Global Women's Strike Mobilizations Around the World -- Written March 7th

ARGENTINA -- SANTA FE Call for "Active Peace - Let's Stop the World and Change it." Demonstration in the central Plaza of the Soldier at 10am, its busiest time. Road blockade with planks symbolizing women's empty tables and home-baked bread to show that all there is at home is what women's work has produced. *** Huge cake summarizing power: unwaged and waged women and men workers holding up the cake, on each floor the social classes that benefit from this work and at the top Bush's face. *** Posters everywhere. *** Co-ordinators since 2000 SF Housewives Trade Union (SAC), this year with the

Interneighbourhood Women's Network. They say: "Do you think the war is far away? Do you think the scandal and the shame of malnutrition has nothing to do with war? Third World debt, the money multinationals steal from us, privatisations, the World Bank and IMF are what they need to make the bombs that will kill more women, children and men elsewhere. More than 0

billion are spent on military budgets, some of this money prevents our children from eating, having an education and healthcare, and prevents us from having TIME to do what we want. They steal our lives to kill other lives. Our governments are servants of Bush and his partners. Don't give up, don't be silenced, don't stay at home, join us!" *** FESTRAM - Trade Union

Federation of Municipal Workers of SF province has endorsed . ** Activities also in PATAGONIA, ROSARIO and elsewhere.

AUSTRALIA -- Strike call, demands and news repeatedly on national community radio.

BANGLADESH -- SILHET & MULVI BAZAR Rallies of up to 5,000 women and men this week carrying brooms and broken sandals in anger at their government's refusal to oppose the US war, took up the Strike demand. Women and girls had placards with "Women's society has one voice. No to war, Invest in Caring Not Killing." Children's placards said "Please, let us live". On 8 March women will join the Strike, against war and for human rights for all, fresh water, food, housing, schools, group loans for the unemployed, and to wipe out the World Bank debt.

BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA -- CARACAS The official government International Women's Day event has endorsed the Strike. Will send a statement to the Strike and will read our message of support for their process.

CAMEROON -- Organisation of local government women employees is spreading news of the Strike and of the call in support of women in Venezuela. Will coordinate the Strike nationally and hold it on 31 July, Panafrican Women's Day.

CHINA Women have translated and are circulating the 'Invest in Caring Not

Killing' petition.

COLOMBIA -- --BOGOTA Dialogo Mujer and Women as Authors and Actors For Peace

will put forward "Invest in Caring Not Killing" in their public events all

over the country "so that all women regardless of political sympathies can

unite from their heart and influence the demands which are being put forward

on the day." The demand will also be presented to the government.

CZECH REPUBLIC -- PRAGUE Public concert in the "Namesti Miru" (Square of

Peace) organized by the 8th of March Feminist Group.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO -- Women nurses organised in SOLSICO will take

action on pay equity.

ECUADOR -- CHIMBORAZO The Association of Indigenous Women of "La Minga" is

taking part.

ENGLAND -- LONDON March from Parliament to the US Embassy. Assemble Tothill

Street 11.30am. *** Metropolitan Community Church is calling on women of

different faiths to bear witness in Parliament Sq 11a.m.-12 noon. ***

Speakout 2pm in front of the Embassy: Women Say No War - Invest in Caring

Not Killing. Compare the cost of demands for water and food security,

benefits, wages and resources with the UK and US military budgets. Speakers

include Kurdish and Iraqi women, refugees and asylum seekers from other

Western-backed dictatorships and wars, employees of the fire service and

other caring jobs fighting against low wages, single mothers, students,

immigrant sex workers fighting deportation, lesbian women ... ***

Performers: African women's drum group, Songlines International Choir,

antiwar songs and poetry. Hot food and drinks in the Square. *** Noon

stoppage: women are invited to take 15 minutes off at 12 noon to send a No

War email/letter to Tony Blair and their MP. -- News about Strike activities

elsewhere still coming in.

FRANCE -- Artist participating with an Art Strike.

GERMANY -- BERLIN Women will meet at Rosa Luxemburg Place. Thousands of

leaflets distributed, planning meetings every Sunday. "We don't need no big

brother" demonstration with slogan: "Stop the patriarchal violence-culture,

the terrors and the wars!" Women, queers and antipatriarchals invited to

join the global demand: Invest in Caring Not In Killing! "The time has come

to fight more vehemently and more consistently against wars and the arms

industry ... How many of us are to be loving housewives but do not even have

a house?"

GHANA -- ANUM The People's Education Association videoed their Strike last

year, and are doing their best to "manage with our little resources. This

year the drought was severer so the [rural] projects failed. However we

shall not give up."

GREECE The Non-Aligned Women's Movement is circulating the Strike call

among women's organisations, feminist networks, government units, the media,

and also in Turkey and other European countries. *** The Institute of

Equality has signed the petition. *** The Strike's appeal in support of

women in Venezuela has been published in a good newspaper.

GUYANA -- GEORGETOWN March and rally against racial war and all war. Strike

for 3 hours from normal housework and family care. Walk with pots and pans

to show you're on strike. Turn your brooms upside down outside your door

against violence at home or in Iraq. *** Men will support by doing housework

and childcare or by marching. Assemble 9am: Red Thread Centre, Princess &

Adelaide Sts. Charlestown. *** Ending with a non-party political speakout at

Merriman's Mall between Cummings and Light Sts. *** Organised by Red Thread,

Women across Differences, women from WAVE, women students at UG, and women

in the media. *** "It is not OK to accept that any mother's son be murdered

by police because he is African-Guyanese, or looks so. It is not OK to

accept that any mother's 18 year old son be murdered because he is a

policeman (where else was he to work?). It is not OK to accept that any

mother's daughter or son be abused, or raped, or robbed or killed because

she/he is Indian-Guyanese. It is not OK. It is not OK to continue this war,

and to use this war to continue ignoring the needs and demands of Amerindian

people."

INDIA -- RAIPUR Tribal and dalit women leaders will speak at a workshop on

women's status and unwaged work of the Forum for Fact-finding, Documentation

and Advocacy (FFDA). FFDA will publish a tribal self-government area's

report on women's unwaged work exposing the real situation of tribal women

and defending their survival while the government invests more than 12% of

its total budget on defence and nuclear tests. National newspaper will

publish special story on the Strike. -- NAGPUR, MAHARASHTRA The Central

Women Workers Committee, Indian National Trade Union Congress (CWWC-INTUC)

is holding rally and debate on 1) union for women - women for union 2)

invest in caring not killing. The General Secretary writes: "We do support

each other to make the world understand that we are the creators of the

world and not the destructors. Stop the wars for whatever reason, invest

those entire resources for nourishing and caring for human beings. Let us

join together!"

IRELAND Caravan from GALWAY to SHANNON airport through villages. 10.15am

Breakfast (small charge) and speakout; 11.15am Strike bus leaves; stopping

Ennis market 12.45pm to speakout and pick up participants. 2.30pm arrive

Shannon airport, joining women from many parts of Ireland. *** Women have

camped at the airport to prevent the use of this civilian airport for

refuelling and restocking US military planes bound for Iraq. Under the

constitution which declares Ireland to be a neutral country, this is

illegal. Protesters have attacked the planes, and due to this direct action

and other forms of protest, in many of which the Strike participated, three

airlines have pulled out for "security reasons"! *** Women from Shannon town

and many parts of Ireland will be joining. -- DERRY Women from the North

coming to Shannon. Support from the Mid-west Alliance Against Military

Aggression (MAMA), Lelia Doolan, John Arden, Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation,

and its Women's Commission. Women and men prisoners and people on bail who

are not allowed to travel to Shannon are finding othe ways to support the

action. Gardai (police) are defending from a hostile airport authority

Strikers' right to demonstrate at the terminal and use its toilet and mother

& baby facilities. Short march, non-party political speakout at the

terminal, music. Men's support includes statements refusing military

service; and cooking. Some women joining caravan to Shannon. -- BELFAST live

radio link up.

ITALY -- ROME The Welfare International Association will demonstrate in

front of the Senate with the Women's Global Strike demands. They say "give

money to mothers and children, not to wars, the Vatican and religions which

are against women." -- VERONA The housewives organisation OIKIA will take

time off. *** Strike information is circulating widely in Italy among

anti-war activists and on the media, including Indymedia.

KENYA Kimilili Integrated Development Education Program will support the

Strike by incorporating information about it in their workshops, seminars

and open meetings.

MEXICO -- MICHOACAN Women from the Bloque del Poder Popular (Popular power

Block) will march in Zamora "for the first time in the history of one of the

most reactionary cities", to press for their demands and no war in Iraq.

They will wear white shirts to show their support for peace. -- Forum with

same aims by Indigenous women from Nación Purhepecha in the community of

Tacuro. -- CHILPANCINGO, GUERRERO A woman is publicising the Strike and the

huge military spending in the media.

NEW ZEALAND Women in two parts of the country are spreading information

about the Strike.

NICARAGUA -- LEON The Women's Network Against Violence wrote that they would

announce joining the world campaign to Invest in Caring Not Killing at the

15 February antiwar protests. They say with 49 women murdered in the past

year alone, and a 9-year-old denied abortion after rape, they have a

thousand reasons to join us.

NIGER -- NIAMEY Action pour Femmes Handicappées, an organisation of women

with disabilities will launch the Strike with a march. It has written to

their government and to UNICEF protesting that women's work is undervalued

and not paid either in the form of food, access to drinkable water,

wheelchairs or tricycles, and that development programmes far from

benefiting women have sometimes made their situation worse.

NIGERIA -- LAGOS The Women's Education and Mothering Resource Centre will

take Strike action by introducing a small credit loans project to empower

women and fight for more access to credit, "calling on our government to

follow us to 'invest in caring not killing'." Press conference and

enlightenment programme from 10 am with youth organisations and women's

groups to forge fronts for an annual Strike based on a yearly assessment of

how the government has or not taken care of women's demands.

PERU -- LIMA 7 March: the Domestic Workers Centre (CCTH), the lesbian

organisation Grupo de Mujeres Diversas and others are holding an event at

the Ministry for Women to put forward the demands of domestic workers for

better working conditions. They call the day: "Homage to the grassroots

leaders of International Women's Day. We identify with the demands of the

Strike because we are exploited, discriminated against and depreved of our

rights. There are 500.000 domestic workers in Peru and 80% of immigrants

from the Andean regions suffer from physical, phychological and sexual

abuse, especially girls." 8 March: participation in the Song to Life with

feminist organizations. 9 March: activities with huge participation of

domestic workers and other grassroots sectors co-ordinated by -- PUNO March

and assembly of Aymara and Quechua women from rural communities who will

travel to the capital of the province answering the call by the Aymara

Centre Pacha Aru. Coverage by different radios from 9am. *** Organizations

of women from different part of the country side will assemble in the

capital of Puno. March through main streets and plazas carrying placards

with our social demands. After meeting in a main park, grassroots

delegations will go back to their communities. *** Despite lack of resources

the Union of Aymara Women Lupaca will participate and doing everything they

can. They ask for leaflets to distribute.

REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA -- VELES The Union of Women`s Organisations of

Macedonia (UWOM), 64 independent organizations of various ethnic, national

and religious groups, is adopting "Invest in Caring Not Killing" and will

demonstrate in the square. They have chosen Veles to support the people

there who face ecological catastrophe - a lead factory has caused many

children to be born with physical disabilities and other people suffer

health problems. Women from every town will be there. They have invited the

Prime Minister, the Ecology Minister and the Mayor. Circulating the Strike

petition.

SPAIN -- BARCELONA Press conference, speakout and performances throughout

the day in Sant Jaume, the central plaza. Mothers, housewives, domestic

workers, immigrant women, disabled women, widows, squatters, teachers,

nurses, lesbian women, sex workers, women organising in the neighbourhoods .

. . will spell out why the money that now goes to the military would be

better spent on what they need. *** Singers including pop star Amparanoia

and others, dancers, children's activities. *** Brasilian, Colombian,

Filipino and vegetarian food. *** Stage decorated with colourful banners

saying "Global Women's Strike" in many languages and "Invest in Caring not

Killing". A big breast with flowing white cloth symbolizing breast milk will

connect the stage with other activities in the plaza. Below the stage

cardboard bombs with military spending figures, on the sides tree branches

showing what this money should be used for. *** Free child care from 12 noon

to 10 pm provided by the city council. *** Strikers will also join the

traditional feminist International Women's Day demo. -- ALCOI The 8 March

Collective is urging women to put their brooms upside down on their balcony

to show they're on strike. 8 March: reading of Manifesto in front of the

city council and free theatre performance. 22 March: Speaking event with and

about Arab women. -- News of actions in other cities not available yet.

SWEDEN -- HARO women will demand Invest in Caring - Not Killing,

highlighting payment for all caring work, the value of giving birth to and

raising children, pay equity, food security for breastfeeding mothers, paid

maternity leave and breastfeeding breaks. -- GOTHENBURG Women attending a

colloquium there will ask, "What would our Prime Minister do if we refuse to

give birth to any more children-- If the man gave birth, we soon would get

other conditions!"

SWITZERLAND Strike information translated into German was taken to the

February Peace Conference at Boldern.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO -- ARIMA International Wages For Housework Campaign and

National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE) holding a speak out at NUDE's

HQ. They expect over 100 supporters. "Domestics are unrecognized as workers

in law and practice, deprived of severance benefits, health & safety,

employment security, sickness, pensions, maternity, and injury benefits."

They will use the Strike to make women workers' demands to the Minister of

Labour, including to amend the Industrial Relations Act to include

"domestics as workers", and the removal of membership in good standing to

qualify for representation in rights disputes; equal pay for work of equal

value; ratification of ILO Convention no. 156: Workers with Family

Responsibilities, 1981; ILO Convention no.158: Termination of Employment,

1982. They say: "Women's organisations, women's groups, and other work

places must stop work for twenty minutes. Put your brooms, and mops outside

the front door. Women in the trade unions, who often carry the load of

unwaged on top of low waged work, are invited to use the global women's

strike to advance their cause as workers outside the home and inside. Not

supporting the women's Action is tantamount to agreeing to the status quo .

