Newsletter - June 2004

CONTENTS :

• International News
• International Committee Tackles the Challenges of 2005
• Second Draft of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity
• Actions : on the road to 2005…
• 5th Meeting in Rwanda: Great Progress!
• Collectives and working groups
• Peace and Militarization: a seminar in September
• The World March prepares the World Social Forum
• Alliances
• Boston Social Forum: renewing our contacts
• Social Forum of the Americas in Quito
• Lebanon: international meeting of anti-war movements
• Regional Actions
• Meeting of the European Coordinating Body in Brussels
• National Snapshots
• Stereotypes and Prejudice in Burkina Faso: a struggle that must be won
• Women in Portugal Continue to Mobilize on the Issue of Abortion
• Miscellaneous
• Collaborators
• Next issue
• How to contact us

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INTERNATI0NAL NEWS

The International Committee tackles the challenges of 2005

The International Committee of the March met in Montréal from August 26 to August 29. Only weeks away from the 5th International Meeting in Rwanda and the launch of the 2005 actions, members shared information and comments on the progress of the actions. Confronting them was a huge obstacle: the chronic underfunding of the actions, in particular, the operations of the International Secretariat.

Six members were in attendance: Rosa Guillén (Peru), Diane Matte (I.S.), Miriam Nobre (Brazil), Awa Ouedarogo (Burkina Faso) and Shashi Sail (India). Maria Casarès (Switzerland) and Mathilde Kayitesi (Rwanda) attended as observers, because of the responsibility taken on by their coordinating bodies for actions in 2004 and 2005. Emily Naffa (Jordan), Omaima Elmardi (Sudan) and Jing Geaga (Philippines) were unable to attend due to problems with flight reservations and financial difficulties.

Funding. The finances of the World March of Women was on the table throughout the meeting. The Secretariat reported on the enormous difficulty in obtaining funding for coordinating tasks when the central coordinating body is located in a “rich” country. Since 2001, the interest of funders has waned. While it is possible to get project funding it is almost impossible to obtain money for the Secretariat's operations.

Six women are working full time to organize the 2005 actions in partnership with national coordinating bodies and groups around the world. At the end of August the bank account was bare. To be sure, funds are expected to arrive September from the Agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie, which will partially fund the overhaul of the World March Web site, but two-thirds of this sum is earmarked for partners: Burkina Faso, Romania and Rwanda (see below). Not only that, the project is conditional on funding from other institutions.

Several solutions were put forward to preserve these jobs: two employees will leave Montréal for Peru with volunteer cooperant contracts from CUSO Québec, one for three months and the other for five months. Another worker may obtain a similar contract to work in Rwanda. The situation of the other employees remains too be resolved. A loan will cover salaries until November 1, 2004, but this type of measure is limited in terms of time and the amount that can be advanced.

Among other measures that were adopted, the International Committee decided to actively support a campaign to appeal to March member groups, allies and any other individuals who might be willing to finance the March. A letter will be sent out shortly to national coordinating bodies. The campaign will be announced on the March Web site. Québec women’s groups have been asked to participate in a drive to obtain contributions from the Québec and Canadian governments. The Secretariat will continue its active search for new sources of funding, focussing on those with the potential to contribute large sums.

All these measures are crucial to the survival of the Secretariat. We must also review the structures of the March, and reflect on the mode of operations of, and necessity for, the International Secretariat. Tasks that are currently being performed in a centralized manner should perhaps be distributed among coordinating bodies. What means must we take to guarantee the continued survival of our movement? We will need to discuss this in Rwanda.

Changes to the draft Charter. Following this introduction, delegates studied the second proposed draft of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, based on comments sent in by groups who participated in the consultation (see below). Changes were adopted.

The second draft will be sent to national coordinating bodies for a final consultation that must be conducted before the Rwanda meeting (again, see the article on this meeting below). It will be available on the Web site. National coordinating bodies must send their comments to Brigitte Verdière before November 20.

Adoption of the Charter is scheduled for December 10. It will be preceded by discussion workshops. The International Committee will be responsible for establishing the adoption process.

This draft is based on the five values that are highlighted in the Charter: freedom, equality, solidarity, justice and peace. Only the text of the Charter will be the subject of adoption at the meeting. A supporting document, yet to be written, will accompany the Charter.

