2019 has started with a lot of sexist violence coming up. At the end of this edition, there had been thousands of women murdered, apart from group rapes and other cases that the media has turned into a showcase. The Catholic and Evangelical Churches are still silent about it.
By: Women’s Struggle (Lucha Mujer) – Argentina
When they have remembered to “defend life”, it was only to oppose the right to abort. The summer debate was focused on an eleven years old girl, who was raped and forced to have a cesarean section to deliver a baby that could not survive, as expected by doctors. An atrocious example of sexist violence imposed by the State over the poor. An example that is sadly similar to a thousand others.
Apart from that, the increasingly brutal attacks by the government and the rich over workers (inflation, tax increasing, dismissals) harms much more working women, who work everyday to provide for themselves and their families.
Why wait?
Women are exposed to all kinds of violence, especially the young ones, and they cannot wait for the elections, as unions and part of the women’s movement leaderships say.
While we organize to demand the budget and necessary actions, justice for all victims of rape and feminicide, and the legalization of abortion, all unions, students’ and neighborhood’s organizations must urgently prepare self-defense. A method to organize and defend ourselves, where we may be able to denounce, act and investigate when facing past and current violent facts, as much as preventing future cases.
And if the “institutions” do not listen to us, we shall organize ourselves at each neighborhood, each working and studying place, to impose it. When facing violence, we have the right to defend ourselves. But the way to do that is not individual, we must organize it collectively, because when we are stronger we are together.
General strike on the 8M!
The 8th of March is approaching, the International Working-Class Women’s Day, and a new international strike is already being called. If they really believe that our lives are worth it, as they always say when a camera focuses on them, the CGTs and CTAs (main union federations in Argentina; T.N.) must call for a General Strike on the 8th of March. From now, we shall struggle inside all unions and organizations to assure that we are not alone fighting for our lives. We from the Women’s Struggle and the PSTU (Argentine section of the IWL-FI) invite all workers, both men and women, to organize with us to fight sexism and to build a collective solution for our problems.
A Budget to fight sexist violence, not for the public debt!
Abortion: legal, safe and free!
Jail for all rapists, sexual offenders and women murderers!
Deposition of all judges who issue sexist sentences! For people’s courts!
For protocols against sexist violence at working and studying places!
For the organization and self-defense through union, students’ and neighborhood’s organizations!
For a general strike on the 8M for all working class women’s rights!
Translation: Chico
