007, UNFPA 2007) and is a cause and consequence of economic growth.
A number of women still experience discriminatory gender biases and prejudices which inhibit their potential. There are still high school drop-out rates, particularly for girls. Similarly, most women lack ownership of productive resources, particularly land.
Through the transformative leadership of the NRM Government a number of women have changed their behavioural dispositions and attitude towards work. They now engage in hitherto male-dominated work such as road construction and maintenance. I continue to encourage women to aggressively embrace the world of entrepreneurship. Women have cultivated a culture of saving and investment. To-date, 55% of micro-finance institutions (MFI) borrowers are female, while 16% of the registered land in Uganda is owned by women.
Agriculture
Social transformation, however, cannot be a reality when households and individuals do not have adequate incomes. In this regard, as I have already said, Government’s efforts in the modernisation of agriculture are yielding good results.
The Government has been implementing the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) since 2001 to improve farmers’ access to advisory services and enable them to adopt profitable technologies and management practices. While there were some problems in the implementation of NAADS, there were also some visible successes. For instance, to-date government has been able to cover 346 sub-counties in 49 districts.
There is evidence of increased productivity and household incomes in areas where NAADS is functional when compared to areas where the programme is yet to be implemented; for example, in Manibe sub-county in Arua district, farmers have realised a five-fold increase in yield as a result of planting improved groundnut varieties-Serenut 2 and 3. In Mukono, over one hundred farmers have gone into production of upland rice after a huge harvest of 2000 kg per acre in one season.
Government plans to roll out the NAADS programme to the rest of the country over the coming years. Through the Bonna Bagaggawale scheme, we shall be able to advise farmers to maximise returns from their small bibanja, using the production models like those of Mrs. Kizza of Masaka. This is the ability to use small pieces of land to earn high incomes. The women, I am well informed, have been key players in the NAADS programme and have been more pro-active in forming farmer groups than the men and youth. I encourage you to continue.
Market Access
One major impediment to the realisation of economic growth and development in most developing countries is the failure to access big markets. Until recently, the North American and European markets have been closed to most African countries. We, however, salute the gesture of America and Europe opening markets to some of our products through African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) and Everything But Arms (EBA), respectively.
industrialisation
In order for us to competitively access market for our produce, it is imperative that we work towards the industrialisation of our economy. While most of our population remains rural-based and using rudimentary methods of production, our transformation process will be very slow.
As we work towards industrialisation, we shall move towards the urbanisation of our society. Too big a population in the rural areas is a factor of under development and this greatly affects women more than men, because of their functional roles in society. urbanisation increases girls’ access to education and promotes cultural acceptance of their right to education.
With the establishment of the ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, women have a greater chance of accessing ICTs, thereby enhancing their competitiveness and participation in the global economy. Government will make all efforts to narrow the gender digital divide.
Peace in Northern Uganda
The peace prospects that started to prevail in Northern Uganda have created opportunities for resumption of social and economic activities in the region. This has made it possible for the internally-displaced people to return to their areas of origin.
At the same time, local governments and development agencies have intensified the emergency and development interventions that have led to improvements in people’s lives. All these efforts must be sustained and supported so as to increase outreach. The role of women in this process cannot be under-rated; it ranges from shouldering all household responsibility, since their husbands, brothers or sons were either butchered, taken as captives or engaged in armed conflict; as well as participating in the peace process as key negotiators.
To this end, government has prioritised the implementation of the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda (PRDP) as a way of deepening service delivery and spurning development in Northern Uganda and the neighbouring districts. The Prime Minister should ensure that women play a visible role in this programme.
Corruption and fraud impede economic, political and human development. This is manifested in the lowering of tax revenue; inflated cost of public service and distortions in allocation of resources. I would like on this note to commend the women who hold key positions in Uganda’s economy.
I wish to once again congratulate all the women and men of Uganda on this auspicious occasion. I re-affirm government’s commitment towards the attainment of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Uganda. I thank you.
The writer is the President of the Republic of Uganda
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Filed under IWD Statement, Other Country
Invest More in Women -VP Njie-Saidy Urges Gambia
Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs has said that the attainment of the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment not only in the Gambia but also in the world at large cannot be achieved without the availability of timely and adequate financil human resources and other resources.
According to her, since 1980, when the national machinery for the advancement of women and girls in The Gambia was created, adequate financing has been a challenge due to limited resources although, government supported by a development partner has endeavoured to ensure the availability of resources, in many and varied ways, but the desired levels are yet to be achieved.
VP Njie Saidy made this remarks last Friday in her office while delivery her goodwill meesage on the accasion of the International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2007 on the theme “financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women”.
Below we reproduce the full text of VP Njie-Saidy’s address;
Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women
You will recall that, every year, on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day is celebrated throughout the world with the objective of highlighting that achievements and challenges in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the nationa and global levels.
This global event has grown from stength to strength and has become an event which brings women and all other stakholders together to promote and advocate for more cohesive and coordinated interventions towards effectively addressing the critical needs of women in the social, political and economic processes. Each year a relevant theme is identified globally that is deemed most appropriate. This year’s theme is: “financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women”.
Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women
In the Gambia, we cannot overemphasize the relevance ans timeless of this year’s theme on Gender equality financing which focus is given by the UN and its other development partners, particularly, during the 52nd session of the commission on the Status of Women in New York from the 25th of february to the 7th of March 2008.
Currently being attended by representative of the DOSWA & Women’s Bureau. The attainment of the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment, not only in the Gambia but also in the world at large, cannot be achieved without the availability of timely and adequate financial human material and other resources.
Since 1980, when the national machinery for the advancement of women and girls, in The Gambia was created, adequate financing has been a challenge due to limited resourcesalthough, Government supported by A development partner has endeavoured to ensure the availability of resources, in many and varied ways, but the desired levels are yet to be achieved. In the early 90s a project was initiated by goverment in collaboration with the World Bank a six year multi- sectoral and multi- donor funded Women in Development Project, which aimed at imroving the status of women through the provision of resources to sectoral agencies and NGOs in the areas of health, agriculture, credit, community skills improvement, IEC, researc, M & E and training.
The project employed the concept of women in development although the strategy was proven to be only partly effective and helped strengthen women related sectors.
Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women
In light of the above, the concept, Gender and Development ( GAD) was adopted in 1995, which empoyed the strategy of mainstreaming gender perspectives in national programmes and policies at all levels by all actors.
The strategy was endorsed in the Platform for action during the Beijing, China, fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 for the promotion of gender equality which it emphasized as central to addressing all critical areas of concern to men and women. In the same document governments were called upon, together with other stakeholders to promote effectie policies of mainstreamning gender perspectives in programmes and policies at national and international levels, complemented by targeted interventions to ensure its full and effective implementation.
Fellow Gambians, Fellow Women
The achievements on the above mentioned areas, include the women in development project and other projects or interventions such as the formulation and ratification of Gambia’s first Policy for the Advancement of Women and Girls, Mainstreaming of gender and Poverty Project funded by DFID, the drafting of Women’s Bill, creation of gender unit at the Department of State for basic and Secondary Educationa s well as institutionalization of Gender focal Points at other sectoral levels, economic empowerment foucsed projects under the Department of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and natural Resource, Trade and Employment, Youth and Sports, the Gambia chamber of commerce and Industry, Commercial Banks, Public Institutions, NGO’s UN Agencies, other development partners and Civil Society Organisations.
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Filed under IWD Statement, Other Country
2008 International Women’s Day – Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture
For over 90 years, International Women’s Day has overcome cultural, linguistic and political barriers to unify people in the fight for human rights, equality, development and peace.
Endorsed by the United Nations, International Women’s Day marks a day for communities around the world to reflect on the social, political and legislative successes which have significantly improved the lives for millions of women around the world. But, there are still many battles to be won.
In his latest report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak called on states to fully recognise, punish and prevent violence against women. He referred to the lasting physical and psychological consequences for women victims of violence who are often powerless to escape the suffering imposed upon them.
In 2007, 667 women and 54 girls were referred to the Medical Foundation, comprising 37% of a total of 1,933 referrals. Clients came from almost 100 different countries, which reveals how torture knows no borders and how unsafe the world can be.
Rape and sexual violence were prevalent forms of persecution reported by clients of the MF. Although the resulting trauma experienced differs from woman to woman, panic attacks and nightmares are common. In addition, many of our clients contend with the practical as well as psychological difficulties of bringing up children with relatively little support and for some, an uncertain future given their insecure legal status.
While some women are able to speak about their experiences in individual counselling sessions at the MF, verbalising deep-seated feelings is not always appropriate or easy for others.
In the weekly sessions of the mother and toddler group, many women benefit from the relaxed social environment, which enables them to discuss concerns and share advice about health, parenting and adjusting to life in the UK.
A mother of two who fled from Sierra Leone said she is grateful for the group’s exclusivity, which never asks any questions nor expects explanations: “At other baby groups, there are ‘normal’ people without our problems, they are not like us. We come here and it’s safe – we all have similar experiences and everyone knows that.”
Isla Clough, a health visitor who manages the group, said: “It’s taken as read by all the mothers that everybody in the group has been through some awful experience, so for them to see each other coping is important. They also like to see their babies playing with each other.”
A core function of the group is education and each week a topic is presented, usually by Isla or an expert visitor, offering practical tips, answering questions and fostering discussions. The interactive nature of the group is as important as the expert advice Isla and her colleagues provide.
“I’m very keen that the mothers get involved and are partly responsible for each meeting,” she says. “This helps to build their confidence and gives them a bit of control in their lives where it is otherwise lacking.”
Established as an information forum for torture surviving mothers, the social dynamic of the group has seen it develop into a support network, where mothers are encouraged to share stories of discrimination, cultural barriers and feelings of isolation, and provide advice to one another about how to get by.
“My GP advised me to come to the Medical Foundation because of my past,” an Iranian mother said. “When I’m alone, I can have very bad feelings but every week I come here and it’s very good for me and my baby. We can talk about our problems and hear about other problems, it helps me.”
Isla says the group’s therapeutic disposition is key to its success and drives the regularity of the meetings: “Its very hard for many single mothers to access services, but when a person can’t speak English it is even more daunting. For mothers who find themselves in the UK as a result of circumstance rather than choice it’s worse, especially as they will often have come from very family-orientated societies.”
A 28-year-old mother from Darfur agreed that due to their common experiences – both the traumas in their home countries and the difficulties they face in the UK – the women naturally develop a strong bond: “This group is very special. There is a similarity between the mothers; we are all sharing the same difficulties. We can ask each other questions about anything, and because Isla knows everyone individually, she helps us all with whatever advice or information we need.
“This group gives us an idea about different cultures. We talk about our different backgrounds and how they affect our lives here.
“We come to this group and we make friends. We’ve had singing and dancing classes, and a musician comes from time to time. The children really enjoy coming here, and every two to three months photos are taken of them so that we can see them growing. Everyone is happy here.”
http://www.torturecare.org.uk/news/latest_news/1421
Filed under England London, Global, IWD Statement
Supporting women’s rights: A call to action
Speech by Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, to the Gender and Development Network
Thank you. I’d like to begin by saying what an honour it is to share a platform with Professor Gita Sen. I’m sure I speak on behalf of everyone in the room in saying that your passion for women’s rights and social justice is an inspiration to us all.
And it is a particular privilege to be here as a guest of the Gender and Development Network – the organisations you represent do important, indeed great work to support the rights of women.
Just over seven years ago, world leaders came together to pledge that they would, and I quote directly, ‘spare no effort’ to free men, women and children from extreme poverty.
Today, with seven years remaining to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, many lives have changed for the better. Indeed, the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has fallen from almost a third in 1990 to a fifth today.
But we all know that the international community is failing to meet the targets that were set in 2000. And we know that above all, the world is failing women and girls.
Ten million more girls than boys are still denied the chance to a primary education.
In Pakistan and India, girls are up to 50% more likely to die before their fifth birthday than boys.
And as we’ve just heard from our Prime Minister, Gordon Brown – but it bears repeating – every minute, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth.
Everyone in this room will be familiar with these statistics. Many of you will know some of the personal stories that lie behind the grinding poverty I’ve just described. Ten days ago I visited a community health centre near the town of Makeni in Sierra Leone. I met a woman there called Teneh. She was not only caring for her own eight children, but also her sister’s two children. Why was she also caring for those children? Because her sister had died two weeks after child-birth – simply because she didn’t get the basic post-natal care that she required.