The Charter should be ready to distribute at the World Social Forum being held at the end of January in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Following this, several versions will be printed for use in the World Relay in 2005. There was a suggestion for a poster format and a pocket format. After its adoption, the Charter will be sent to allied groups, feminists, members of other social movements, and possibly some well-known figures. The idea of sending it to international institutions like the UN did not obtain unanimous agreement. We will return to this question in Rwanda.

Knowledge Exchange. Knowledge exchange is key to the decentralization of the World March Secretariat. A study is underway with a Québec feminist research alliance, the Alliance de recherche IREF/Relais-femmes (Montréal), with the goal of better understanding the March's development and the learning acquired at the March. Several members of the International Committee were interviewed to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of current operations. A handbook containing basic information that could be useful to national coordinating bodies will be produced.

The key to decentralization, technically speaking, is the overhaul of the current Web site so that collectives, working groups and women responsible for the 2005 actions can post information on the site themselves. Everyone could then monitor the relay of the Charter and quilt. This project has received financial support from the Agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie. Additional funding must be obtained to complete it.

Working groups and collectives. The Peace and Militarization collective is organizing a seminar, to be held September 26 to 30, in the African Great Lakes region (see collectives article). The Lesbians Rights working group wants to organize a seminar in 2005. The Alliances and Globalization collective plans to evaluate our participation in the World Social Forums. For the 2005 WSF, women of the March plan to hold multiple actions around the city, and be a large presence in the conferences and actions of other social movements. The idea is to be very active and highly visible. This being said, other collectives and working groups are operating in a more or less random fashion. Among the identified obstacles: the language of communications and the overworked status of the women who are members. This topic merits further reflection.

2005 Actions. The March coordinating body in Burkina Faso is coordinating the Relay of the Charter and the quilt, to be launched in Brazil on March 8, 2005. Swiss women have agreed to coordinate the 24 Hours of Feminist Solidarity on October 17. An initial timetable has been drafted.

The International Committee officially designed Burkina Faso as the ultimate stop in the Relay of the Charter, on October 17, 2005. The first timetable for the relay was presented.

The last point discussed, but certainly not least, a major point: the international meeting in Rwanda (see below).

Much complementary information can be found in the following articles.

Brigitte Verdière, Communications, International Secretariat





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Newsletter, September 2004, Vol. 7, numéro  3

Second draft of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity

The second draft of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity is available. It takes into account the comments made by World March of Women member groups about the first draft. The general comment: The Charter is good but could be much better, especially if we want to use it in daily struggles, a wish expressed by most respondents.

First observation : Participation has been very good. During the consultations, from April to July, we received feedback from 33 countries and territories. Some comments came from coordinating bodies who had consulted the groups in their territory, thus we can conclude that over 200 groups closely analyzed the Charter.

Points of agreement. There were points of agreement in the comments received. The main criticisms concerned the length of the document. “It’s too long!” you are telling us, and that makes it less powerful and therefore less effective. We must be more concrete and put forward our ideas more passionately. Having said that, a number of you pointed to items that were missing in the “We accuse!” section, and therefore important realities were overlooked, foe example, early and forced marriage, genital mutilation, high cost of basic foodstuffs, caste system and tribalism.

Basing the Charter on the values of freedom, equality, solidarity, peace and justice met with unanimous approval. There also appeared to be consensus around the tone used, although it should be more consistent and not alternate between the tone of a declaration, a manifesto and utopia. Your wrote that, if the tone is kept formal, the Charter will be taken much more seriously. After all, it has to be adopted and then recognized—something we have to decide on together and about which everyone is concerned.

It seems we have to strengthen the Charter’s connection to the March, to support it on the basis of our values and our 17 demands. We also realize that we have to be more positive. The Charter will describe the world we want to build. It will propose alternatives. It should not be a critical document. Points of disagreement. There are also points of disagreement, of course, and every idea has its opponent. Some find the introduction too feminist, others not feminist enough. Some want to denounce governments, others don’t. We must tone down the criticism of the UN, since it’s not the institution we should target but rather those countries that prevent it from functioning properly. We must put more emphasis on denouncing neoliberalism and redefining the kind of State we want; the word “democratic” must be used cautiously since we are aware of how often some governments that are not in the least democratic justify their repressive and aggressive policies in the name of democracy. Unpaid work, child labour, working conditions in free-trade zones must be denounced. We have to redefine some terms.

Should we talk systematically about women and men? Should some problems—violence, for example—be put on the same footing for the two sexes? What freedoms do we defend? Are they all acceptable? How can we achieve unanimity on topics that some women continue to find difficult to address?

