Newsletter - July 2002

In August, rural women in Brazil are holding their 2nd Margaridas March to commemorate the violent death of one of their sisters and demand access to land, recognition of their rights and an end to violence. They invite all March participating groups to think about the possibility of organizing a rural women's march in their country next year or incorporating the Margaridas March into the global action plan, bringing delegates from different countries to the Brazilian capital in 2003.

The European coordinating body is organizing a European feminist conference on the themes of poverty and violence against women in 2004. For them, it will be a means of reviving the action of the World March of Women in Europe. They will be present at the European Social Forum in Italy this November. The voices of feminists must be heard and resonate in the different sites of resistance to neoliberal globalization.

Latin American women propose that we plan actions on a regional basis between now and 2005, similar to what they envision doing as part of the campaign against the Free Trade Zone of the Americas. They want women active in the World March of Women in the Americas to mobilize opposition to this free trade agreement. They are organizing a plebiscite on the FTAA from September 1-7, in association with various groups of the anti-neoliberal globalization movement.

Indian women are hoping to organize a national women's parliament in 2005, and they suggest doing it at the international level in order to illustrate the kind of society we want to build, adopting laws that would reflect our urgent needs and alternatives. They also propose the drafting of an international constitution of women's rights.

Palestinian women are crying out their despair to us, calling for concrete actions to get UN decisions implemented, end the violence, and work towards peace. Israeli women cry out for this too, while observing that their government's current actions and the suicide bombings are fraying the bonds women of the two communities have forged over the years. They continue to believe, however, in the possibility of constructing peace. Women in Black of Jerusalem continue their weekly peace vigil, inspiring similar actions by Women in Black of Montréal and elsewhere.

So many women, so many ideas, needs and emergencies. During the World March Follow-up Committee's meeting in Rome, Italy, we realized how important it is for us to come up with a strategic action plan that will recreate the conditions for mobilization that led us up to the year 2000. We firmly believe in the importance of having a common rendezvous in 2005. We also think that we need to decide what steps will bring us closer to winning a few victories. The deteriorating conditions of women's lives, fragility of our gains, and the insecurity and fear generated by an anti-terrorist campaign waged by right-wing forces newly reinforced since September 11-all of it demands our collective action. This must be the focus of the next meeting of national coordinating bodies of the World March of Women being held December 3-7, 2002, in India.

In the meantime, you can enjoy the multimedia version of our latest production, "Women on the March", on our Web site. It will give you a taste of the actions, demands and gains of women around the world in 2000, and their plans for continued action. You will receive a copy in the mail sometime between now and September.