[Nettime-bold] Global Womens Strike, March 8

["Lachlan Brown" <lachlan@london.com>]

Dear Everybody 

Below please find a call for a global women's strike on March 8. If you are 

interested in finding out more about this movement go to : 

http://womenstrike8m.server101.com. I also have instructions in Spanish which 

I can send out if you would like. 

Best, 

Coco 


Open Letter to the Movements of Indigenous and Rural Women, 14 January 


> > 2002 


> > 


> > Dear sisters: 


> > 


> > Greetings from an Aymara woman in Puno - grassroots Aymara leader and 


> > social communicator of the Rural Confederation of Peru. I am a member 


>of 


> > the Aymara Cultural Centre, Communication and Development "PACHA ARU" 


>and 


> > I belong to the Women's International Network for Wages for Caring Work 


>- 


> > WinWages (Red Internacional de Mujeres por el Salario para el Trabajo de 


> > Cuidado). 


> > 


> > We are calling a Global Women's Strike for 8 March 2002 and we invite 


>you 


> > to participate. This will be the third Global Women's Strike in which 


> > women in more than 60 countries have taken part. The Strike can be 


>useful 


> > for you to press for your local and national demands, and to show that 


> > women are always the first to oppose war. The Strike calls for the 


> > valuing of all the caring work that women do, as well as valuing the 


>lives 


> > of all women and of all the loved ones we have produced with our bodies 


> > and our work. At this critical time for Indigenous and rural movements 


>in 


> > the Americas, in the face of globalisation and militarisation and the 


> > USA's "new war" which has implications for the whole world, the Strike 


> > demands a total change of priorities: invest in life not in death. 


> > 


> > It would help you to know that there are women who think that there is 


>no 


> > need for women to do everything men do in order to demonstrate our 


>worth. 


> > Although we believe we have the right and the ability to do all that men 


> > do when we think it necessary or desirable, we don't have to go through 


> > that in order to demand and win the right to be recognised and valued 


>for 


> > who we are. It is vital that we demand the recognition we deserve for 


>all 


> > the work we are already doing, which has been crucial to the survival of 


> > Indigenous communities through centuries of exploitation and genocide, 


>and 


> > on which men and the whole of society still depend. 


> > 


> > "It is women who do the work of the home: first and foremost as the 


> > mothers, carers and educators of children. We also cook, clean, 


>launder, 


> > and tend the smaller animals. And we do agricultural work: in the 


>fields, 


> > with great physical effort we till the land, we sow, we harvest, and we 


> > trade what we produce at fairs and markets; we work side by side with 


>men 


> > and sell our labour power as farm workers until the last day of 


>pregnancy. 


> > That is why our health deteriorates and we constantly suffer from 


>vaginal 


> > haemorrhages, miscarriages, abdominal and kidney pains. As shepherds, 


>we 


> > tend the livestock (cows, sheep, llamas and vicu±as). 


> > 


> > We also do craft work, individually and in groups, with llama and vicu±a 


> > wool; we make "chompas", "chullos", shawls, blankets, etc., then market 


> > these products to satisfy the basic needs of the home. In the community 


> > we play a very important role in various activities: in road 


>construction, 


> > in organizations, mothers' clubs, in cultural work . . . But none of 


>this 


> > is recognized or valued, and our views are ignored at communal 


> > assemblies." 


> > 


> > As Indigenous and rural women we have our own independent case to make 


>as 


> > a sector, and the Global Women's Strike is an opportunity to give 


>national 


> > and international visibility to every sector. This autonomy is 


>essential 


> > to strengthening our movements and preventing us from being divided and 


> > defeated. 


> > 


> > The Global Women's Strike is the first global strike of workers, and the 


> > first global call which demands that the lives and work of all women be 


> > valued, beginning with unwaged work. Indigenous and rural women in 


>other 


> > parts of the world - from India and Ghana to Uganda - have been very 


> > successful in publicising their demands through the Global Strike and in 


> > achieving a new level of co-ordination among grassroots women. In Lima, 


> > Peru, the Domestic Workers' Centre (Centro de Capacitaci n para 


> > Trabajadoras del Hogar), most of whom are Indigenous women who have had 


>to 


> > emigrate to the city, co-ordinated the 2001 Strike with much success and 


> > is mobilizing for 2002. 