Summary. As we read the comments, we saw there was a lot of questioning. Putting them together raised the enormous challenge of summarizing them all into a Charter that would best represent all the thinking, hopes and wishes of the women of the world.

One of the suggestions proposed is to make the Charter a short, forceful, forward-looking document. The introduction will be shortened; it will place the Charter within the context of the March and will include the five values on which we base the Charter. For each value, we will have assertions and the conditions to achieve them. The Charter will end with a call to other women’s groups and social movements. This is the document that will be adopted in Rwanda. It will be the Women's Global Charter for Humanity and it will not be possible to amend it. Denunciations and accusations regarding the present state of the world and explanations of how the values were chosen and how we use certain terms will be included in an accompanying document to the Charter. Each group will be able to adapt the accompanying document to its reality.

Apart from the comments, we noted your encouragement and your expectations which lead us to believe that, once adopted, the Charter will be an important everyday instrument for all.

Brigitte Verdière, Communications, International Secretariat





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Newsletter, September 2004, Vol. 7, Number  3

Actions: On the road to 2005…

The air is humming and our 2005 world actions are fast approaching! National coordinating bodies are already preparing the launch of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity, the World Relay of the Charter and the Patchwork Quilt, and the 24 hours of solidarity.* The International Committee, meeting in August, mapped out the definitive route for the World Relay and decided on coordinating responsibilities with respect to the actions.

Coordination of World Actions DecentralizedThe 2005 actions will be decentralized. The launch of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity is being organized by the Brazilian coordinating body, the World Relay of the Charter and progressive assembly of the Patchwork Quilt by Burkina Faso, and 24 Hours of Feminist Solidarity by Switzerland. (Decentralization is also a factor in the organizing of the upcoming International Meeting by Rwanda and in the collectives and working groups.)

Concretely, each of these national coordinating bodies will decide on the content and form of the actions with the International Committee and will liaise with the other national coordinating bodies (in the three working languages of the March). They will process and manage the information received (including updating some sections of the Web site) and will raise the funds they need. The International Secretariat will circulate the information and will assist the coordinating bodies having a world mandate.

Other means will be put in place to facilitate decentralization (use of the Web site, knowledge exchange to impart the lessons the International Secretariat and the other international bodies have learned in the past six years, etc.). A 2005 World Actions Committee will facilitate the coordination of the plan of actions as a whole. This is an exciting challenge that will propel us along in strengthening our worldwide movement!

World Launch of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity – March 8, 2005Vous êtes toutes invitées à organiser des lancements de la Charte chez vous le 8 mars 2005. Entre l’adoption de la Charte sera adoptée le 10 décembre 2004 à la Rencontre internationale au Rwanda et le 8 mars 2005, vous aurez le temps de la faire traduire dans les différentes langues de chez vous avant le 8 mars. La Marche brésilienne proposera une stratégie médiatique pour le lancement et offrira des outils promotionnels (dépliant, etc.) adaptables aux réalités locales. Nous vous communiquerons sous peu une proposition de slogan pour les actions et le lancement de 2005. Pour plus d’informations, vous pouvez joindre la Marche au Brésil à marchamulheres@sof.org.br

World Relay of the Charter and the Patchwork Quilt Get ready because creative thinking is at the core of the World Relay! From the middle of a field to a city centre, by boat, by parachute or on a camel’s back, at the top of a mountain or at the border between two or even three countries—our dream is to see the Charter make stopovers in as many different places as there are feminists and to see very original ways of relaying it! A number of countries and territories are already planning joint actions at administrative borders; thus they will be joined over and above dividing lines that are often arbitrary.

Some groups will circulate the Charter throughout their country during the stopover. Others will organize a broad national action in a specific place, and still others will group two or three countries together to receive the Charter. This will be an occasion to challenge political and economic institutions and our communities to focus on the specific battles women face in their lives and call media attention to the mobilizations. Moreover, a huge patchwork quilt will be assembled bit by bit during the Relay, with each national coordinating body adding its squares of fabric illustrating the world we are building: our feminist utopia!