I believe we have a moral duty to help women break free from discrimination and lift themselves out of poverty. Indeed, we know that if we succeed, the benefits will not only be felt by women, but also their families and their communities.
To do so we must help women to realise their political, social and economic rights, indeed to take control of their lives.
And we are taking action to do exactly that.
My department, the Department for International Development, has supported work to promote improved participation and representation of women in parliamentary and local elections. In Sierra Leone we have supported an Oxfam ‘Women in leadership’ project which resulted in 58 women being elected as local councillors.
And we are providing voter education and leadership training for women’s groups in Nepal as they prepare for the Constituent Assembly elections. The result? More women represented in political parties, and the creation of women’s inter-party alliances.
My department is also supporting women to gain access to their social rights. For women and girls have the right to an education, to health care and, above all, to freedom from violence.
Just this afternoon, the Prime Minister confirmed that the United Kingdom will provide up to £150 million for India’s national programme for elementary education. This will enable the training of up to 300,000 more teachers, the building of 300,000 more classrooms, and give 4 million girls and boys the opportunity to go to school by 2011.
Yet in too many countries, rape and forced pregnancy have become weapons of war. In Rwanda and estimated 5,000 ‘children of bad memories’ were born as a result of rape during that genocidal conflict.
That is one of the reasons DFID provided £3.2 million to the United Nations last year to encourage women’s involvement in peace keeping and prevent sexual violence in Rwanda, Afghanistan and a number of other countries affected by conflict.
Women have the right to access contraception services and decent healthcare, and that’s why, this last October, the UK Government pledged to provide an additional £100 million over the next five years to the United Nations Population Fund. We know that £1 million invested in this way could save the lives of 1600 mothers and 22,000 infants. I want our investment of £100 million to have an impact on hundreds of thousands more lives.
Yet too often, women are not only denied their political and social rights, but also their right to economic participation – a point emphasised by the Prime Minister.
Many of you will have seen the report last week by Womankind that showed the terrible abuse of women that continues in Afghanistan. My department is working with Womankind to support the political rights of Afghan women. We’ve also supported improved access to antenatal care in rural areas, and helped to get more than two million girls into school since the fall of the Taliban back in 2001.
Our Afghanistan programme also supports women’s efforts to improve their economic prospects.
Indeed I can announce to you this evening that my department will provide an extra £5 million over the next two years to the Government of Afghanistan’s microfinance scheme. Added to the £10 million that our Prime Minister announced in December last year, this brings our total investment in the microfinancing scheme to £35 million.
This national programme has provided small loans to over 400,000 people so far – 280,000 of them are women. By the end of next year, as many as 400,000 women will have benefited.
These loans are, on a daily basis, giving women the chance to start or expand small businesses, engage in the economy, and gain a degree of financial independence that would otherwise simply be out of reach.
One woman, Zubaida, used a loan of just £70 to help expand her tailoring business and start a grocery. Now her business is flourishing and her income has risen from $40 a month three years ago to $200 a month today. That means she can now afford for her children to go to school rather than work.
We know what we need to do. And we know progress can be made. Therefore, how do we now, together go further, faster?
We need an international system that delivers on development, and that means delivering primarily for women. Two weeks ago I met with Bob Zoellick, the President of the World Bank. We agreed upon the importance of supporting women’s rights and he assured me that this is one of his express priorities for the Bank’s future.
We also need a step change in the United Nations delivery of gender equality and women’s empowerment, as called for by the UN High Level Panel on system-wide coherence, of which our own Prime Minister was a member.
Since then we have not seen the progress that we hoped for. But I believe that the opportunity is now better than ever to create a UN that works for women, championing and supporting their rights. The United Kingdom will support Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro’s efforts this year to broker agreement for a single, stronger gender agency within the United Nations.
But of course the UK Government and multilateral institutions cannot alone deliver the change that is needed to give women access to their rights.
That is why, as the Prime Minister made clear, we have joined UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in calling for a ‘global partnership for development’ that stretches beyond governments and multilaterals alone, to harness the talents of NGOs, businesses, faith groups and citizens right around the world.
This is a call to action to recognise that if the world is to keep the promise we made in 2000, we need a concerted effort this year to accelerate progress to the Millennium Development Goals
And because we know that women’s rights and gender equality are central to achieving the MDGs, the UK will join with the Danish Government to co-sponsor a high-level meeting in April on how better to release the tremendous potential of women in this development area.
International Women’s Day is a celebration of the progress that women have achieved around the world, and is a moment of hope for the future.
And it is in this spirit of celebration and hope that I am pleased to announce today that the my department and the Gender and Development Network will hold a series of roundtable events during 2008. I want those events to help us work more closely and better share our expertise in future efforts to help women realise their rights.
Because I know that in this room, there is that determination, that creativity and that expertise that we will need to help women around the world lift themselves out of poverty. Together, that is our challenge. But I believe that working together, it can be our achievement.
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/Speeches/alexander-womens-rights.asp
Filed under England London, Global, IWD Statement
‘This is International Women’s Day!’ Women Liberal Democrats
Campaigning for Women inside and outside the Liberal Democrats
Our president, Lorely Burt MP, introduced the meeting. She is convinced that there will be many more women among the ranks of LibDem members after the next election, due to the work of WLD and the Campaign for Gender Balance. But she emphasised that WLD is concerned, not just with Westminster, but with getting women elected at all levels of Government and also within the Party. We are also concerned with all the many issues of concern to women, such as those to be discussed at this meeting.
Lorely paid tribute to the work done by our Baronesses, of whom there are 21, 31% of the total number of LibDem Lords. They are an extremely conscientious and hard-working group of distinguished women, whose achievements are of immense value to the Party and the country.
WLD needs to raise its profile and increase membership. Lorely stressed that she is eager for us to ‘use’ her in any way we wish, emailing her with concerns, inviting her to speak at meetings etc.
Flo Clucas
Flo is a former regional party chair and is currently an executive member for European Affairs on Liverpool City Council and Chair of the NW Region European Affairs committee. Firstly, she gave us a warm welcome to Liverpool and hoped that we would return when we have more time to experience what the city has to offer.
Today is the 100th anniversary of the march by garment workers through Manhattan to demand better conditions and wages – and voting rights!
The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911, and a million people took part in it.
