International Women’s Day 2007

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“8 martie – ziua femeilor militante” (2006) [ro]
“march 8th – day of women’s activism” (2006) [en]

Global Women’s Strike 2007
Celebrating International Women’s Day around the world

INVEST IN CARING NOT KILLING! Women & girls do 2/3 of the world’s work, most of it unwaged. $1 trillion/year is spent on the military worldwide, more than half by the US. 10% of this would provide the essentials of life for all: water, sanitation, basic health, nutrition, literacy, and a minimum income.
The Global Women’s Strike network, with national co-ordinations in 11 countries and participating organisations in over 60 countries, is demanding the return of military budgets to the community, beginning with women the main carers of people and the planet. Women, and men who support our goals, take action together on 8 March, International Women’s Day, and throughout the year. In this way each grassroots struggle is backed by our collective power. …

“Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls”
Is the theme for International Women’s Day 2007

Learn more about how United Nations celebrate IWD

In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women’s Day. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. For the United Nations, International Women’s Day has been observed on 8 March since 1975. The Day is traditionally marked with a message from the Secretary-General.

Why dedicate a day exclusively to the celebration of the world’s women?

In adopting its resolution on the observance of Women’s Day, the General Assembly cited two reasons: to recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security. For the women of the world, the Day’s symbolism has a wider meaning: It is an occasion to review how far they have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development. It is also an opportunity to unite, network and mobilize for meaningful change.

Read more about the International Women’s Day:
* History of International Women’s Day
* “Engendering the Global Agenda: The Story of Women and the United Nations”, a book by Hilkka Pietilä
* UN Cyberschool Bus page about International Women’s Day

Previous years and themes:
2006: Women in decision-making
2005: Gender Equality Beyond
2005: Building a More Secure Future
2004: Women and HIV/AIDS
2003: Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals
2002: Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities
2001: Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts
2000: Women Uniting for Peace
1999: World Free of Violence Against Women
1998: Women and Human Rights
1997: Women at the Peace Table
1996: Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future

necesar, dar nerecomandat

mi-am amintit de niste rinduri scrise de mircea cartarescu la un moment dat:

Exista multe standarde pentru aprecierea gradului de civilizatie al unei societati. S-a vorbit despre cantitatea de sapun folosita anual, despre libertatile cetatenesti, despre calitatea invatamantului. … Dar eu cred ca unul dintre criteriile cele mai sensibile, care practic nu da gres niciodata, este felul in care, intr-o societate, femeia este privita si se priveste pe sine. Din acest punct de vedere, mai mult decat din toate celelalte, lumea romaneasca e una primitiva cu asupra de masura. Poate ca economia noastra o sa se acomodeze, cat de cat, in timp, cu cea europeana. Poate-o sa invatam mai multe limbi straine si-o sa renuntam la proverbiala noastra smecherie. Dar atata vreme cat nu respectam femeia de langa noi ca pe noi insine n-am facut nimic si nici n-o sa facem.

E inutil sa vin cu exemple din viata de zi cu zi, oricat ar fi de “picante“ sau de revoltatoare. Cu cat cobori mai mult in Romania profunda (care-ncepe dincolo de limitele unei mici lumi manierate si nu exclude nici universitari, nici ministri, nici alti oameni cu scoala si pretentii), cu atat sarcasmul impotriva femeii este mai mare. Vorbim azi cu oroare despre antisemiti si despre cei care mananca unguri pe paine, dar acestia sunt in Romania o (periculoasa) minoritate. Pe cand cei ce dispretuiesc femeia, care ii neaga tinuta morala sau intelectuala, care-o exclud sistematic din spatiul public sunt larga majoritate a romanilor de amandoua sexele. Nu rasismul sau sovinismul national sunt azi cea mai raspandita forma de discriminare, ci brutala sau discreta, instinctiva sau argumentata “stiintific“ discriminare a femeii. Pentru omul de rand (intrati in vorba cu taximetristii, de exemplu), “femeia nu e om“, “toate sunt curve cu exceptia mamei si surorii tale“, femeia la volan e o calamitate etc. Pentru autoritati, de asemenea, femeile sunt cetateni de rangul al doilea: codul lor numeric personal incepe (ce simbol mai bun sa gasim?) cu cifra 2… — “Nu avem primarite. Pacat!”, Jurnalul National, 29.6.04

