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| copyrights: LaVia Campesina |
(Jakarta, June 7, 2013) Cheers of
“Hooray for peasant women! We are the mothers of food sovereignty!” launched
the IV Women’s Assembly of La Vía Campesina. The memory of María do Fetal, who
died last year as a victim of violence, has been taken up again at this
Assembly, which will also stress the importance of ending violence against
women of the country and the city.
Today began a day of debate, in which
more than 300 peasant women from every corner of the world have gathered, and
in which the context of the crisis and capitalism and its consequences for
women were analyzed.
Following the conferences in India in
2000, Brazil in 2004 and Mozambique in 2008, the meeting in Indonesia will
focus on patriarchy, feminism and the construction of a peasant-based and
popular feminism that recognizes the diversity of the women who are part of La
Vía Campesina. Today begin two days of significant debate over their fights,
their challenges and their aspirations, under the slogan “Sowing the seeds of
action and hope, for feminism and food sovereignty!”
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| copyrights: LaVia Campesina |
Elisabeth Mpofu, representative from the
Organization of Small-scale Farmers of Zimbabwe, has condemned “the effects of
capitalism that has influenced the Free Trade Agreements and has given rise to
the deregulation that harms alternative development”. She has also insisted
that the “crisis of capitalism has taken it out on the poorest, especially on
women of the country, snatching away their access to quality markets and
products”. “The financial policies imposed by the West have negatively affected
the food sovereignty of the local communities, increasing the differences
between rich and poor”.
During the panels, numerous references
have been made to the defence of natural resources, acknowledging that the
acceleration of climate change increases the suffering of the villages. In
addition, attention has been drawn to the peasants for their strategic role as
the driving forces of community values and food sovereignty.
Throughout the day, working groups have
convened in which debates over how patriarchy and capitalism affect women’s
lives have taken place. In addition, testimonials and experiences of women from
Asia, Africa, America, Europe and Palestine have been presented.
The assembly will continue tomorrow with
two roundtables on the political and organizational process for the women of La
Vía Campesina and on the campaign Stop Violence against Women. An action plan
will also be drafted by continents, with an agenda of common fights and
actions, as well as training, communication and exchanges.
The mistica will be present on both days
of the Assembly, to represent and express the confidence in achieving common
goals, beyond cultures, the importance of coordinating the fights of the
peasant men and women of the world in this historical moment.
This morning the day began with
traditional dances and songs from Indonesia, and the day will end with the
screening of the video “Peasant Women” created by LaVía Campesina, which
acknowledges the political and leading role over the movement’s 20 years of
struggle and action.
The experiences and points of view from
the World March of Women have been narrated, including the condemnation of the
violence exerted by capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy, promoting the
campaign Stop Violence against Women.
Tomorrow the closing of the IV
International Women’s Assembly will be led by peasant women from Asia and
Africa. Before that, a final declaration will be presented, in which the women
will expose their alternative proposal for confronting neoliberalism, and above
all, the strategies for fighting against patriarchy.
Over the coming days, a total of 500 people,
peasant men and women, small- and medium-scale farmers, landless peoples, women
farmers, indigenous peoples, immigrants and farm workers from around the world
will be participating in the VI Conference of La Vía Campesina, which aims to
strengthen the movement, the alliances, as well as go more deeply into debates
such as the right to food sovereignty, the right to land and the fight against
capital and the neoliberal model.
Campaign
Stop Violence against Women
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| copyrights: LaVia Campesina |
Tomorrow the IV International Women's
Assembly will re-launch the campaign “Stop Violence against Women”, which was
propelled by La Vía Campesina 4 years ago. It is one of the most daring and
significant campaigns that has established itself as an international peasants'
movement, and is the result of a process of discussion and debate that
materialised during the V Conference of La Vía Campesina in Maputo in 2008.
The goal is to condemn the violence
faced by women, based on discrimination against class, gender, ethnicity and
sex, which is worse for women in rural areas, and seeks to reinforce the
commitment to building new gender relations within La Vía Campesina.
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