Flo spoke about developments in Liverpool to improve the situation of women, including Blackburn House, the beautiful Grade II listed building, in the centre of Liverpool which provides 1,000 full and part time learning opportunities for women, a school for ‘social entrepreneurs’, a women’s health suite, excellent conference facilities and a 30 place nursery.
Another important development was ‘Enabling Choices’ – a group started by Flo three years ago to ensure that the gender Equality Duty is recognised in all policy documents and activities that Merseyside councils undertake. It has the active support of the Chief Executives and is also now reflected in the new European programmes, where for ESF, she is the Regional Champion for Equality.
Flo has also been involved with the In Genero Project, a research project looking at the Role of Women in Politics in partnership with other EU organisations in Spain, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Austria, Finland and Sweden. The findings for UK are stark. We have less representation for women now than in 1979! Only 19.6% of our MPs are women.
In the European Parliament, Flo was invited to present their work to the ALDE seminar in Brussels in November, where she asked MEPs to take up the recommendations in the document: mentoring; tax breaks to encourage women’s representation; EU funding training for potential candidates etc.
To finish, Flo returned to the work planned in Liverpool – the establishment of an International Centre for Women’s Enterprise in the city. Its role will be: Start ups; training; childcare; financial advice and help; hot desking; networking and links; incentives and grants.
When Flo joined the 300 group 24 years ago, she believed that we were on our way. There is still work to do, and a hill to climb. She and her colleagues in Liverpool, are determined to make a difference.
Merlene Toh Emerson
British colony, she came to England with a ‘post colonial’ view of the world. After 25 years she felt she had the right to become British and join a political party.
She was a founder-member of the Chinese Liberal Democrats which was launched in September 2006, to convey the message that LD policies are relevant to the Chinese community – such as our support of small businesses, civil liberties, managed migration and our opposition to ID cards.
Merlene paid tribute to several international women politicians who have inspired her.
First and foremost was Aung Sang Su Qi. She pursued her mission despite the assassination of her father and the need to leave her English husband and two sons behind when she returned to her ‘motherland’. Her husband later died of cancer. Before that she had published her seminal book ‘Freedom from Fear’ a potent and succinct expression of the necessity of freedom from the fear of persecution ….which surely must be our most basic human right.
The second woman was Anna Lo – she was the first ethnic minority person elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in March last year. The CLDs invited her to visit London with a group of elderly Chinese who were absolutely delighted to visit Westminster. Anna has the most delightful broad Irish accent and she explained that during the troubles, when MacDonalds and KFC stayed away, only the reckless or desperate Chinese migrants were brave enough to set up businesses in Belfast.
She also urged on the Chinese, who are shy of involvement in politics, the importance of exercising their right to vote and be heard..
This brought Merlene back to her own motivation for entering politics – for the sake of the next generation of immigrant children who have much to give back to society and contribute to the building of a more cohesive community. Merlene is now the GLA candidate in Westminster.
Susan Kramer
International Development was three portfolios back for Susan, but is still close to her heart. She summed up the experience of many women across the world as being one of ‘Poverty and Powerlessness’. Two thirds of the poor are women and three-quarters of the illiterate. There are some notable successes – in Ruanda, 48% of parliamentary representatives are women and in Costa Rica it is 38%, In India 50% of primary school pupils are girls, and in Uganda it is 49%. But the drop-out rate at secondary level is still high, partly due to early marriage and pregnancy.
There is a Millenium Development goal to reduce death in childbirth by three quarters, but nothing is being done about this. One reason is, again, early marriage and pregnancy, leading to vaginal fistula – a dreadful affliction which affects an estimated two million women, but which is almost never talked about. Improvement in women’s health depends as much on improved education as it does on direct health services.
In regions of conflict, such as Darfur, the people at the peace talks, if any, are the men with guns, not the women who are at least as badly affected by war. There is a generation of girls growing up with no future as wives and with no alternative future either. Women are now the main victims of HIV/Aids, but programmes which aim at treating the children of these women amazingly ignore the women themselves.
Finally Susan paid tribute to Hilary Clinton – she is worthy of support from women around the world.
A lively discussion followed the speeches, including various ways in which we can learn from women overseas as well as reaching out to them. One member pointed out that the Chinese community is a good role model for the balance we need to find between difference and integration. Another asked whether having more women in a political body really does make a difference – two men, who serve on local councils who have a majority of women, reported that it does. A Welsh Parliamentarian raised a problem with LibDem conference procedures – which is that members attending for one day only cannot vote. It was agreed that this particularly affects women and WLD will take it up.
http://www.wld.org.uk/pages/Liverpool2008.html
Filed under England North West, IWD Reportbacks
International Women’s Day Event Report from Carmarthenshire
Glanymor and Tyisha Communities First organised a full day’s event to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday 7 March at Morfa Social Club. There were stalls from many organisations and performances and workshops by women from all around the world.
Mrs Uzo Iwobi, Chair of the African Community Centre in Wales was the compere for the event. Uzo explains more about the event and the good time that was had in the video at the link below which also has pictures of:
* One of the many performances
* Parents In Action group fundraising with sales of wool hats and gloves knitted by the group. Taken by Annette.
* Ada Garton, an artist who uses recycled environmentally friendly materials for arts and crafts.
* A ‘dream for the future’ catcher in the background. Taken by Amanda.
* Hand painting.
* Hand painting, plus hair style courtesy of Coleg Sir Gar hairdressing students who provided hair styling to all those who performed at the event.
* Ms Nia Griffith MP, who dropped in to make a speech.
* Labels: Glanymor and Tyisha, International Women’s Day
Link http://www.carmsconnect.org.uk/2008/03/international-womens-day_14.html
Filed under IWD Reportbacks, Wales
Kathleen Lynch TD, Ireland’s Labour Party Spokesperson on Equality speech on International Women’s Day
Ireland falls further behind in the proportion of women in Parliament I am honoured to be here today to celebrate International Women’s Day and to support this project which is making such a contribution to community life.
It is a natural link.
Women have led and nourished community development in Ireland both historically and in its modern form. Without women, there would not be the network of community supports and actions that are today’s bedrock of our civil society.
Ours is a society that has changed dramatically over a short period of time. By any measure – work, play, marriage, family, religion, culture, migration – our identity has been transformed as a result of our new status as a prosperous, globalized country.