chiar nu stiu ce i-a venit lui cartarescu, insa citind analiza asta in 2004 eu am fost in acelasi timp surprinsa de cit de bine si lucid puncta problema (ok, in afara de faptul ca rasistii nu sint chiar deloc o minoritate in romania – dar macar i-a numit “periculosi”), si complet ne-surprinsa ca articolul continua cu aceasta marturisire:

Ca orice ideologie, feminismul mi-e strain, desi ii recunosc necesitatea.

urmata de inca o declaratie din partea lui cartarescu, ca nu cumva sa mai ramina vreun dubiu (desi nu-l interogase nimeni):

In varianta lui radicala, [feminismul devine] la fel de odios ca orice alt sovinism. Nu observ toate cele de mai sus dintr-un punct de vedere feminist, ci pur si simplu din perspectiva bunului-simt.

da, sigur! eu n-am inteles niciodata: daca vezi ca ceva e necesar, de ce te-ai dezice de acel lucru (si oamenii fac asta foarte des)?! totusi, in cazul asta inteleg total, pentru ca din pacate problema e “built in”: a sustine feminismul ca ideologie si/sau ca practica inseamna ori sa n-ai acces ori sa intorci constient spatele la niste privilegii, prejudecati sau concesii care-ti fac viata mai usoara, indiferent daca realizezi ca sint nedrepte si daca ti se par impotriva firii si firii tale – inseamna, deci, a-ti asuma un risc, a nu disimula si a avea curaj. in fond recurgerea la sexism, in aceeasi masura cu inscrierea totala in rolurile de gen, este ceva ce garanteaza fiecarui om (femeie sau barbat) alinierea la mainstream si la valorile patriarhale pretuite dpdv social si cultural. in timp ce feminismul, anti-sexismul sint echivalente cu a merge impotriva curentului si traditiilor. adica lucrul cel mai greu.

cartarescu putea sa aleaga greul, pare sa inteleaga asta foarte bine, dar pina la urma alege clar cel-mai-usorul. mda. numai ca el se justifica spunind ca asta e de fapt o alegere “echilibrata” (ceea ce e ca si cum ai spune, de exemplu, ca ai vrea sa nu mai fie torturati oamenii dar tu nu vei merge atit de departe incit sa condamni tortura, deoarece nu vrei sa fii luat drept “extremist” – nu de alta, dar ai auzit pe undeva ca printre cei care se impotrivesc torturii sint tare multi ciudati si radicali).

newsflash to cartarescu: punctul respectiv de vedere este feminist. asa ca felicitari (imi pare rau). iar feminismul este bun-simt; daca ti s-a spus la televizor ca feminismul e doar de-un fel si este “sovinism”, mai inchide televizorul, nu te mai lasa spalat pe creier, informeaza-te, gindeste critic si fa ceva util – si eventual anti-sexist – cu timpul tau si talentele tale.

ce-i amuzant e ca, folosind “bun-simtul”, cartarescu descopera de unul singur definitia cea mai simpla a feminismului, adica: “notiunea radicala ca femeile sint oameni”. mai putin amuzanta: inconsecventa de care da dovada.

sa vedem, pe linga cartarescu insusi (in ipostaza explicit non-feminista), ce alte “exemple” care arata necesitatea feminismului ar mai fi?


si daca astea sint citeva din nenumaratele exemple, ce e “sovin” si ce e “de bun simt” dintre a imbratisa feminismul si a te dezice de el? (raspunsul intr-un numar viitor.)

Some good international news

from Women’s eNews:

* Portugal, one of four European nations where most abortions are illegal, will vote next month in a referendum to liberalize its laws. The election occurs amid efforts to challenge Portuguese and Irish anti-choice laws in European court.

