Call of the World Women’s Movement for International Women’s Day 2019

European Coordinators of the

World Women‘s Conferences of Grassroot Women

Halinka Augustin/Netherlands and Susanne Bader/Germany

Call of the World Women’s Movement for International Women’s Day 2019

“In the struggle for liberation I felt freedom for the first time, that’s why I organized myself!”

In many countries of the world, women’s consciousness has awakened on a massive scale!
On International Women’s Day, the day of struggle of the world women’s movement, we look with pride at our revolutionary pioneers like Clara Zetkin! She wrote under the impression of the first socialist revolution in Russia in 1917, as a result of which the right to vote for women was won:

“The first dictatorship of the proletariat is a true pioneer of full social equality for women.“

In many countries, on International Women’s Day 2019, the women’s movement chooses the “strike” as a form of protest, following the example of the workers’ movement. The struggle for the liberation of women is on the agenda in the 21st century. Women of all social strata and classes are at odds with the capitalist system, its representatives in the bourgeois parties and governments. But the contradiction is often still limited to individual questions and demands and is non-binding in its form. In order to become a force that can change society, it needs clarity and organization.

The first theoretical seminar of the World Women’s Movement 2018 in India was an important contribution to this. In this strategy debate it became clear:

From Africa to Europe to Asia female workers fight organized for their equal rights and participation in social life. In India, Sri Lanka, female tea plantation workers are on strike for equal wages with their male colleagues. Female textile workers in Bangladesh are fighting union battles for wages they and their families can live on. Women farmers demand a right to land. The approximately 67 million domestic workers worldwide demand employment contracts and social security, protection against sexual violence and an end to lawlessness. Carers and nurses in the Netherlands and Germany fight for recognition of their work and higher wages.

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Statement on the Theoretical Seminar of the World Women’s Conference of grassroots women from 2-4 December 2018, Bengaluru, India

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Suse and Halinka – European coordinators

300 women from 19 countries discussed ways and goals of the liberation of women!

“For our women’s organisation it is a great honour to organize this theoretical seminar with so many participants from all over the world!” Said one of the organisers of AIRWO (All Indian Revolutionary Women’s Organisation).

From December 2-4, 18, in Bengaluru – India – in the state of Karnataka, women from 11 states of India, from Nepal, Bangladesh, Togo, Uganda, South Africa, DR Congo, Netherlands, France, England, Germany, Southern Kurdistan, Turkey, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Iran and other countries came together to discuss and exchanges views on theories of the liberation of the woman. Representatives of various women’s organisations and individual women had spared neither long distances, high costs nor strenuous journeys to attend this seminar. The seminar was based on a decision of the 2nd World Women’s Conference of grassroots women that took place in 2016 in Kathmandu in Nepal. The seminar was organised by AIRWO (All Indian Revolutionary Women’s Organisation) and coordinators and world women of other continents.

“I want to share with you my dream of the liberation of women in a free society!” said a participant from India. In the three days a mass discussion arose among the grassroots women. A common theme was the special oppression of women, their social inequality towards men and their lower pay. This theme was to be heard in contributions from all countries. The reports impressively showed how women’s consciousness of the various forms of special oppression has grown. “I got a real sense of freedom when I got involved in the fight, that’s why I organised myself!”

The seminar was a great start and an expression that the process of theoretical processing of practical experience has already started. There was unity among the participants that this process must be continued systematically in the countries and movements.

The next highlight of the ideological debate will be the third World Women’s Conference of grassroots women. For this to become reality, the militant world women’s movement needs a good functioning coordination on all continents.

Theses of the impulse paper by Monika Gaertner-Engel for the theoretical seminar on the theory of women’s liberation,

Theses of the impulse paper by Monika Gaertner-Engel for the theoretical seminar on the theory of women’s liberation, India, December 2018

  1. The international militant women’s movement has a great wealth of experience and achievements in fighting for the liberation of women. However, the fundamental side of what is necessary to create the basis for this liberation is severely underestimated.
  2. Only a revolutionary solution lays the foundation for the social liberation of women! An analysis of the major successes of the women’s movement and their actual limitations within capitalism.
  3. Lessons from history until today – revolutions were locomotives for the most far-reaching women’s rights so far.
  4. All of the many struggles taking place today are important on the way to the liberation of women, but they have to be led as training ground of the fight for the liberation of women.
  5. The goal of liberating women can only be achieved jointly, across ideological and party-political lines and based on principles. For this the militant women’s movement has to be non-party affiliated. This results from the common aim of the complete emancipation of women, the liberation of women in liberated societies.