While the changes are economic and social, the effects are essentially personal. How we see ourselves and each other is different now. In many ways for the better.
In my lifetime women have moved from being in law, chattels of their Husbands, to being in law, entitled to equal rights with men. Yet more women than ever are rearing children alone. Violence against women is perceived differently yet violence against women has not lessened.
The language we use has become softer, more inclusive towards women, yet walk out in the street and the old courtesies have vanished. This is not a plea for a return to some fantasized past but it is a recognition that today’s modern ethic is driven by a powerful individualism that rejects the old bonds between people and tries to turn citizens into consumers.
I say “tries” because we are fortunate that the ‘greed is good’ syndrome is
tempered and thwarted by the idea of community which has proved to be not just resilient, but flourishing as we see here in Knocknaheeny today
Women have shown in many ways how change can be brought about. Legislative improvements and an end to discrimination for women have come about because of a dogged determination and a mighty effort by women.
One arena which has proved itself resistant to such change is our national Parliament. The statistics in relation to Ireland’s numbers of women parliamentarians is a cause for concern.
Of the 470 candidates offered to the electorate at the last General Election, 82 were women. This represents the lowest number of women candidates at a general election since 1989.
The 30th Dáil saw no change in the proportion of women representation with the electorate returning just 22 women TDs, the same number as in 2002. This gives women just 13% of the 166 seats in the Dáil.
Ireland is ranked 82nd out of 189 countries for the percentage of women in Lower or Single House Parliaments in a list compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union based on information at the 31st October 2007. This represents the lowest ranking Ireland has ever received in this classification.
In 1997 Ireland was 36th out of 177 countries and in 2003 it was 60th out of 181 countries.
Based on the same information, Ireland is ranked 23rd out of the 27 EU countries in terms of the proportion of women in the Lower Houses of Parliament. In only Slovenia, Romania, Hungary and Malta is the proportion of women in Parliament lower than in Ireland.
The participation of women in decision and policy making is crucial in order to highlight the issues that secure women’s general position within society. The inclusion of women’s perspectives into government policies and programmes means that issues such as childcare, equality in the workplace, the health care coverage needs of midlife and older women, social welfare, pension reform, retirement security for women, home care, long term care, housing and domestic violence can be dealt with properly.
However, despite the small percentage of women in politics in Ireland over the years, I believe the influence and contributions made by these women far outweigh their numbers.
And politics needs more women.
It needs their insight and life experience and it also needs what the struggle for women’s rights represents – a philosophical outlook that is inclusive of people rather than locks them out, that favours consensus over conflict and that values community as a bulwark against aggression and greed.
Today more than at any time these are the values of International Women’s Day.
http://www.labour.ie/women/newsandevents/index/20080307112110.html
Filed under Eire, IWD Statement
Labour Women in Ireland launch International Womens’ Day poster
Sinead Ni Chulachain, Labour Women Chair, speaking ahead of the International Women’s Day on 8th March highlighted the fact that 18 per cent of the world’s parliamentarians are women, 82 per cent of the world’s decision makers are man. In Ireland the situation is worse – only 13 per cent of our TDs are women.
She continued: ‘Women’s under-representation is something we are used to, and too often we ignore the fact that it matters. More women in decision-making results in more balanced politics. Women bring in their skills, experience, particular perspectives, and ideas. It can be lonely to be the only woman in the room. A higher proportion of women is more influential.’
‘The Labour Party has performed better than other political parties. With 35 per cent of women TDs (compared to 8 per cent for Fianna Fail and 9 per cent for Fine Gael) Labour has been offering the electorate more balanced policies. Labour operates in the exactly same environment as the other parties – and a commitment to change manages to select more women and get them elected. We hope the other parties will stop wringing their hands, follow our example by changing their structures and procedures and improve their track record.’
Today 6th March Labour Women is unveiling a poster and a postcard(*) of the cabinet showing how it could be – would this be acceptable and a fair representation of society?
http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/12048040841069526.html
(*) See image of “Irish politics – jobs for the girls” at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/2314012965_29e14c27e4_m.jpg
See also:
– Poster girls highlight inequality
http://www.labour.ie/women/newsandevents/index/20080307110940.html
– Labour calls for action on gender imbalance http://www.labour.ie/women/newsandevents/index/20080307104925.html
Filed under Eire, IWD Statement
Sexual Apartheid, Political Islam and Women’s Rights – videos
To see video of speeches at the March 10 seminar commemorating International Women’s Day including:
Maryam Namazie’s speech entitled:
* Challenges facing the women’s liberation movement (Transcript is here)
Mina Ahadi’s speech entitled:
* Significance of hejab and stoning for political Islam and the resistance against it
Houzan Mahmoud’s speech entitled:
* Women pioneering the struggle for secularism and ending gender apartheid in the Middle East
Louise Couling’s speech entitled:
* Experiences as a woman trade unionist
Plus pictures of the event go to http://maryamnamazie.blogspot.com/2008/03/sexual-apartheid-political-islam-and.html
Filed under England London, IWD Reportbacks
Controversial issues raised at International Women’s Day conference in Batley Town Hall
Domestic violence and forced marriage were some of the issues discussed by women at a conference aimed at raising awareness.
International Women’s Day was marked by the event at Batley Town Hall, where women from across Kirklees were invited to discuss controversial issues as well as be inspired by female role models.
It was a key opportunity to speak out against the inequalities many women still face across the world, including the UK.
Discussions centred on domestic violence, forced marriage, prostitution and sexual assault, as the organisers, Kirklees Community Cohesion team, tried to raise awareness.
Habiban Zaman, Community Cohesion project officer for Safer Stronger Communities, said it was a productive event.
She said: “We covered some sensitive topics which are issues quite close to many women but we don’t talk about them.
“Some of these issues are hot topics at the moment so I thought it would be good to start to discuss them within Kirklees.
“These are hard-hitting issues which we tend to brush under the carpet in the Asian community. Many still believe they don’t affect the Asian community. One of the aims of the event was to dispel stereotypes which exist on both sides of the Kirklees community. Prostitution and teenage pregnancies are issues affecting both white and Asian communities.
“The event gave a platform for women to discuss. Only through education can we tackle some of these issues.”
During the day a range of leaflets and one-to-one advice was available for anyone wanting help.
Habiban said the event was for women from all communities but there was a good representation from Asian women.