* Three hundred men have joined a Burlington, Vermont, U.S., campaign against domestic abuse, the Burlington Press reported Jan. 23. Members of the White Ribbon Campaign, which was formed last December, wear white ribbons to symbolize their commitment to challenging violence against women. Members agree to speak to at least one boy and man to raise awareness.

* A group of Israeli women has petitioned the nation’s high court to prohibit bus companies from telling women to sit in the back in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, Reuters reported Jan. 24. Some members of the Orthodox sects of Judaism follow teachings that ban any public contact between men and women. The Israeli government has recently backed transport companies that run gender-divided buses on 30 public routes.

* The United Nations will deploy its first all-female peacekeeping force to the conflict-torn West African nation of Liberia on Jan. 29, the Associated Press reported. The 103-member team, which has trained since September and is drawn from India, will help conduct local elections and assist with prison security.

* Under pressure from activists and eager for approval to join the European Union, Turkey has launched a major campaign against honor killings, the Los Angeles Times reported Jan 21. Pop stars and soccer celebrities have produced TV spots and billboard ads condemning violence against women, while Turkish imams have declared honor killings a sin.

* More than 500 international manufacturers of cosmetic and body care products have vowed to eliminate toxic ingredients from their products, the San Francisco-based Campaign for Safe Cosmetics announced Jan. 25. The pledge’s signatories have agreed to replace ingredients linked with cancer, hormone imbalances and birth anomalies with safer alternatives by 2010.

* Saudi Arabia’s most prominent princess, Lolwah Al-Faisal, said that she would allow women to drive if she were queen for a day during comments made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Times of London reported Jan. 25. Al-Faisal is vice-chair of the board of trustees and general supervisor of Jeddah’s Effat College. Her remark was broadly received as a direct challenge to the nation’s driving ban, imposed by religious order in 1990.

* When Israel holds a high-level meeting on national security starting Jan. 21, Israeli women’s groups will meet on the sidelines to discuss the harmful effects of last summer’s war on Lebanon and recommend ways to defuse nuclear tensions in the region.

* A U.K. labor union plans to bring a barrage of cases that will test the significance for female workers of a recent European Court of Justice decision. Advocates hope it will ease the penalty for taking time out of the paid work force.

Support needed for the women of Oaxaca, Mexico

WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD SUPPORT THE DEMANDS OF THE WOMEN OF OAXACA
4 January 2007
[edit: Traducerea si informatii suplimentare in romana]

In November the Global women´s Strike met with women from Oaxaca, Mexico, and we committed ourselves to spreading information about their struggle, their demands, their leading participation in the Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca (APPO) – Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, the great unity it has achieved and the harsh repression attempting to defeat it.

Your support is needed:

– Sign and return this letter. We will forward it to the authorities and the media. Send protest emails and faxes to the authorities.

– Donations. We are sending $1000 to the women of Oaxaca knowing that we can count on international support. We will send everything we collect.

To send a donation in US dollars make cheques payable to Global Women´s Strike, PO Box 11795, Philadelphia, PA 19101, USA; in pound sterling to Global Women’s Strike, Crossroads Women’s Centre, 230a Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2AB, England; in euros to Huelga Mundial de Mujeres, Centro Las Mujeres Cuentan, Radas 27 Local, 08004 Barcelona, Spain or by bank transfer to Huelga Mundial de Mujeres, Caixa Penedes, IBAN: ES94 2081 0249 50 3300003442.
Please write Oaxaca on the back of the cheque.

– Circulate this information as widely as possible.

BACKGROUND

It is claimed that agriculture was born in Oaxaca (and in a few other regions of the world). Its historical has been given Humanity Cultural Heritage status. Oaxaca is a tourist city, expensive for its low income inhabitants. The majority live in Indigenous communities, poor neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city (colonias), often headed by women whose husbands or sons have emigrated to other states or to the US in search of employment.