Impulsthesen für das Theoretische Seminar zur Befreiung der Frau (in englisch)

Theses of the impulse paper by Monika Gaertner-Engel for the theoretical seminar on the theory of women’s liberation, India, December 2018

  1. The international militant women’s movement has a great wealth of experience and achievements in fighting for the liberation of women. However, the fundamental side of what is necessary to create the basis for this liberation is severely underestimated.
  2. Only a revolutionary solution lays the foundation for the social liberation of women! An analysis of the major successes of the women’s movement and their actual limitations within capitalism.
  3. Lessons from history until today – revolutions were locomotives for the most far-reaching women’s rights so far.
  4. All of the many struggles taking place today are important on the way to the liberation of women, but they have to be led as training ground of the fight for the liberation of women.
  5. The goal of liberating women can only be achieved jointly, across ideological and party-political lines and based on principles. For this the militant women’s movement has to be non-party affiliated. This results from the common aim of the complete emancipation of women, the liberation of women in liberated societies.

 

Theoretical Seminar 2018 in Bangalore: Last chance at last minute

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Translation from German with online machine translation due to time constraints:

International Theoretical Seminar on the Liberation of Women
in the “Sakine Cansize Hall” / Spoorthidhama from 2. – 4.12.18 in Bangalore/ India

For the first time since the establishment of the movement for World Women’s Conferences of Basic Women 12 years ago, world women from four continents are organizing an international strategy debate on ways and objectives of women’s liberation. The spectrum of views and statements is broad:
where does the special oppression of women worldwide come from? What are their roots? What are the reasons for their particular exploitation? Are there countries where women have equal rights? What lessons can we learn from history? What significance does the struggle for the liberation of women have for the liberation of humanity from exploitation and oppression – and vice versa? etc. etc.
On the basis of analyses, facts and experience reports we will exchange ourselves. The whole spectrum of women’s movements will have their say.
One thing is clear: in the analyses of the women’s liberation ideology the movements differ. But that is not a problem. We see this fundamental debate as an enrichment for further cooperation in terms of content and practice.
In this sense, come, join in, send your speeches to us or give them to other women. The countdown is on! The theoretical seminar of basic women is a milestone at the zenith of the 2nd World Women’s Conference to the 3rd World Women’s Conference 2021.
The results will be incorporated into the timetable for the 3rd World Conference on Women. The character of a basic women’s seminar will also be organised by the subsequent visit to Indian women’s organisations on 5 December 18.

Of course such a seminar is a challenge for the content and practical preparation.
The organisation team in India works tirelessly on the preparations. Sharmistha Choudhury writes: “The closer the seminar gets, the more nervous I get. I hope that everything will be all right! Today I start the train from Calcutta to Bangalore. It is a journey of 36 hours. I will be in Bangalore for five days to check all the appointments on the spot. We have rented a translation equipment, can you support us with interpreters? We have set up an office. Hopefully the participants have booked their hotels? This is very important! We already have many registrations, from India we expect 200 – 250 participants, from Nepal 12 women will arrive, from Africa we expect about 6 women, from Europe about 40 – 50 women, from the Near and Middle East we have registrations. Greetings from India, Sharmistha.
p.s. the weather in Bangalore in December, about 27°C!”

The theoretical seminar on the liberation of women is a joint work of the militant women’s movement with those responsible in Africa, Asia, Southern Kurdistan and Europe. Many helping hands and heads support the preparations to the best of their ability and actively contribute to the success of the seminar:
* Visa applications are filled in from continent to continent via skype
* Travel groups meet and organize their participation (content and organization)
* One for all – in order to enable one representative to participate, women e.g. in Africa do not participate
* Brigadists take leave, donate travel expenses,
* without cash nothing going on! The seminar is a joint effort and is therefore financed jointly. Donations are very welcome.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator