Women’s unequal social and economic status creates poverty, hunger, violence and abuse.

• Women make up 60% of the chronically hungry and food price increases hit them the hardest._¹
• Women farmers produce 60-80% of the food in poor countries but only own 1% of the land, and are excluded from farmers’ associations, services and technical know-how._²
• Every year 115,000 maternal deaths worldwide are associated with iron deficiency, caused by malnutrition._¹
• Rural women alone produce half of the world’s food but receive less than 10 percent of credit provided to farmers._²

RESPECT WOMEN'S RIGHTS! - What must happen.

1. Women farmers must be given land rights to secure their sources of food and livelihood.
2. Women small-scale farmers must be supported with agricultural aid, and enabled to access resources they need to be productive, like cheap fertiliser.
3. Women’s rights must be respected: for example enabling women to get education has been identified as the single most powerful contribution to reducing malnutrition over a 35-year period.

http://www.hungerfreeplanet.org/issues/what-causes-hunger/144-stop-excludiing-women

http://www.hungerfreeplanet.org/what-we-do/hungerfree-women-speak-out/218-international-womens-day-2009-women-worldwide-taking-action-to-end-hunger

http://www.hungerfreeplanet.org/what-we-do/hungerfree-women-speak-out

Au XXIe siècle, en France, la burqa, symbole ultime de l’oppression des femmes fait débat à l’assemblée nationale.

35 ans après la loi Veil sur le droit à l’IVG, la liberté à disposer de son corps n’a plus le même sens.

La dégradation de la condition des femmes risque d’atteindre un point de non retour.

Au nom du « droit à la différence », on ampute chaque jour davantage notre Liberté. Au cri de « c’est mon choix », les violences faites aux femmes, telles que la polygamie, l’excision, les mariages forcés, le voile, la burqa… se trouvent légitimées aux dépens de la dignité humaine, du principe d’égalité et de laïcité, gardiens de nos libertés. 

Pourtant, sous la pression des intégrismes, notre mixité est toujours attaquée dans la sphère publique. Nos espaces de libertés continuent à se réduire proportionnellement à l’extension du voile au djeleb, puis au niqab et à la burqa. Porter une jupe devient un acte de résistance qui expose les rebelles aux représailles.  Des horaires de piscines et des gymnases non mixtes au burkini, la séparation des sexes est imposée de fait dans l’espace public et maintenant en politique. 

Nous réaffirmons que la Laïcité est une valeur incontournable, un principe d’espoir : sans laïcité, il n’y a pas mixité; et point d’égalité, sans mixité. « Les violences faites aux femmes » ont été déclarées Grande Cause nationale. Il est temps de mettre un terme aux dérives inacceptables.  Nous appelons toutes les forces progressistes, tous les partis démocrates à prendre des positions claires en faveur de l’égalité des sexes. A L’image du droit de vote, du droit à l’avortement, l’occasion nous est donnée aujourd’hui de réaffirmer le droit à l’émancipation pour toutes!

Nous réaffirmons l’urgence d’un féminisme laïque pour défendre, en France et partout dans le monde, les droits des femmes, l’égalité des sexes et pour se battre contre les discriminations et toutes les formes de violence.

Say NO to witch-hunts in Africa!

We call on all African nations to:

- halt the persecution of suspected or accused witches,

- uphold and strengthen a culture of human rights for all Africans equally,

- respond appropriately and humanely to incidences of witchcraft-related violence and accusations of witchcraft,

- make the eradication of violence against suspected witches a national priority,

- train local police to manage witchcraft-related violence in a way that affirms the dignity and humanity of those accused of practicing witchcraft,

- create victim support units to facilitate reintegration and conciliation of those accused,

- adopt comprehensive public education and awareness programmes aimed at eradicating the real causes of witchcraft accusations, and

- reform legislation that currently seeks to suppress witchcraft or criminalize accused witches.

As organisations and individuals who stand for and support the universality of human rights, we have noted with concern the suspension of Gita Sahgal, Head of the Gender Unit at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London, for questioning Amnesty International’s partnership with individuals whose politics towards the Taliban are ambiguous.

We come from communities that recognize and appreciate the work of Amnesty International in defending human rights and women’s rights around the world.

We believe that Gita Sahgal has raised a fundamental point of principle which is “about the importance of the human rights movement maintaining an objective distance from groups and ideas that are committed to systematic discrimination”.

We extend our solidarity and support to Gita Sahgal, who is well known and widely respected for her principled activism on human rights internationally, for her courageous stand in raising this issue within and outside Amnesty International.

http://www.human-rights-for-all.org/spip.php?article15

Thirty years ago on March 8th, 1979 in Iran, we freedom-loving women and men stood up to the reactionaries who had just come to power, with shouts of No to compulsory veil! Today, with the painful and bloody experience of three decades of gender apartheid, gender slavery and nonstop suppression of women behind us, we state even more clearly and forcefully, along with the young and progressive generation of today, that the Islamic Republic, as a misogynist state, as a regime of gender apartheid must be overthrown. We say that the leaders of the Islamic Republic must be arrested and put on trial for systematic crimes against millions of women, for crimes against humanity. This is the decree of the revolution in Iran. With the overthrow of the Islamic Republic we will lend a helping hand to millions of women in Islam-stricken countries who are prisoners of terrorist Islamic states and gangs and honour-worshiping, male-chauvinistic Islamic traditions.