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Noul “Spintecator”: violenta (impotriva femeilor) ca divertisment

Cand e vorba de crime impotriva femeilor, se pare ca desi suntem in 2006 nu s-au schimbat prea multe de acum 30 (sau 100) de ani. Politia, presa, si majoritatea publicului nu gasesc nimic ciudat in a dezumaniza victimele si a trata violenta ca divertisment, iar crimele nu sunt adresate si rezolvate mai eficient. Se stie ca primul mars “Reclaim the Night” din Anglia s-a organizat in 1977 ca protest fata de o serie de omoruri cunoscute ca “Yorshire Ripper Murders”, si in special fata de faptul ca politia nu facea destul pentru siguranta femeilor si tinea sa deosebeasca “prostituatele” de “victime inocente”. Acum ca a aparut o situatie similara si 5 femei au fost deja omorate in Ipswich, Suffolk, MB, femeile sunt din nou indemnate sa nu iasa seara pe strazi. Este singura “solutie” si masura preventiva oferita de politie pe moment. In acelasi timp, felul in care se vorbeste despre victime (in principal ca “fete” si “prostituate”), sau detalii despre cat de “dezbracate” erau cand au fost gasite si atentia cu tente pozitive care i se da criminalului nu face decat sa dezumanizeze victimele si sa glorifice violenta.

Citand-o pe Twisty de la I Blame the Patriarchy:

“Ipswich spree killer: obviously dominated by women”

Ipswich’s murdering psycho has been so obligingly villainous, the media have promoted him, in quaint British tradition, to ‘Ripper’ status. Men murder women all the time (about 11 times a day in the US alone), but ‘Ripper’ is the pet name reserved for a special class of male murderer who, in the popular imagination, is particularly evil, brilliant, fascinating, ruthless, predatory, depraved, cop-taunting, and of course, hooker-hating. He also has a grippingly seedy life history (”a loner who never fit in”), one that tabloid pop psychologists can modify into a reassuring, explanatory ‘motive’, or, even better, into a pyschokiller narrative revealing to a prurient public explicit, lingerie-ripping details of woman-hating violence.*

In a departure from Rippers past, the Ipswich killer doesn’t mutilate. He wins the exalted ‘Ripper’ crown in part because of the stunning dispatch with which he ‘works’ — he is, it is noted unfailingly, and with a sangfroidesque blend of awe and admiration, the fastest serial killer in British history — but mostly because all his victims appear to have been female sex workers, an important prerequisite for Ripperdom.

The Ipswich killer’s upgrade from random violent schlub to a mythic personage capable of waging “a campaign” means a concomitant downgrade for his victims. These people are demoted instantly from human women to ‘prostitutes,’ from ‘prostitutes’ ** to ‘vice girls’. From there it’s just a short hop to ‘heroin addicts’ and finally, to the lowest form of life imaginable, ’single mothers.’ Their first names are always used as if they were children. Tabloids, as Guardian columnist Joan Smith notes with dismay [in her article “Prostitutes deserve as much sympathy as any murder victim”], even allude to their hair color (“blonde Gemma”). It’s as though they were hotties in Hustler rather than murdered women; no report omits to describe the women’s corpses as ‘naked’ or ‘having been stripped.’

Why celebrate the murderer and dehumanize the victims as fetish objects? Because the public is enamored of the delusion that only nutcase criminal masterminds hate women enough to murder them, and that prostitutes more or less have it coming to them.

* The Sun’s ‘top criminal psychologist’ speculates that “the maniac [has a] history of being dominated by women.” Funny how every single woman on the planet has a history of being dominated by men, yet the world remains puzzlingly bereft of crazed chicks rampaging around on tabloid-quality murder sprees.

Dar de ce ne-ar surprinde ca acestui criminal i se gasesc deja “circumstante atenuante”? Jack the Ripper este considerat un subiect fascinant, despre felul in care a mutilat si omorat femei se vorbeste cu mult interes si un minim de compasiune – mai ales ca si atunci victimele erau prostituate! “The Yorkshire Ripper”, care a omorat cel putin 13 femei, a fost lasat de curand sa viziteze locul unde se afla cenusa tatalui sau.

