With the Federation of Women of Quebec initiative, the World March of Women was born in 2000, becoming an uncontainable social movement. Millions of women all around the globe marched against poverty and violence during the first and the second International Action in 2000 and 2005. In 2010, the WMW mobilized around 4500 groups from 150 countries and territories.
In 2015 we celebrate our 4th International Action, and from the 8th March onwards, our steps, our drumming, and our voices sounded strongly in more than 30 countries, located in five regions of the world. During these 7 months, our thoughts have contributed to the debates on climate crisis, the exploitation of women’s labor, violence and the control over women’s life and bodies, as well as the increase in militarization, the fundamentalism and the criminalization of social struggles. During all this time, we marched, we debated, we organized feminist political training, regional meetings, etc… All this, to denounce every form of oppression that the patriarchal capitalist system is using against us.
On the 17th October, militants from all over the world will close our International Action raising our voice against the increasing militarization in every region of the planet, and that is affecting us on a daily basis. We are horrified to witness how armed conflicts and wars are spreading all over the world, producing fear, violence, diseases, hate, poverty, and feeding fundamentalism.
This violence, whether it comes from armies, militias, private security companies, mafias from organized crime, staff from international peace missions or even the States, especially benefits the capitalist system in which women always suffer the most.
Militarization, instability and conflicts are in many cases fed by the strong economies that see how their profits increase through the weapons trade, and in this chaos they find the perfect environment to impose their interests.
Fundamentalism, be it religious, ethnic, or cultural, gets stronger every day and is spreading dangerously in different regions, inflicting inhuman living conditions and violating women’s human rights all over the planet.
This is being used by governments in many countries to justify an increase of controlling citizens, the criminalization of the social movements and the regression of civil rights. It is during times of crisis in which neoliberalism is getting stronger and welfare states are falling apart, that civil struggle is more important than ever.
The same global economic system that is sustained by war and conflicts, is causing economic dependency, starvation and malnourishment of millions around the world. Multinational companies expropriate lands from peasants, force communities to migrate, make soil infertile, pollute Nature, spreading poverty in the global south. Considering this situation we can only respond with alternatives that allow us to create the conditions of a feminist project based on freedom, equality, peace, justice food sovereignty and solidarity, in order to keep defending and promoting the feminist society that we want.
That is why, sisters, militants, comrades, we need to mobilize for this very important moment, to make our voices sound stronger than ever. The world will have to listen to our demands.
In Americas, our sisters are closing the International Action with a regional meeting that will take place in Cajamarca (Perú), an important place for the struggle of women and communities resisting against the mining companies. Among other things, the International Action will be evaluated, there will be some planning for next year, priorities will be discussed, discussions around next International Meeting will take place.
In Africa, women from all over the continent will gather in Kenya to deepen the debate of our resistances in the region and the alternatives that we are building in our daily routines. The closing of the Action will take place in Nairobi from the 12th to the 14th October.
(For more info please write to worldmarchofwomenkenya@gmail.com):
In Europe, the caravan went all over the continent from East to West, collecting stories of struggles and resistances of women from Turkish Kurdistan to Portugal. The trip will finish in Lisbon with a great event in which feminists from all over the continent will gather. Don’t miss the closing of the European
International Action in Lisbon between the 15th and the 17th October. For more info, please, contact (mmmulherespt@gmail.com).
Always on the march sisters!!