We issue the following Manifesto of the Liberation of Women in Iran, and call on all women’s rights’ activists and secular and progressive forces to support this Manifesto and join up in solidarity with the people of Iran in the struggle to overthrow the Islamic regime of gender apartheid:

1- Prosecution of the leaders and officials of the Islamic Republic for crimes against humanity, including for thirty years of the vilest abuse, discrimination and violence against women in Iran

2- Abolition of all misogynist Islamic laws and all laws that discriminate against women; complete equality of women and men in all economic, political, cultural, social and family spheres

3- Complete separation of religion from the state, the educational system and all laws

4- Abolition of segregation of the sexes and gender apartheid

5- Prohibition of sighe [Islamic ‘rent-a-wife’] and polygamy; unconditional right of separation [divorce] for women and men; abolition of all laws which make women’s civil rights [such as the right to travel, social intercourse, participation in social activities, etc.] conditional on obtaining the permission of the husband, father or other male members of the family; complete equality of women’s and men’s rights and duties in the custody and care of children following separation

6- Abolition of compulsory veil [hejab] for women; prohibition of hejab for children; full freedom of dress

7- Abolition of all the barbaric laws of stoning, execution, retribution [qesas] and other Islamic punishments

8- Unconditional freedom of expression, protest, strike, assembly, organisation and forming parties

9- Immediate release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience

10- Freedom of religion and atheism and freedom to criticise religion.

Mina Ahadi
Mahin Alipour
Shahla Daneshfar
Maryam Namazie

1. We affirm our commitment to secularism. The principle of secularism, notably the strict separation of State and religion, guarantees the non interference of religion in the sphere of state authority; as well as a real independance of religious and faith based organisations of civil society vis-a-vis the state. Secularism guarantees to citizens the absolute freedom of conscience: the right to believe, the right to disbelieve, the right to change faith, as well as the right to freedom of expression. Consequently, the right to criticize religions is not to be put into question and it takes precedence above all moves to institute ‘ defamation of religions and their prophets’ as a crime.

2. We affirm our commitment to the principle of equality and the universality of rights. We believe in a republican conception of citizenship, and we reject all systems which, in the name of particularisms, segment the body politic, either by privileging one category of citizens or by excluding it. Therefore we intend to fight against all forms of discriminations, notably those faced by women and the minorities.

3. We refuse the globalized predatory and destructive neoliberal policies which accentuate pauperisation, whose first victims are women and children;  state disengagement fosters the retreat of national solidarity in favour of traditional solidarities of ‘communal’ type. In wake of neoliberalism, we call for the internationalisation of struggles.

On the 9th of December 2009**, we call on organisations and individuals who identify with the principles of this statement to support and sign it, and join us.

 http://laicity.info/bli/?cat=22

In summer 2009, the „Alliance for protection of girls from female genital mutilation“ has been founded by eight organisations.
All organisations work in the field of children- and human rights, prevention of violence and ethics/humanism:

The aim of the alliance is the implementation of a practical and lasting solution which will lead to broad protection of girl-children in development-projects from the violence of female genital mutilation. First, the focus is put on so-called “sponsored girls” who are marketed by several development organisations. These organisations do not only have a very special responsibility towards these girls to fulfil, but they also have the best options to verify and control the safety of the children.

The alliance bases its actions and demands on the commitment to the universal children- and human rights, as well as to the awareness that female genital mutilation does not only mean unspeakable harm and suffering for the victims, but also an enormous barrier for true development.

 http://www.patenmaedchen.de/en_home.html

 Iran Solidarity  has been formed to mobilise support and stand with the people of Iran against the Islamic regime of Iran.

We, the undersigned, join Iran Solidarity to declare our unequivocal solidarity with the people of Iran. We hear their call for freedom and stand with them in opposition to the Islamic regime of Iran. We demand:

1. The immediate release of all those imprisoned during the recent protests and all political prisoners

2. The arrest and public prosecution of those responsible for the current killings and atrocities and for those committed during the last 30 years

3. Proper medical attention to those wounded during the protests and ill-treated and tortured in prison. Information on the status of the dead, wounded and arrested to their families. The wounded and arrested must have access to their family members. Family members must be allowed to bury their loved ones where they choose.

4. A ban on torture

5. The abolition of the death penalty and stoning

6. Unconditional freedom of expression, thought, organisation, demonstration, and strike

7. Unconditional freedom of the press and media and an end to restrictions on communications, including the internet, telephone, mobiles and satellite television programmes

8. An end to compulsory veiling and gender apartheid

9. The abolition of discriminatory laws against women and the establishment of complete equality between men and women

10. The complete separation of religion from the state, judiciary, education and religious freedom and atheism as a private matter.

Moreover, we call on all governments and international institutions to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran and break all diplomatic ties with it. We are opposed to military intervention and economic sanctions because of their adverse affects on people’s lives.

The people of Iran have spoken; we stand with them.

Vi invito a sostenere questa iniziativa tesa a dare forza e visibilità alle donne africane. Non ad una in particolare ma a tutte. Tra guerre, povertà, integralismi religiosi, violenze e discriminazioni le donne africane necessitano assolutamente di diventare protagoniste alla pari.

http://www.noppaw.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/appello_en.pdf

http://www.noppaw.org/