Iar in presa romaneasca stirea despre omorurile recente poate fi gasita prezentata de parca ar fi vorba de o noua ecranizare a istoriei lui Jack the Ripper: “Jack Spintecatorul s-a intors: Dupa 118 ani, prostituatele britanice sunt in pericol din nou” (Ziua, 12 decembrie 2006) – un articol pe care InfoPortal.ro (“Indexul stirilor din Romania”) il indexeaza la sectiunea de “Divertisment”!

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Zilele acestea se incearca pregatirea unui Reclaim the Night ca raspuns la situatia din Ipswich.

Inegalitatea dintre sexe agraveaza saracia

11 Decembrie, 2006 (BBC Romania)

Organizatia ONU pentru copii, UNICEF, publica luni raportul anual privind situatia copiilor in lume.

Dar, spre deosebire de anii precedenti, raportul se concentreaza nu pe aspecte anume ale vietii copiilor si pe vietile femeilor.

UNICEF cere guvernelor sa faca mai multe eforturi pentru a impune egalitatea intre sexe care, subliniaza organizatia, va insemna nu doar vieti mai bune pentru femei ci si pentru copii lor.

Potrivit UNICEF, capacitatea femeilor de a decide asupra propriilor vieti este indeaproape legata de sanatatea si bunastarea copiilor.

intregul articol [mai putin decat profesionale si necesare, comentariile editoriale despre faptul ca “raportul nu va fi o lectura placuta pentru barbati” si UNICEF-ul nu cere “instaurarea matriarhatului”!]

pentru detalii:
Comunicatul UNICEF privind raportul

… The report argues that recent progress in women’s status has not come far enough. Millions of girls and women continue to live in poverty, disempowered and discriminated against. They are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, less likely to attend school and often subject to physical and sexual violence. In most places, men continue to earn more pay than women for the same jobs.

Women need a voice
… Empowering women, explains the report, saves children’s lives – and the impact is too important to ignore. … Moreover, the report finds, in families where women are the main decision-makers, a far greater proportion of household resources is devoted to child health, nutrition and education than in families where women do not have a voice.

Seven key interventions
The report suggests seven key interventions for gender equality:

* Abolish school fees and invest in girls’ education
* Invest government funding in gender equality
* Enact legislation to create a level playing field for women, and to prevent and respond to domestic violence as well as gender-based violence in conflict
* Ensure women’s participation in politics
* Involve women’s grassroots organizations early on in policy development
* Engage men and boys so the importance of gender equality can be understood by all
* Improve research and data on gender issues, which are critical if progress is to be made

Promoting gender equality is the focus of Millennium Development Goal 3. If this goal is achieved, UNICEF believes its benefits will be felt not just among women and children but in many other spheres—from poverty and hunger reduction to global health and environmental sustainability.

The State of the World’s Children 2007 shows that in the long run, empowering women will enhance efforts to reach all of the other Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

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Stire UNICEF din 18 Octombrie 2006:
Unul din patru copii traieste in saracie

Un raport al Agentiei Natiunilor Unite pentru copii, UNICEF, arata ca in Europa de est, Asia Centrala si Rusia unul din patru copii traieste in saracie, in ciuda cresterii economice din aceste regiuni.

Pensia lunara a femeilor va fi mult mai mica decat cea a barbatilor

comunicat de pe Studii De Caz.ro
Interviu CNS Cartel “Alfa”
[inregistrare video disponibila la link]

Vicepresedintele CNS Cartel “Alfa”, Petru Sorin Dandea a declarat in exclusivitate pentru Studiidecaz.ro ca in lipsa unei specificari clare in legislatie sau in norme, cel mai probabil, fondurile de pensii administrate privat vor utiliza tabele biometrice diferite pentru femei fata de cele pentru barbati, ca justificare pentru speranta de viata a femeilor la varsta pensionarii, care, in medie, este mai mare decat cea a barbatilor. Astfel, daca o femeie are contributii de o valoare egala cu ale unui barbat, fondul total acumulat se va imparti la un numar mai mare de ani decat in cazul barbatului (potrivit datelor actuale, femeile traiesc in medie 15 ani dupa pensionare, de la 60 la 75 de ani, iar barbatii mai putin de 5 ani, de la 65 la 70 de ani).

