To celebrate
the 24 hours of international feminist solidarity, the Portuguese coordinating
body of the World March of Women organised a number of events.
On the day
before (October 16th), we hosted the "No Prejudice - Changing Portugal is
Urgent!" Seminar in Lisboa, a space where participants were given the
opportunity to debate issues of Poverty and (Un)Employment, Sexual Orientation,
Women and Migrations, Violence Against Women, Abortion and Political
Participation, as well as become more familiar with the actions and aims of the
World March of Women. To express the solidarity of Portuguese women with women
from all over the world, we invited Joséphine Kusinza, activist and executive
member of the COCAFEM/GL (African Great Lakes), who spoke about "Patriarchy, War
and Poverty: Violences against Women".
Between 12h and
13h on October 17th, members of the coordinating body got together in the Largo
Camões, in the centre of Lisboa, and organised a street action, during which we
distributed flyers and copies of the charter and presented the Portuguese Quilt
of Feminist Solidarity, a quilt composed of squares made by several different
organisations and groups who support the March (including shelters for victims
of violence, youth groups, schools, homes for the elderly, local, regional and
national organisations, women's rights groups, etc.)
Later that day, in the headquarters of the Associação Abril (also in Lisbon), the coordinating
body of the March launched the fourth issue of a magazine on women’s human
rights called ART. ♀ and published yearly by one of the organisations who are
part of this body, the AJP (Associação para a Justiça e Paz). This fourth issue
is dedicated to the World March of Women and its theme is “Women’s Solidarity,
Local and Global”. The aim of the magazine is not only to give information
about the situation of women but also to raise women’s visibility and highlight
their contributions to peace, justice, solidarity, equality and freedom.