Category Archives: grassroots organizing

more march 8th in the uk

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[other events worldwide here and here]

UK: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: 8th MARCH 2008

Million Women Rise
MARCH FROM HYDE PARK TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE
raise your voices against violence against women

International Women’s Day has passed largely unnoticed in this country for many years except for local events and protests organised predominately by refugee and migrant communities.

This year a coalition of individuals and women’s organisations (see www.millionwomenrise.com for list of supporters) are co-ordinating a national march to raise the issue of gendered violence against women.

Violence against women happens everywhere, and takes many forms. Women and girls of all ages, from all classes, from all ethnic backgrounds, regardless of their immigration status, their colour, their sexuality or their disability, experience it.

Violence devastates the lives of women, their families, and their communities.

We call on women to come together to raise our voices, join forces, gain strength from each other and create an immovable force for change that challenges the oppression of women in its most brutal manifestations. It is an opportunity to remember, to celebrate and to plan for the future.

How to support the event
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Invitation to the Eclectic Tech Carnival in May

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Inviting All Women

etc2008.jpg

The seventh Eclectic Tech Carnival will be held from Sunday the 25th until Saturday the 31st of May in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The /ETC is a unique tech skill-share that has been held annually since 2002. The emphasis has always been women sharing their experiences, knowledge and skills around free software, open hardware and universal interoperability of systems in a fun way.

We are calling all women who are interested in the Eclectic Tech Carnival to register via the following form: https://eclectictechcarnival.org/register

Registration closes at 23:59 on 1 April 2008.
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it’s only a “myth” if…

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The psychology of female rape apologists isn’t that hard to figure out. If you can tell yourself that rape survivors asked for it — that they dressed a certain way, flirted too much, drank too much, just changed their minds, or flat-out made it up — you feel safe. You don’t do those things, and so you aren’t at risk.

I’m sympathetic to the need for psychological self-protection. But not when it’s to the detriment of other women. … It’s the standard right-wing misogynist line. And it’s part of a much broader assault on women’s rights and basic bodily autonomy. …

from the first of two posts @ feministe commenting a recent l.a. times op-ed called “what campus rape crisis?”

finally, a feminism 101 blog highlights those posts and also links to a round-up of blogger reactions put together by SAFER (a great response in the l.a. times by nora niedzielski-eichner from SAFER here)

Scrisoare deschisa re: legalizarea prostitutiei

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… Asociaţia Caritas Bucureşti împreună cu o puternică reţea de organizaţii non-guvernmentale au iniţiat un amplu program de informare şi conştientizare care atrage atenţia că prostituţia este o nouă formă de violenţă asupra femeii. Statisticile arată că rata mortalităţii şi morbidităţii femeilor implicate în prostituţie este de 40 de ori mai mare decât cea a populaţiei generale şi că aceste decese sunt aproape întotdeauna de tip violent, provocate de proxeneţi, traficanţi şi clienţi. Rata ridicată a mortalităţii, bolilor şi traumelor fizice şi psihice, demonstrează că guvernele trebuie să ia toate măsurile necesare pentru a elimina prostituţia, care este o formă de violenţă împotriva femeii şi o crimă împotriva demnităţii umane. …

— Intreaga scrisoare deschisa AICI (Open letter in English HERE)

si cateva resurse pe subiect aici

EFF June conference in Poland cancelled

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The European Feminist Forum, which was planned for 13-15 June 2008 in Warsaw, will not take place.

The European networks that have been cooperating since 2006 on the platform for debate and sharing entitled European Feminist Forum have decided, due to financial reasons, that the culmination of the process with the conference will not take place. This is the face-to-face meeting of European feminists, which we had scheduled to take place from 13-15 June 2008. Instead, the process will be concluded with a comprehensive publication.

The other parts of the European Feminist Forum process have taken place and we are very proud of the achievements. The process has set up a vivid field of knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, movement building and agenda setting in Europe. 21 Affinity Groups have debated urgent issues, and shared their information and knowledge through the European Feminist Forum website. Our process of visioning a feminist Europe was driven by many feminist-inspired voices, from young, migrant, male, minority and marginalized voices. The European Feminist Forum was constructed and has been an inclusive and joint platform of all of these groups from the start. For a preliminary overview of results so far, follow this link.
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recent-ish news from all over

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  • Peste 400 de tatici din Salaj au ales sa fie “mame” [5.2.2008]
  • Major feminist demonstration at Rafah border [2.2.2008]
  • Afghan Journalism Student Sentenced to Death for Reading About Women’s Rights [1.2.2008]
  • Indian Party Reserves Seats for Women [1.2.2008]
  • Birth Control Price Crisis Continues [31.1.2008]
  • Afghan Women Demonstrate Against Kidnapping of American Woman [31.1.2008]
  • Arizona Governor Rejects Federal Abstinence-Only Funds [30.1.2008]
  • Mexican Woman Challenges Voting Ban for Women [29.1.2008]
  • “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo” Wins at Sundance [29.1.2008]
  • Wyoming Gender Wage Gap Widens [28.1.2008]
  • Sexual Violence in Kenya Continues to Escalate [28.1.2008]
  • Indigenous rights activist ends hunger strike [28.1.2008]
  • Senate Holds Hearing on Fair Pay [25.1.2008]
  • ‘4 Months’ Raises the Iron Curtain on Abortion [24.1.2008]
  • Feu vert pour l’adoption homosexuelle en Europe [23.1.2008]
  • Jumatate dintre romance nu isi planifica sarcina – studiu [16.1.2008]
  • Cum sa profiti de discriminare [15.1.2007]
  • Black, Minority ethnic and Refugee Women and Domestic Violence [14.1.2008]
  • Evaluarea drepturilor rromilor [ro/en] [14.1.2007]
  • Abused immigrant spouses may face deportation [7.1.2008]
  • Primul ghid de interventie in cazurile de violenta in familie [5.12.2007]
  • Roundtable with Romani Women Networks [2-4.12.2007]

    • call for artists : queer zagreb festival 2008

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    http:// www.queerzagreb.org
    Zagreb, Croatia

    Crime, Sexuality and Gender – Queer Zagreb, October 2008.

    Queer Zagreb is an international festival which has been taking place in Croatia since 2003 and has been presenting international and local artists, academics and activists to an audience of cca 3000 – 5000 per year. Queer Zagreb festival constructs its programme each year around a certain theme which is presented throughout its programme. So far we have touched such issues as -postsocialist queer identity-, -heteronormativity of childhoods-, -transgression of private into public- and -Balkans queer-. For our 2008 edition the main topic of interest is -Crime, sexuality and gender- to be presented in different forms during the event – visual arts, performance, film and an academic conference.
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    Women Climate Activists Blockade the Department for Trasport (UK)

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    PRESS RELEASE
    Dec 7 8am

    Women have this morning blockaded the Department for Transport preventing staff from getting to work and carrying out their policies which are catapulting us towards dangerous run-away climate change. This action comes in response to the Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly confirming the government’s intentions to build a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow and co-incides with the opening of their first ‘consultation’ exhibition.

    This protest is part of a growing direct action movement against climate change inspired by the Camp for Climate Action (1). On Wednesday over 30 climate activists including the columnist George Monbiot invaded and occupied Britain’s biggest ever open-cast coal mine at Ffos-y-fran in South Wales. On 28th November, protesters from climate action group Plane Stupid disrupted the proceedings of the Transport Select Committee who were hearing evidence from BAA boss, Steven Nelson and Aviation Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick in protest at the Heathrow expansion plans. This weekend thousands of people will march on the streets of London to protest about climate change. This protest is a call to all to stand up and take action against the governments and corporations who are fueling climate chaos.

    Why the DfT?

    Transport is the fastest growing source of climate change gases in the UK, now accounting for 26% of emissions (2). In a time when we desperately need to reduce emissions, the DfT plans to build more roads and more airports encouraging us to drive and fly more. The DfT was targetted during the Camp for Climate Action in August, and women have returned today to re-emphasise the role of our government in dangerous transport expansion plans. Groups will continue to return to the DfT until the government reviews its policies.

    Why women?

    Women have acted today in solidarity with the residents of Sipson, especially the women who continue to campaign to protect their homes, despite bullying and pressure from BAA, and the women all over the world who fight everyday to survive in the face of increasing climate chaos. …
    [the full press release]

    The Camp for Climate Action