World Women's Conference of Grassroots Women

Greetings from Manila:

I have attached here a poem originally written in Filipino and translated into German by our comrade in Austria.

This poem describes the bad situation of poor families in Metro Manila who experienced violent demolition of their homes and livelihood and neglect of the government. Defend Job Philippines is now documenting these situation and helps in exposing this situation to the community. We are one of the complainant who filed a case to the United Nations. Hope, you can also support this complaint. Please help us in sharing and spreading this poem to our comrades and friends in Germany.

Here are some information about the poem:

Writer: Comrade Elmo

Carreon, is a worker and organizer of Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia in 1984. Now, he lives in Vienna Austria with his family and continue to fight for the rights and welfare of migrants and advocates for the liberation of his homeland—Philippines. He is the Chairman of

Migrante Austria, chapter of Migrante International. Background: It shows the Floating community in Freedom Island in Paranaque City, Philippines.

A poor dwelling of fishermen and their families. For more than 10 years, they experienced violent eviction of their homes from one place to another. The government did not give them any program to uplift their lives. Now, these families along with more than 10000 people depending their livelihoods and migratory birds in the sea face threat of destruction of lives and livelihood as the government will reclaim more than 640 hectares in the Island. Tens of thousands of people resist against the reclamation because it will cause widespread flood all

over nearby cities.

Translator: The poem was translated by a Comrade from Migrante Austria. A mother of two children and active leader of Migrante.

Thank you. Melona

120207 brief und gedicht von melona daclan, philippinen

MARCH 8 – INTERNATIONAL WORKING WOMEN’S DAY

STATEMENT

Women Resist Crisis and War! Fight for National and Social Liberation!

The current economic and financial crises of the crumbling capitalist system hit women the hardest. The economic and ecological repercussions of these crises increased the vulnerability of women to the different forms of oppression, discrimination and violence inside and outside the home.

Women of the working class were the first to suffer the brunt of the crises. They were the first to be laid off when factories closed down or went bankrupt and had to suffer lower wages and difficult flexible working conditions when hired.  Peasant and indigenous women who are the world’s number one food producers have become the world’s poorest facing unprecedented hunger and poverty as transnational corporations, local landlords and governments rush to steal away millions of hectares of lands for corporate farming, mining, infrastructures, dams, tourism and military use.  They are dislocated and dispossessed from their lands, communities and way of life.

Unemployment, lack of social security, and budgetary cuts for social services put women in dangerous positions:  they were forced to leave their families to work as domestic or factory workers in other countries where they face exploitation and abuse, in addition to discrimination and xenophobia immigrant workers are subjected to in host countries.  Many poor women were also forced into prostitution or become victims of trafficking.

Download full press release:

IWA-Aufruf englisch Internationaler Frauentag 2012