The Charter will depart from Brazil, on March 8. It will tour the Americas (until early May), Europe (May and June), Asia and Oceania (July and August), the Middle East and Africa (late August to October). The final stopping point will be Burkina Faso on October 17, 2005. The International Committee chose Burkina Faso because it meets the criteria established by the Committee. It is one of the poorest countries on the planet; women experience specific forms of violence (conjugal violence, forced marriage, early marriage, levirate, genital mutilation). Last but not least, the March in Burkina Faso has been active since the start and the arrival of the Charter and the quilt will be in good hands.

In October the national coordinating bodies will be informed of the exact dates the Charter will arrive at key stopover points. For information on the Relay, you can reach the March in Burkina Faso at the following address: relaismondial2005@hotmail.com

24 Hours of Feminist Solidarity on October 17, 2005 Between 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (local time), the women of the world will organize solidarity actions lasting one hour. This relay action will follow the sun (starting in Oceania and moving westward) and last 24 hours. You can contact the Swiss coordinating body, who will be coordinating this action, at this address: 24h@marche-mondiale.ch

Help us Find a Slogan for our World Actions Calling all creative women! We are looking for a slogan for the upcoming World March of Women world actions in 2005. You remember that in 2000 we had “2000 good reasons to march”? Well in 2005 we would also like to have a slogan that unifies us all while our Charter will be on its world tour and we will be organizing our various relay actions. Let your imagine go wild – and don’t forget that we need to be able to translate the slogan into the 3 working languages of the March (English, French and Spanish) and that we need to avoid references or symbols that are too specific to one country or region…

Please send any proposals by October 8th to the International secretariat either by fax or by email at info@marchemondiale.org clearly indicating the word “slogan” in the subject of your message.

To Be Continued…

Remember that the World March of Women is an irreversible movement. Our actions won’t stop on October 17, 2005. We will look at our action plan for 2005-2006 in Rwanda in December 2004. All our actions are a continued expression of our worldwide women’s movement fighting poverty and violence against women.

Nancy Burrows, International Secretariat

* For more information on our actions, see the article in the International News section of the June 2004 Newsletter: “Are You Ready for 2005? Clarifications on Our International Actions”.




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Newsletter, September 2004, Vol. 7, Number  3

5th International Meeting, December 4 to 12, in Kigali, Rwanda: Great progress!

We are making great progress with the organization of the 5th International Meeting. Many national coordinating bodies have already expressed their interest in participating in this important activity of the March. The Rwandan World March coordinating body has formed a sub-committee to organize the meeting.

We will soon be sending you the preparatory documents:

1. registration form;
2. information about Rwanda;
3. s the second draft of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, so the democratic adoption process of this political tool may be completed;
4. questions needing discussion.

Delegates must be thoroughly familiar with the Charter and represent the consensus position of groups in their country with respect to this key document of the March. You should therefore plan a meeting of your national coordinating body in October or November 2004.

Don’t forget! You have until October 29, 2004, to register!

The goals of the meeting are:

1. s Take stock of the issues currently facing women’s movements in the current context (increased militarization planetwide, the mounting tide of neoliberalism and fundamentalism, and their impact on the struggle against poverty and violence against women and girls) and the state of the WMW’s action;
2. s Adopt a Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, as the political basis of our global actions in 2005;
3. s Finalize our 2005 action plan (using the Charter with other international organizations; launch of the Charter; process for the World Relay of the Charter; 24 Hours of Feminist Solidarity; and national actions);
4. Discussi0ons and training

Concerning participation, 50 women from the region (30 from Rwanda, 10 from Burundi, 10 from Congo) may attend the meeting. National coordinating bodies, for their part, must each designate three women to participate in the meeting. The committee is reflecting on an action to show solidarity with Rwandan women.

We encourage you all to participate in this meeting, which is sure to be rich with shared experiences, synergy, and a collective search for solutions and actions. Join with other women of the World March to build a life free of poverty and violence against women and girls.

Amalfy Ortega, worker in charge of logistics for the 5th International Meeting in Rwanda in 2004 International Secretariat of the World March of Women





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Newsletter, September 2004, Vol. 7, numéro  3

COLLECTIVES AND WORKING GROUPS
Peace and Militarization Collective: A seminar at the end of September

The March’s international Peace and Militarization collective whose responsability is the Concertation des Collectifs des associations féminines de la Région des Grands-Lacs (COCAFEM GL) met on September 26 to 30 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Some 40 women discussed issues connected with peace, militarization and women around the planet, and develop an action plan. We worked on the issue of sexual violence against women in wartime, on how to use UN Resolution 1325 to advance our struggle to obtain women’s participation in peace processes (prevention, conflict resolution and reconstruction) and on the measures that need to be put in place to maintain and consolidate peace in our countries and throughout the world. We also highlighted women’s resistance to militarization and armed conflict, and discussed our alliance with the anti-war movement.

Participants were coming from different corners of the world: El Salvador, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Philippines, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Serbia-Montenegro and Burma. As members of the WMW’s Peace and Militarization collective, they have set themselves the following goals:

• inventory experiences and struggles for peace and against militarization and the impact of armed conflict on women in different regions of the world;
• develop a shared feminist analysis on peace and militarization in the context of globalization;
• decide which international campaigns the WMW should join and identify alliances that the March should develop;
• ensure the WMW’s participation in mobilizations to protest militarization and multiple armed conflicts, etc.
• formulate policy to guide the World March of Women’s interventions in this area.

Women’s resistance to militarization and war is very broad. We are working to take the necessary steps to try to prevent conflict and stop the continuing violence perpetrated against women. Women’s contribution is crucial. The seminar will be very fruitful and enriching for the WMW as a whole and for the advancement of peace in our countries.

Luisa Durante, , coordinator of international working groups and collectives, International Secretariat




Alliances and globalization collective March prepares the 2005 World Social Forum

Since the first World Social Forum, in 2000, the World March of Women has been a part of the effort to build on its sucess, with the goal of raising the visibility of feminist and women's independent action—essential ingredients of the movement to globalize struggles for justice.

Since then we have taken part in the World Social Forums and the regional and local social forums as both organizers and participants. Today we acknowledge a global need for respite so the Forum can renew itself, within the movements that make it up, drawing on the diverse experiences of the women and men who, across the planet, are weaving together a global resistance movement.

Changes in the concepts and methodology of the WSF.The fourth edition of the WSF, held in Mumbai, India, was greatly enriched by the massive presence of grass-roots movements; changes were instituted with the goal of:

• encouraging grassroots participation in the WSF process;
• democratizing the process for choosing themes and organizing debates within the Forum;
• strengthening the connections between forum participants' organizational practice and experiences and our antiliberal discourse, and structuring the forums as spaces in which we can put our alternative solutions into practice;
• encouraging debates on strategies and the shared positions and interests of the diverse sectors participating in the WSF process.

An international consultation concerning themes and types of activities, held in preparation for the next forum, allowed us to identify new topics and crosscutting themes for the WSF.

Organizational structure: creation of the Brazilian Organizing Committee(COB) Decisions concerning the World Social Forum are made by the International Council and implemented by a Secretariat, composed of eight organizations, with headquarters in Porto Alegre.

To organize the 2005 WSF, it created a Brazilian Coordinating Committee, composed of 24 Brazilian groups. The World March of Women in Brazil is a member. The Committee formed working groups that are responsible for proposing solutions, defining policy for the 2005 WSF, and ensuring the execution of tasks in the areas of communications, open software, popular and solidarity economy, logistics and space, culture, environment, sustainable development and translation. The March participates in the popular and solidarity economy and translation working groups.

The March in Porto Alegre. The March has had a very strong presence at all the Porto Alegre WSFs. We believe that the Forum should be a territory where our alternatives to mercantilism can achieve practical form. The success of this idea is going to depend on our ability to influence the organizational process itself, participate in the debates, and also make our presence strongly felt in the streets.

Here is a general idea of what we are proposing to mark our presence in Porto Alegre this year:

• Systematize our feminist experience in the Forum process by compiling the thinking of women involved in the March concerning their experiences as organizers and participants in the various forums: international, regional and local. This will help us to construct a feminist vision of our achievements and start a discussion on what we want for the future of the WSF. This systematization process would include a publication, a photo exhibit, and other materials.
• Present the Women's Global Charter for Humanity, highlighting the 2005 actions and organizing a large debate with other movements (Via Campesina, youth, indigenous peoples, LGBT, trade union movement, etc.) and with women from every continent.
• Create new forms for discussing and presenting our thinking on the economy, especially the sexual division of labour and globalization and commodification, by organizing offices/laboratories on the WSF "territory" where we could combine discussion and interventions.
• Organize international laboratories for discussion about militant feminist action (using symbols, songs, percussion instruments (batucadas), slogans, imagery, etc.) to prepare the 2005 actions, gather up more women and continue to build the identity of the March. Our irreverant action will be the key to making the territory of the Forum a territory free of male domination.