> > 


> > We Indigenous women need to be in touch with each other across national 


> > borders and continents, and with other women of colour. Regionally, we 


> > have presented the following demands: 


> > 


> > - Fair prices for our agricultural produce, given that our work is 


>very 


> > demanding. 


> > - Recognition for all our caring and rural work and wages for Aymara 


>and 


> > Quechua women. 


> > - Participation, through our organisations, in the budget management 


>of 


> > the local government. 


> > - The creation of of women's police stations in the community to 


>combat 


> > violence in the family. 


> > - Respect for our autonomous organizations so they are not manipulated 


> > by other -- partisan and political -- interests. 


> > - Support with basic services through development projects for 


> > electricity, water, drainage, education and housing. 


> > - Just laws to benefit Andean women, so that our Andean culture can be 


> > protected and maintained. 


> > - Our native cultures - our mother tongues, customs, races and ways of 


> > life - must be respected and valued. 


> > 


> > On May 1st last year we launched a declaration for International 


>Workers' 


> > Day, demanding the following of the central government and the relevant 


> > authorities: 


> > 


> > - Recognition by law of rural and native women as grassroots workers 


>of 


> > Peru. 


> > - As workers, we call for wage incentives for mothers -- native rural 


> > women -- to whom part of the military budget must be allocated, and with 


> > justice we demand that the government must invest in life and welfare 


> > rather than in military budgets and prisons. 


> > 


> > This is an opportunity for Indigenous women from all the movements of 


>the 


> > world to unite among ourselves and with other grassroots women, to 


> > highlight the situation of every one of us and demand the recognition 


>and 


> > the resources we deserve. 


> > 


> > Fighting autonomously as women is the best way to protect and advance 


>our 


> > families, communities and struggles, especially in the face of 


> > globalization and war. Many men support the Global Women's Strike 


>because 


> > they realize that it is women's response to globalization and war, and 


> > that it is decisive to changing fundamentally the aims of the global 


> > economy: finally to end genocide and, in its place, to promote life and 


> > therefore the care of people and the environment. Let's not forget that 


> > we women give life and are the first who do the work of protecting it. 


>If 


> > this work of caring were valued, men would also do it and governments 


> > could not wage war. 


> > 


> > WinWages highlights that: 


> > 


> > "The US government responds to the 11 September attacks in New York and 


> > Washington in which the lives of 6,000* people were lost, with a world 


> > war. However, nothing is said of the 35,000 children who died of hunger 


> > that same day, and every day, as a consequence of the policies of the 


> > World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. While $80 billion would 


> > cover the basic needs of everyone, more than $800 billions is squandered 


> > globally in military budgets that destroy life and guarantee the 


> > submission of Third World countries to globalization. The US government 


> > has already invested $40 billion in this new war. 


> > 


> > "The anti-globalization movement has to take a position against the 


> > military-industrial complex that imposes globalization on all sectors, 


> > waged or unwaged, and destroys the independence of the Third World and 


> > Indigenous communities. It is our responsibility to highlight how 


> > important women are in this new anti-war and anti-globalization 


>movement. 


> > Then, and only then, CARING NOT KILLING can become a reality." 


> > 


> > Looking forward to hearing from you, we enclose Strike materials. 


> > 


> > LONG LIVE WORKING WOMEN IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AND IN THE CITY! 


> > LONG LIVE WORKING WOMEN OF THE WORLD! 


> > DOWN WITH DOMINATING MACHISMO! 


> > AYMARA, QUECHA AND NATIVE WORKERS OF THE HOME, REMEMBER THAT UNITY MAKES 


> > US STRONG AND THAT TOGETHER WE WILL ACHIEVE OUR SOCIAL DEMANDS! 


> > STOP THE WORLD TO STOP WARS! 


> > STOP THE WORLD TO CHANGE IT! 


> > 


> > Rosa Palomino, Centro Cultural Aymarß, Comunicaci n y Desarrollo "Pacha 


> > Aru", Jr. 20 de Julio N# 159 Urb. Fernando Belaunde Terry - 


>Chanuchanu 


> > Puno - Per· E-mail: Pacha_puno@yahoo.com 




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