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April 2002 - Steps : The March... to be continued
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The World March of Women continuesDelegates adopted a new declaration. "We have to maintain the pressure"; "We must strengthen the movement"; "The March was a useful framework and our demands were heard"; "We still have a lot to accomplish" (concerning poverty and violence), said participants, stressing that the March is "one of the few networks capable of bringing feminist demands to the global arena." Messages sent by mail, telephone, fax and e-mail from various countries indicate that a number of national coordinating bodies intend to stay in place. In cases where women decided to dissolve their coordinating structures (for financial or political reasons), they will transmit the March demands to the groups in their country that originally participated in the March. In an evolving world, the March, too, must update its demands. Despite the extremely sensitive nature of certain questions (for example, lesbian rights and abortion), participants voted to make an addition to the second demand in the violence against women section.
It now stipulates States recognize, in their statutes and actions, that all forms of violence against women are violations of fundamental human rights and cannot be justified by any custom, religion, cultural practice or political power. Therefore, all states must recognize a woman's right to determine her own destiny, and to exercise control over her body and reproductive function (right to abortion and contraception, freedom from forced sterilization, and the right to have children)." A March follow-up committee was formed, comprising nine women from different world regions. It will coordinate actions and decisions until the next international meeting. Women reaffirmed their radical opposition to states' militaristic policies and all forms of fundamentalism, while affirming their commitment to peace. On Friday, October 5, women in Montréal organized a peace vigil. This action was repeated in 15 countries.
A peace vigil on October 5, 2001, in the streets of Montréal. (Photo : Marik Boudreau)Demonstrators read out the Appeal Of The World March Of Women For The Construction Of A Just, Equal, Cooperative, Democratic And Peaceful World, in which they stated women are always the main victims of acts of barbarism, wars and crimes of all description that serve the interests of the great powers like the arms industry and transnational companies. Once again, they called on the UN to play an active role in global crises.
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Last modified 2006-03-23 03:09 PM This item is available in Français, English, Español |
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