Without any doubt, the World March of Women's presence will be loud, creative and radical to reinforce our feminist identity and raise women's voices.

Julia Di Giovanni, Brazilian coordinating body of the World March of Women



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Newsletter, September 2004, Vol. 7, numéro 3

ALLIANCES

The Boston Social Forum: renewing our contacts

During the Boston Social Forum, held from July 23 – 25, 2004, at the University of Massachusetts, in Boston Harbor, we were able to renew our contacts with women’s groups in the United States. Having been asked to present the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, we took advantage of the opportunity to invite attending women to participate in the Relay of the Charter. Several members of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) from Boston promised us they would discuss the issue in a meeting of their group set for in mid-September. Kate Major, who, with other women coordinates the Chronicle Quilt of Outrage and Hope, a quilt denouncing the harmful actions of the Bush II government, would like to have the Charter stop in Burlington, Vermont.

The women’s space at the Forum was a Peace Tent. On a magnificent terrace overlooking the ocean, women created a tent out of pieces of red fabric. In the centre, chairs were set up for women to meet and discuss. On clotheslines around the site could be seen the Clothesline Project, featuring multicoloured T-shirts symbolizing women victims of violence, and the pink garments of Code Pink. During the two days, we attended several seminars and presented World March of Women demands and the 2005 action plan.

Brigitte Verdière et Amalfy Ortega, International Secretariat

1st Social Forum of the Americas

The 1st Social Forum of the Americas was held in Quito, Ecuador, from July 25 to 30, 2004. The World March of Women was at this event attended by close to 10,000 people from 45 countries who were representing organizations committed to the struggle against neoliberal globalization and to the construction of another America. The Quito Forum was marked by the question of diversity and the palpable presence of questions raised by feminists. This reflected the fact that a large number of women having these concerns sat on the Organizing Committee. Participation by, among others, Indigenous peoples who held their 2nd Summit on the days leading up to the Forum put a significant stamp on the event. Quito also played host to the first forum on sexual diversity, to which the World March of Women gave its support.

As World March of Women representatives, we also attended conferences and panel discussions, including ones on the following topics: social movements and power; toward eliminating violence; perspectives and challenges for alliance building; feminist economic alternatives; social movements and political parties. We also took part in preparing and leading a seminar on women and free trade agreements: critical visions and actions, which produced lively discussions and ideas for World March actions in the Americas.

The women from the March in the Americas also took advantage of the Forum to distribute our newsletter and work on the Relay of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity in different sub-regions of the Americas. We were able to see to what extent the World March of Women serves as a reference point for more and more feminists intent on staging popular education actions and broadening the scope of the fight against poverty and violence against women.

The Forum of the Americas represented the first stage in strengthening alliances among social movements. In fact, one meeting gave rise to our sharing our agendas. The interconnectedness of questions related to racism and sexism was more evident than ever. Nonetheless, the process of the social forums must truly be examined in depth to preserve its role as a catalyst for our analyses and actions. That’s why we want to evaluate our participation in this process at the national, regional and worldwide level at the 5th International Meeting of the March.

For more details, go to Social Forum of the Americas Website.

Diane Matte, Coordinator, International Secretariat




LEBANON: International meeting of anti-war movements




Millions of people hit the streets to protest the war in Iraq and demand an end to the occupation of that country. The anti-war movement continues to denounce the forces that generate armed conflicts in our countries and other countries that cause suffering and accentuate hatred and violence.

The resistance continues. The international anti-war movement and anti-globalization movements held a general meeting from September 17–19, 2004, in Beirut, Lebanon. The meeting had two objectives:

1. broaden and reinforce the movement through debate and the development of future outlooks, strategies and joint campaigns for the year to come;
2. reinforce existing relations and develop new connections with anti-war and anti-globalization forces in the Arab world and elsewhere.

The World March of Women denounced the war against Iraq and we continue to demonstrate against this war, armed conflicts and growing militarization throughout the planet. We support this meeting and will be present to contribute our feminist voices.

Luisa Durante, coordinator of international working groups and collectives, International Secretariat.



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REGIONAL ACTIONS

Newsletter, September 2004, Vol.  7, numéro  3

EUROPE : Meeting of the European coordinating body in Brussels

Four months after the European meeting in Vigo, the European coordinating body met once again in Brussels, from October 1–3, 2004. Delegates (maximum of 3 per country or region) discussed the project of forming a European Secretariat, for which funding has been requested from the European Union. They also talked about the European mobilization in Marseille, on May 28–29, 2005, and the third European Social Forum, which will be taking place in London from October 14–17, 2004. The World March of Women will hold a workshop there entitled “Europe and women’s rights, what are our means and forms of mobilization?”. Also on the agenda: participation at the 5th international meeting of the March and actions planned for 2005.

Information furnished to us by Maryam Kechiche, Coordinator of MMF-WVM, marche@amazone.be (www.marchemondialedesfemmes.be) www.marchemondialedesfemmes.be)



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NATIONAL SNAPSHOTS

Newsletter, September 2004, Vol.  7, numéro 3

Burkina Faso : stereotypes and prejudice against women—a struggle that must be won

Stereotypes and prejudice against women constitute one of the main barriers to the emancipation of women in Burkina Faso. They perpetuate violence against women and exclusion. Transmitted by education, they constitute a barrier to women’s progress and, if nothing is done to prevent it, will likely affect the next generation of women.

In November 2003, the Burkinan WMW coordinating body, Marche mondiale des Femmes/Action nationale du Burkina Faso (MMF/ANBF), published the findings of a study on stereotypes and anti-woman prejudice in language, imagery and behaviour in Burkina Faso, entitled, Étude sur les Stéréotypes et Préjugés dans le langage, les images et les comportements à l’égard de la femme au Burkina Faso. Since early 2004, they have conducted a vast campaign with the slogan « Posons un regard nouveau sur la femme ! » (For a new perspective on women).

The population of Burkina Faso as a whole is concerned by this study. Vocabulary, imagery, prejudice, behaviour, sayings and proverbs about women––positive and negative—were collected. The study proved that Burkinan women are valued solely in terms of their roles as at-home mother and docile wife.

Although some people affirm that women are fighters and capable of heading the family, self abnegation on the job, obedience, and maternity are most frequently cited in the positive imagery of women. Some of the sayings and proverbs mentioned were: “A woman of value is her husband’s crown,” “Humanity is beholden to the woman who brings forth life in pain,” and “From a submissive woman, come blessed children.”

It was shown that women who reject the patriarchal model are victims of criticism and mockery from family, in-laws and associates at work. The pressure can lead women to abandon their ambitions and projects.

The majority of those interviewed stressed that women should not be leaders, whether in the family, at work or in society. They qualified women as individuals with no fixed address because they are considered as “strangers” in both their family’s and husband’s homes (e.g. impossibility of becoming a landowner). Some people even described women as the incarnation of negativity, infantilism and irresponsibility.

Men are particularly severe. They state that women exist to be used, they are witches that must be monitored and sex objects. Negative sayings and proverbs are communicated to women and permeate society in general: “The toad and its guts belong to the serpent that swallows them at his pleasure,” “Every day when you come home, hit your wife. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know why—she knows.” and “Women are the source of all evil.”

Stereotypes in the média.The media also convey stereotypes and prejudice against women. Content about women, scanty as it is, mainly concerns “women’s events” like Pan African Women’s Day on July 31, or International Women’s Day on March 8. Some television and radio programs address issues of concern to women but they do not concern everyone in Burkina Faso and are qualified as being “too feminist.”

As part of its campaign, the MMF/ANBF conducted gender and development training, from May 3–7, 2004, based on the findings of Étude sur les stéréotypes et préjugés dans le langage, les images et les comportements à l’égard de la femme. The session was attended by 35 journalists from the major Burkinan media outlets.

At the conclusion of this week of learning, participants formed a small committee to draft a strategy for combatting stereotypes and prejudice against women in the media. This strategy will be implemented in autumn 2004 and will be addressed to the management of media outlets, journalists, communications and production agencies and journalism teaching institutions, with a view to attracting more young women into the profession.

The media are particularly criticized for their use of women as decorative backdrops in televised game shows, galas, sitcoms and especially in advertising. They use a seductive young woman to sell beer to men, and portray a mother at the stove to sell flavour cubes to women.

Stereotypes and the education of the young. With the prevalence of such demeaning imagery, it is not surprising that women are excluded from society. Women are educated to become mothers and docile wives, and it is not easy to develop the qualities necessary for participation as a full fledged citizens. In Burkina Faso, people will go so far as to describe a successful woman as a “man-woman,” it is that hard for them to admit that women have the potential to be just as successful as men.

