april 2002 - By way of introduction

It is a challenge to produce a report that adequately reflects the scale of the World March of Women: what it meant and still means to thousands of groups and millions of women around the planet. It involves making choices, finding unifying themes and drawing lessons, by definition a thankless and simplistic exercise. But it is also an important opportunity to take stock of our victories, draw inspiration from each other and pursue our common action. It is a task to which the necessary time must be devoted, which is what we have done. We had so much to tell each other, remember and analyze that it was impossible to adequately convey the richness of women's accomplishments in 2000 and since. Still, we think that we have succeeded in portraying the determination of women and feminist movements to change the world. We have shown that global feminist solidarity in action is possible, despite diverse obstacles, and that it holds the potential for change and hope.

This report gives you a glimpse of the national and international demands defended by the women who actively participated in the March. You will find images and text that describe the actions and methods women invented so that they would be heard, and their voices would resonate with other women, in their communities, countries and across the globe. We also offer a sampling of victories won by some women, and the renewed hopes achieved by others. You will be encouraged to look further to find out what women have to say and what feminists are proposing in the way of alternatives and a future for all of us. We hope that you will want to know more about what other women accomplished and be inspired to continue acting in solidarity, joining with us to work for rapid, genuine progress toward another world rooted in the principles of equality, justice and peace.

Why so many women marched

The World March of Women focussed on and denounced two phenomena that women must deal with every day: poverty and violence against women. In this regard, the March levelled the blame on the collusion of patriarchy and capitalism and its impact on the lives of increasing numbers of women worldwide. In its call for resistance, the March anchored its action in the struggles led by women at the grassroots and their determination to survive and transform the world, thereby mobilizing thousands of women's groups and millions of women into action. The March offered a vehicle for working locally, nationally and globally. It was an opportunity for women to bring together the demands of diverse groups into national and international feminist platforms. It provided many movements with a chance to work together to demand concrete action from national governments and decision-makers and to forge new bonds that energized and strengthened women's movements. Each group participated in the March in its own way, according to its particular situation and that of its allies, thereby giving the March the potential to become a powerful motor for change.

The World March of Women allowed us to highlight our movements, feminist analysis, organizational processes, mobilization methods, and demands. We were able to show governments and political and financial decision-making bodies that we are a network for change in our communities, enabling the March to take its place as a partner with other social movements who are opposing current neoliberal globalization. In this regard, we were active participants in the World Social Forums of 2001 and 2002 because this broad coalition is an important arena for us to expand our alliances and influence various social movements with feminist analysis, action and alternatives. It is also a forum where we can call on men to join our struggle to eliminate violence against women and the inequalities stemming from their domination, and to build another world with us.

The World March of Women is a new tool that millions of women have adopted in our struggle against neoliberalism, religious fundamentalism and all forms of violence against women. The attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent bombing campaign, and restrictions on civil rights indicate that women's voices need to be heard in the global arena. In particular, it is crucial that the voices of Afghan women and women calling for peace be heard: they are saying that it is not by characterizing entire populations as the "axis of evil" that we are going to construct a world free of terrorism, and it is not by casting whole peoples into destitution, dependency and humiliation that we are going to feel safe from terrorism.

The World March of Women is the offspring of women across the globe who have struggled, and struggle still: for the right to vote, access to water, land, health and education; against rape, sexual assault and wife battering; for control of our bodies and sexuality; for the human rights of lesbian women; for equal pay and pay equity; for recognition of women's unpaid work; for the recognition and respect of disabled and indigenous women's rights; for equal political participation; for equal sharing of responsibility for childcare and domestic work, etc. We refuse to let new generations of women be sacrificed to the ideological, economic, cultural and religious forces and trends that continue to threaten women's human rights.

We affirm that there is no possible future for humanity unless women's physical and mental integrity is respected, and women and men are equal. The World March of Women is a call to resistance. It is a call for alternatives, collective action and solidarity in the struggle for change. We will never be stopped.