Consecinta: Pensia lunara a femeilor va fi mult mai mica decat cea a barbatilor. Proiectiile financiare facute in Polonia, a carei legislatie este foarte asemanatoare celei propuse in Romania, arata ca pensia medie a femeilor va scadea la aproximativ 55% din pensia medie a barbatilor, tinand seama de diferenta de 5 ani existenta in varsta de pensionare. In plus, femeile vor trebui sa plateasca costuri mai mari decat barbatii pentru plata regulata a pensiei pe o perioada mai lunga de timp, costuri ce se scad din fondul de pensie acumulat, micsorandu-i acestuia valoarea.

Studii recente, realizate in Marea Britanie si in alte state ale Uniunii Europene, arata ca folosirea unor valori medii de speranta de viata cu specific de gen mascheaza suprapunerea substantiala care exista la nivelul mortalitatii individuale efective a femeilor si barbatilor. De fapt, un numar substantial de barbati traiesc mai mult decat speranta medie de viata a femeilor, asa cum un numar substantial de femei mor inainte de a atinge aceasta varsta, iar un numar substantial de barbati si de femei traiesc aproape pana la aceeasi varsta.

Femeile, alegand sa se pensioneze cat mai devreme pentru a indeplini indatoririle familiale traditionale, vor avea la pensionare o valoare a fondului de pensie acumulat mai mica decat cea a barbatilor care au un stagiu de cotizatie mai mare si mai putine roluri familiale atribuite in mod traditional.

Liderul sindical a afirmat in exclusivitate pentru Studiidecaz.ro ca „in varianta actuala a Legii privind pensiile private obligatorii, aflata in lucru in Parlament, exista mai multe probleme grave: costurile de administrare a fondurilor sunt platite integral de catre participanti, ele putand reprezenta in acest fel, intre 30 si 40% din valoarea contului individual si la contributii egale pensia unei femei s-ar putea reduce la aproximativ jumatate din cea a unui barbat”.

[zina lf-ro’05] despre protestul ei…

In anii ’60-’70 au existat o serie de grupari care au reinceput sa militeze pentru drepturile femeilor. Femeile si-au dat seama ca doar dreptul la vot nu asigura egalitatea. S-au pus bazele multor legislatii si organizatii (numai daca ne gandim la legile din domeniul violentei impotriva femeilor, asigurarea sanselor egale pe piata muncii si in educatie). A fost din multe puncte de vedere o evolutie spectaculoasa. A fost si perioada marilor proteste. Intre timp s-a evoluat. Dar s-a schimbat si campul de lupta: din strada unde erau cereri clare (considerate a fi radicale) s-a trecut la masa negocierilor si la parteneriate de tip public-privat.

Putem vorbi de o evolutie? Raspunsul este greu de dat. Voi veni cu un exemplu al unei miscari si al unei feministe socialiste asupra careia eu am reflectat in ultimul timp.

Maria Rosa Dalla Costa a “crescut” in miscarea Operaio Potere, din Italia, din anii ’70, miscare care se opunea capitalismului. Dupa aproximativ un an, impreuna cu un alt grup de femei au format miscarea activista Lotta Femminista. Miscarea a pus problema muncii casnice, violentei, drepturilor reproductive, sexulitatii, etc..
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[zina lf-ro’05] The ghost in the shell

Emma Goldman spunea ca doar femeile insele se pot elibera de opresia lor “interioara”. (in “Living my life”)

Cred ca multe femei nu iau in considerare ca aceasta opresie exista. Personal ma intalnesc cu foarte multe femei care considera ca eu exagerez vorbind despre feminism si lupta impotriva sexismului si a patriarhatului, ce sa mai spun despre abolirea capitalismului si exploatarii.
Si de fapt ce inseamna opresia “interioara”?
Mai intai, trebuie sa te descoperi pe tine ca femeie in interiorul tau, privindu-te cu ochii tai, si nu prin filtrul moralitatii si al culturii in care traiesti, nu prin intermediul mediei mainstream (TV sau cinematograf) si bineinteles nu prin ochii barbatilor; un exercitiu destul de greu de realizat pentru mine personal.

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