She said there is still some reluctance in the Asian community to talk openly about controversial issues.
She added: “Women need empowering. If we can offer them support, guidance and information and empower them with necessary information then they can begin to do things for themselves.”
Musurrut Zia, a community officer for Lancashire police special branch, led a popular workshop on forced marriage.
Mayor of Kirklees, Coun Jean Calvert, opened the event and presentations were given by inspirational female role models.
Guest speakers included Batley’s Victoria Minton, senior programme director for enterprise organisation Common Purpose and Joyce Worsfold – author of Donkeys, Ducks and Daily Bread.
IBW Film Festival Review
Following our recent meeting with Sylviane Rano, co-founder of IBW, where she talked passionately of her mission, I was pleased to see that the three-day long festival kept its promises.
Friday evening saw a committed audience (95% of whom, expectedly, were black women) bring support to IBW’s positive action, and watch Talk To Me, directed by Kasi Lemmons, and starring Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film tells the true story of African-American radio DJ and Washington DC’s local spokesperson, Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. The film captivated its audience. During the Q&A, members of the public expressed their admiration for the strong black female character, Vernell Watson, Greene’s partner (portrayed by American actress Taraji P. Henson).
On Saturday afternoon were screened the three winners of the Short Film Competition for the Emerging Filmmaker Award. All three films were of very high standard and touched on issues ranging from how to handle our kinky hair to the more serious subject of child neglect. The first prize went rightfully to Asylum by Rumbi Katedza, which depicts the psychological trauma of Sudanese women seeking refuge in London. This was followed by a preview snippet of the upcoming documentary, Afro-Saxons, which follows five hairstylists in competition for the Black Beauty and Hair Award.
The evening was probably regarded as the highlight of the festival by many a female attendee: “eye-candy” Jimmy Jean-Louis, Haitian star of the TV series Heroes, introduced Phat Girlz, in which he plays the love interest to plus size African-American comedian Mo’nique, giving us all ladies an ounce of hope!… More seriously, the film itself was very enjoyable. Mo’nique is Jazmin, an unaccomplished fashion designer, depressed because she does not conform to the western concept of beauty but who nonetheless finds love with down-to-earth Nigerian man (Jimmy Jean-Louis)who appreciates her for who she is. Questions of African/Caribbean relationships, identity, self-esteem, social and sexual self- emancipation, were much debated in the Q&A that followed.
Sunday’s programme was an ode to black women’s strength and determination. Two compelling documentaries on the subject were screened in two separate venues: The ICA showed Beah: A Black Woman Speaks, directed by LisaGay Hamilton, who followed Beah Richards (aka Beulah Richardson) in the last year of her amazing life. While the Tricycle Cinema showed Al’leessi… An African Actress, a documentary by Niger-born director Rahmatou Keita, which retraces the birth of African cinema through the life of Zalika Souley, the first professional African actress, who operated from the late 1960s through to the mid-1980s.
Both documentaries make account of two actresses dedicated to their art. Beah Richards used her acting and poetry to denounce the injustice suffered by her peers, and Zalika Souley was a Muslim actress from Niger, misunderstood by her own people who saw her art as an offence to their culture and religion. On that point, Senegalese Women and Islam also brought to light contemporary feminism in Senegal.
The closing screening was Cousines, a Haitian film which depicts the tribulations of a young woman, following the death of her father, and raises awareness of teenage prostitution, which Jimmy Jean-Louis said was “unfortunately still accepted in today’s Haitian society”.
If Rahmatou Keita’s forecast that “the future of cinema is in Africa” is right, I believe we’re in for many more excellent programmes and screenings to be brought to us by the ever-so ballsy Images of Black Women Festival. One reason to wish it was next year already!
By Solange Moffi
http://sayitloud.org.uk/data/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=514&Itemid=57
Filed under England London, IWD Reportbacks
As Women Celebrate International Women’s Day in Nigeria
Nigeria joined many countries of the world and the United Nations (UN) to celebrate the International Women’s Day (IWD) with the theme “Investing in Women and Girls”..
The IWD celebration began on 8 March in 1975, during International Women’s Year. Two years later, precisely in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by member states, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development thus urged support for the women folk as well as an end to various forms of discrimination suffer by them.
As an international event, the IWD has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has made the commemoration a rallying point for coordinated efforts of women with different cultural and political backgrounds to come together to demand for their political and economic rights.
A day women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for reflecting on past struggles and accomplishments, and for looking ahead to the untapped potentials and opportunities that await future generations of women.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has severally in its report recognized the people (men and women) as the real wealth of the nation. They have further stated that genuine development cannot be achieved when 50% of the world’s population does not have direct access to the wealth of nations. Former United Nations Secretary General Mr. Koffi Annan in 1995 stated, “Women if not engendered would be endangered”. Gender equality is central to realizing the Millennium agenda, which risks failure without the full participation of all members of society. The basic objective of any meaningful development is to create enabling environment for people to enjoy long healthy, creative lives. Without adequate financing for gender concerns, none of these can be achieved.
Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights.
Nigerian women through the civil society organisa-tions has participated in the struggle to end violence against women and has continue to promote the view that the empowerment of women must be a central feature in efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.
Nigeria like other African countries has made efforts to promote gender equality and women empowerment by attesting to several regional and international commitments including: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000, and the Home grown National Gender Policy 2006, all which emphasized the inclusiveness of women and the recognition of their potentials and activities in all aspect of life of any growing economy. The government of Nigeria at different fora voluntarily pledged to follow the provisions as stated in these documents.
However due to lack of political will to invest in gender programmes and initiatives the public finance system often exclude the needs of the people. The analysis of government policies, National budgetary Plan, expenditure and implementation processes grossly under represent critical gender needs and concerns. As a result, the country’s economic strategies since independence have failed to benefit in large terms women and girls. The implication is the continued underdevelopment of Nigeria 47 years after independence.
According to statistics made available by an International NGO, Oxfam GB, maternal mortality in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world with an estimated 1000 deaths per100, 000 live births. Rural areas and the northern regions are worse that the national average. This means that each year about 60,000 Nigerian women of reproductive age do not survive pregnancy or childbirth. Between now and the target date for achieving the MDGs, approximately 500,000 Nigerian women and girls will die in childbirth or pregnancy. The economic and social costs of this failure to value women’s lives are inestimable.