Young women in the youth cell of the MMF/ANBF reacted strongly to the study. Because they are victims of these stereotypes and prejudice, they do not feel able to take on positions of responsibility, speak in public, or express an opinion. When men are present, they prefer to remain silent.

They fear marriage, wondering if their future husbands will agree that they work instead of staying at home. They worry about the prospect of their in-laws considering them as a burden and being obliged to submit to them. Further, they are afraid of being abandoned and betrayed by a husband who might throw them aside once they begin living together.

Fortunately, a number of young men have joined these young women to work on changing attitudes. They are members of the youth cell of the MMF/ANBF, calling themselves “Centre Cyber Jeunes Infos” (youth info cyber centre). In addition to capacity building for members, by giving them access to computers and the Internet, the centre is a place where they can discuss topics like gender and development, the Code des Personnes et de la Famille (family and persons code), health and reproduction, and of course, stereotypes and prejudice against women.

At the ceremony to publish the findings of the Étude sur les stéréotypes et Préjugés dans le langage, les images et les comportements à l’égard de la femme, participants asked the MMF/ANBF to pressure government education departments to incorporate the struggle against stereotypes in the school curriculum. The MMF/ANBF plans to work on this during the upcoming year.

If the MMF/ANBF manages to change the mentality of the younger generation, hopefully their children will be educated with fewer negative stereotypes and prejudice and no differentiation between girls and boys. We hope that by the end of the century, because of our efforts joined with those of the anti-poverty struggle, Burkinan women will have become full fledged partners in the development of Burkina Faso.

Jacinthe Gouin, Responsible for Communications and the Appeal Association Marche mondiale des Femmes, Burkina Faso

Women in Portugal continue to mobilize on the issue of abortion

The Women on Waves ship—a sailing clinic where women can get abortions—was unable to enter the territorial waters of Portugal in August. The ship nevertheless remained in the area until September 9. This meant a busy summer for four Portuguese World March of Women groups that are involved in this association. They continued work on actions initiated in January 2004, when a pro-choice group gathered 120,000 signatures in support of a referendum to authorize abortion on demand up until 10 weeks. The prime minister of Portugal refused to hold the referendum, and the defence minister refused the ship entry into Portuguese ports.

It should be remembered that in Portugal abortion is only authorized if the life and health of the woman is endangered and in cases of fetal malformation or pregnancy as a result of rape. Even in these cases, hospitals and doctors refuse to perform abortions. The result: the number of illegal abortions remains high (an estimated 20,000 per year) with often tragic consequences (100 women have died during the last 20 years).

Another consequence: the Portuguese government is prosecuting doctors and nurses who have helped women to abort and women who have had an abortion outside the limits defined by the law. They risk three years of jail. Two women and one nurse are currently on trial in Setubal. In 2001, 17 women were tried for illegal abortion. A nurse was sentenced to 71/2 years of prison.

Portuguese women, among them members of the March, have been active on the ground for many years. In 1998, there was a referendum on abortion but only 31.8% of voters participated in the referendum. Abortion on demand was rejected by 50.5% of the voters. Under Portuguese law, 50% of the voters must participate in the referendum for it to be valid.

Based on information provided by Almerinda Bento, World March of Women in Portugal and the Web site of Women on Waves

What about you?

We would be very happy to get reports of particularly inspiring recent events or upcoming actions of the World March of Women in different countries for publication in the National Snapshots section! Submissions should be 150 words long or less and written in English, French or Spanish.





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MISCELLANEOUS

Newsletter, September 2004, Vol. 7, Number 3

Collaborators

Thanks to all the women who collaborated on this issue of the Newsletter: Almerinda Bento (Portugal), Élise Boyer (French-English translation), Nancy Burrows (International Secretariat), Julia Di Giovanni (Brazil), Luisa Durante (International Secretariat), Jacinthe Gouin (Burkina Faso), Maryam Kechiche (Belgium), Nicole Kennedy (French-English translation), Diane Matte (International Secretariat), Amalfy Ortega (International Secretariat), Mercé Pâsto (French-Spanish translation), Magaly Sala-Skup (French-Spanish translation), Brigitte Verdière (International Secretariat), and to all women who support us.

Next issue

If you wish to contribute to the next issue of the Newsletter, send your texts by e-mail at Brigitte Verdière or by regular mail or fax before January 10, 2005. We reserve the right to change or not publish articles based on the goals of the newsletter and available space. Thanks for your participation!