Despite making up 49.7% of the population with a literacy level of 47%, women have less than 15% representation in governance. Out of the 400-selected representative at the March 2005 political reform conference, only 30 were women. Of 109 senators in the upper legislative house, only three are women. In the House of Representatives, out of the 360 members there are only 23 women.
At the state level, 2003 – 2007, only 38 women representatives were in the 36 Houses of Assembly out of 990 seats in the various State Assemblies. At the local level, there were only nine female chairpersons out of 774 Local Government Councils in the country, five female Ambassadors out of 86, no female Governor out of 36,and two female deputy governors. Until recently, there were only six female ministers, and nine female presidential assistants.
More than 50% of Nigerian women live below poverty level of one dollar per day, despite accounting for about 70% of the agricultural labour force. They contribute up to 80% of the total food production in the country, but they do not own or control the resources (land, capital etc) in this sector.
Although Article 43 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every Nigerian citizen the right to acquire and own immovable property any where in the country, available records show that over 90% of registered land and property are owned by men (women’s access to land is usually through matrimonial or parental affiliation to men),
The subordination of women and domestic violence shows that estimate of abused women is 7.0% per year and the majority (51.6%) of victims were pregnant assaulted by their husbands, and at least one out of every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Through the practice of prenatal sex selection, countless others are denied the right even to exist.
Women’s capacity to seek legal redress for violation of their rights is significantly hampered by social pressure or stigma, 24%; and poor resources, 46%; lack of access to courts and counsels offering pro-bono services, 23%,
Of the estimated 7.3 million Nigerian primary school-aged children who are not in school, 4.3 million (representing 62%) are girls.
Lack of access to resources, low level of literacy and the violent nature of politics in Nigeria are some of the reasons attributed to women’s low representation and lack of a critical mass of women representatives.
Also, unemployment, limited access to education, inadequate housing, food, health care, safe and healthy environment, clean water, the dual burden of domestic task and professional obligation, ignorance and lack of access to information have been blamed for much of the other challenges of women.
To bring these ugly pictures home and make a case for urgent redress, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with Oxfam GB, and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on March 8 organised a symposium on the theme for this year’s IWD celebration.
In his message at the occasion, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said Governments of all nations agreed at the 2005 World Summit that “progress for women is progress for all”. After a 10-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, it was revealed that there is a serious gap between policy and practice in many of these countries. He blamed the failure on a lack of political will, lack of resources and insufficient budgetary allocations.
He noted that the failure undermines the interventions organized for gender equality and women’s empowerment thus holding back efforts to reach all the Millennium Development Goals.
“As we know from long and indisputable experience, investing in women and girls has a multiplier effect on productivity and sustained economic growth”, Banki Moon said.
He added that there is no measure that is more important in advancing education and health, including the prevention of HIV/AIDS and no other policy is as likely to improve nutrition or reduce infant and maternal mortality other than financing projects that would enhanced women development.
He therefore persuaded the international community, governments, multilateral organizations, bilateral institutions and the private sector to compare and calculate the economic costs of persistent gender inequality and the resources required to remedy it.
In a statement at the symposium, Maisha Strozier, Country Programme Manager, Oxfam GB, urged all to join hands to build awareness of the moral, economic, and social imperative to move beyond the rhetoric of gender mainstreaming and gender equity.
She observed: “A country that invests in women and girls is not doing the women and girls a favour. It is doing itself a favour”, and called for a paradigm shift for development in Nigeria – one that places the more than 70 million women and girls in Nigeria at the centre of decision-making, development, and services.
She observed that it is no coincidence that the world’s most developed countries enjoy some of world’s highest literacy rates for girls and the world’s lowest maternal mortality rates.
For Oxfam and other health advocacy organizations across Nigeria and world, the solution is clear – greater investment and better management of health resources to address the high cost of treatment, cultural and social barriers to access, training of health workers, and access to essential drugs and equipments.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200803140758.html
Filed under IWD Reportbacks, Other Country
March 8 to be a working special holiday to be known as National Women’s Day in the Philipines
Women’s groups, men’s organizations, provincial government employees and concerned stakeholders from different private and government line agencies flocked at the Provincial Capitol Building last Monday, March 10, 2008 in commemoration of the National Women’s Month.
Anchored with the local theme: “CEDAW ng Bayan: Yaman ng Kababaihan,” this year’s celebration focuses on the need to generate resources to finance initiatives on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The 2008 Women’s Month celebration will also serve as a channel for the nationwide campaign to promote the use of gender and development (GAD) budget to finance gender equality and women’s empowerment programs at the national and local levels, specifically in addressing the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee’s Concluding Comments.
Before the simple program, Sultan Kudarat women in participation with some men’s organizations joined the “Alay Lakad para sa Kababaihan” which started from Land Bank of the Philippines in Isulan to the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Capitol where the launching ceremony was conducted.
The “Alay Lakad” is a manifestation that the provincial government of Sultan Kudarat stands behind to support the rights of women against discrimination.
On the other hand, Population Program Officer IV and GAD focal person Evangeline Golveque said the annual celebration of Women’s Month is a call to develop the capability of women to address gender equality. Likewise, it is a call for legislators, community leaders and other influentials to support women’s concern.
The celebration also focuses on the importance and the vital role of women not only at home but also in the community.
Mrs. Grace Pingoy, the guest speaker during the launching ceremony cited women’s deep faith in one God, smartness, creativity, being a linguist, resourcefulness, adaptability and flexibility as among the strengths a woman possess so that every woman survive and should be given importance in a community.
The observance of Women’s Month every March is mandated through Proclamation No. 277. Meanwhile, Republic Act 6949 officially declares March 8 of every year as a working special holiday in the country to be known as National Women’s Day.
This provincial launching of National Women’s Month was spearheaded by the provincial government of Sultan Kudarat in cooperation with the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (PPDO-Sultan Kudarat/PIA 12)
http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p080314.htm&no=68
Filed under IWD Reportbacks, Other Country
Flying start to Women’s Day in Wicklow
People in Arklow on Saturday may have thought they were seeing things when a flock of white doves were released into the air.
This unusual display, however was to celebrate International Women’s Day and to mark the launch of a new information leaflet about domestic violence.
Organised by Arklow CDP, the event was aimed at raising awareness around the subject and was attended by individuals and women’s groups from all over the county.
Guest speakers Margaret Martin from Women’s Aid and Supt. Catherine Kehoe addressed the audience and discussed the issue of domestic violence which may often be seen as taboo. Arklow CDP hopes the event will become an annual celebration.
Arklow CDP thanks event sponsors and local Cllr. Peter Dempsey who supplied the doves.
For further information on the new information booklet contact 0402 33837.
http://www.wicklowpeople.ie/news/flying-start-to-womens-day-1317710.html
Filed under Eire, IWD Reportbacks
PM marks International Women’s Day 8 March 2008
The Prime Minister has marked International Women’s Day 2008 by asking women’s business leaders for advice on how to support the “next generation” of successful women.
The PM and his wife were joined for a lunch reception at Number 10 by a range of guests including Oxfam CEO Barbara Stocking, Sun editor Rebekah Wade and women’s minister Harriet Harman.
Speaking at the event, the PM said:
“I do think it is remarkable to think that one hundred years ago, almost exactly to the month, women were having to chain themselves outside the Houses of Commons and Downing Street to put the case for women’s representation. It is 80 years since women had the vote on equal terms in Britain, but now I think the issue is how far more we can ensure that women have opportunity in all areas of life.”
Mr Brown added that women at the event were being asked to “adopt and mentor” British teenagers and young girls to help themaspire to the kinds of success enjoyed by other women “determined to break through what is sometimes called the glass ceiling”.
The PM also took the opportunity to raise the issue of maternal mortality – and asked what business could do to help.
The United Nations have set themselves the target of cutting maternal deaths by three-quarters by 2015. Over half a million women die each year during pregnancy or childbirth and 80 per cent of these deaths could be avoided.
Better access to family planning alone has the potential to avert a third of all maternal deaths.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page14944.asp
Filed under IWD Statement
Taking stock on Women’s Day – Letters to the Guardian Saturday March 8 2008
Over the last few years we have seen the growth of “career” women, sharply suited and expertly “made up”, parading their feminism in the media. Glossy language about the gender pay gap oozes from politicians who ask us to vote for them because they are women. Now business is taking on the feminist baton (You’re fired!, G2, March 6).
However, before the UK government follows in the footsteps of our European “sisters”, can it be explained how 40% of a company’s board being women will affect the lives of all the women employees, who make up the majority of those struggling on poverty wages?
Business leaders say tackling gender inequality has economic incentives in terms of being able to recruit from a wider talent pool. But what will their response be when asked to also support paying higher corporation taxes to fund universal childcare and an increase in the minimum wage? One of the main barriers to working women is expensive childcare, and a higher minimum wage would slash the gender pay gap overnight.
Today, on International Women’s Day, commemorating the 1908 march through New York by 15,000 female textile workers demanding better working conditions, let us remember the 100 years of women fighting for a society based on the interests of the many, not the equal career opportunity for a few.
Mary Partington
Steering committee member,
Left Women’s Network
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According to the UN, the fight against hunger and poverty will be lost if the international community fails to strengthen women’s rights. Today, female politicians around Europe are calling on the EU to appoint an envoy for women.
Women play a key role in the struggle against poverty, yet their capabilities are unused. In many countries they have low social status and unequal access to education, jobs and property. Some 750 million women live on less than one dollar a day.
Studies show that when women are able to make decisions for their own lives, the foundation for economic recovery is laid. Yet the political will to seriously advance equal rights is lacking and the EU must not accept this situation, within its own borders or beyond.
An EU envoy on women’s rights could ensure policy decisions are right for women, present proposals to the council of ministers and the commission, and be held accountable by the European parliament. They could spur on national governments to live up to their UN millennium development goal commitments. But foremost, they could ensure Europe becomes accessible for women worldwide struggling to improve their social and economic situation and that of their community.
Jean Lambert MEP Green, London
Caroline Lucas MEP Green, South-East England
Kathalijne Buitenweg MEP Green, Netherlands
Jill Evans MEP Plaid Cymru, Wales
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Recent research carried out among Girlguiding UK’s members found that 81% of 16- to 25-year-olds believe a woman can do any job she chooses; four out of five say they won’t be financially dependent on a partner; and 94% say they will go back to work after having children. Yet they are already aware of the barriers that stand in the way of too many women in the UK. Half worry that their careers will be affected negatively if they have children, and over a third fear they will be paid less.
Denise King
Chief executive, Girlguiding UK
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Nowhere is gender inequality more apparent than in the gap between men’s and women’s pay: 17% for full-time workers and 38% for part-time workers. In the civil service the gap is 2 percentage points wider than the average. It is time that equal pay laws were modernised and enforced, and that the government as an employer led by example.
Mark Serwotka
General secretary, PCS
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Your report (Police admit failing victims, March 3) highlights the urgent need to train police – and the public, as potential jurors – in dealing with victims of rape. Today a march in London – see millionwomenrise.com – will give participants a chance to show what they think of the way rape victims are treated.
Carole Bernstein
Woodford Green, Essex
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/08/gender
Filed under IWD Statement
Baroness Howells Lectures in Luton this coming Friday 28th March
The first £500 from attendance or donations will enable a brick in the new Grenada Parliament to be named after Helen Mercury.
If you are unable to attend, please consider donating £1 via to the GIFT campaign. Visit the Baroness’ website for details – http://www.whatwebuilt.com
4.00 – 5.30 pm – YOUTH LEADERSHIP LECTURE (Venue: Hat Factory)
Especially for young people under 20s (adults welcome), a leadership lecture followed by Q&A and performances. Show young people the House of Lords is there to work for them. This is a unique opportunity to talk to the Baroness, network with her after the lecture and share her wisdom. [Tickets: £10 includes a £5 donation to the Grenada rebuilding fund]
7.30 – 10.00 pm – A PERSONAL JOURNEY” (Venue: Hat Factory)
Baroness Howells will share her passage to the House of Lords including contributing to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry; includes Q&A, performances, and a great reception with Caribbean buffet by Pansys with live “Lovers Rock” band featuring bass guitarist [Tickets: £20 includes £10 donation to the Grenada rebuilding fund]
Call the Hat Factory Box Office on 01582 878100 for all ticket purchases.
Filed under 2008 03 28, England East
International Women's Day 2008 
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