. . The Strike is a response to the way grassroots women have been let down,

dumped by those publicly claiming to speak for women. The Strike is trying

to reverse the priorities of feminists, away from the self-advancement of

individuals and back to the advancement of women from the bottom up."

UGANDA -- KARAMOJA Kaabong Women's Group (KWG), which has co-ordinated the

Strike each year, is mobilizing in villages throughout the region. Women who

are walking for two or more days to join the Strike have started arriving at

the Women's Centre. Local women's, mothers', youth and school groups will

bring their demands written on manilla papers. For two hours any woman or

man will be free to give testimony of the effect of the Strike since we

started, with songs, praises,chanting, and talk about disarmament in the

region. All women who are internally displaced have been invited to come

with their children and tell people about war. Everyone will march to the

mission near the valley, past the town on the main road to the hospital,

singing, chanting, holding placards saying NO WARS , WOMEN CARE, INVEST IN

CARING NOT KILLING. Back at the centre, drama, concert, and speeches, with

food and merry making till morning. *** In preparation for 8 March the KWG

Drama Group put on free plays, exhibitions, concerts, songs and crafts work.

They say, "War, War, War, we have suffered all types of Wars, not even a

decade elapses without wars. Innocent hungry women and children killed,

pregnant women and innocent babies ... In Uganda more weapons are being

bought for modernization instead of essentials. We do work endlessly caring

for families, bearing children on empty stomachs. Drought has caused a lot

of suffering especially to breast-feeding mothers, the aged, the disabled

and infants, and instead money which would have made our life easier is put

on military budget ... Our survival is not their economic priority, so our

survival work is invisible. We are still proud to announce that one of our

demands was met by the Ugandan government through abolishing cost sharing

[charges] in hospitals." -- The Federation of Uganda Women Business

Organisations, Industry & Agriculture will participate with a "demonstration

of indigence, windowed brought in by the continuous wars, disabled economy &

persons physically, sale of all our national assets through privatisation,

liberalisation to abuse the poor." They demand that "the government returns

the Farmers House to farmers of which women comprise 85% ... Women need

agricultural implements & peace from government not assiduous wars and the

collapse of women's food security."

USA -- FORT WAYNE, INDIANA Women plan to encircle the local courthouse. --

LOS ANGELES March from Westwood Federal Building with noisemaking stops at

Occidental Oil which has been slaughtering Indigenous people in Colombia and

destroying health and the environment, Starbucks which has ties to Israel,

and the Veterans Cemetery to say no more body bags. "Collateral" damage

everywhere is some mother's daughter, some mother's son. *** Rally at the

federal building with women speakers and support from men, including Ron

Kovic, a Vietnam Vet on whom the movie "Born on the 4th of July" was based,

movie stars Ed Asner, Dave Clennon and Danny Glover. *** Street theatre,

music, belly dancers and more, to "Reclaim the military budget! End No pay,

Low Pay and Overwork!" *** The Peak Show and Brazilian band performing. ***

Trade unions endorsing SEIU 535 and HERE (Hotel and Restaurant Workers). ***

Pacifica Radio will broadcast on the Strike live including an international

roundup. -- NORTHAMPTON (MASSACHUSETTS) Women's Congress for Peace is

joining the Strike on 5 March (the date of a student strike already

scheduled). They urge all women to take an hour, or a day, off from their

work and gather in front of the courthouse 12- 6 pm with children, pots &

pans, drums & whistles, and their "resolve to change government priorities

from investing in weapons and war to protecting life and meeting people's

needs". A letter explains the Strike to downtown businesses, and asks

childcare facilities to close by 4.30 pm to allow teachers and mothers a

chance to participate in a 5-6 pm vigil. -- PHILADELPHIA Caravan, march and

rally "To Stop War in Iraq and All Wars". Decorated feeder caravans will

converge at 17th & Spring Garden Streets at 11 am and march to a 12 noon

rally at City Hall. March continues down the main shopping area on Market

Street, to a closing event with speakers, music and food at Asian Arts

Initiative, a co-sponsor, at 1315 Cherry Street at 1:30pm. Endorsers include

Phila Area Jobs with Justice, Germantown Friends Meeting Peace and Social

Concerns Cttee, Peace Action Delaware Valley, Phila Regional Anti-War

Network (PRAWN) and SOA Watch/NE. -- PORTLAND, MAINE March, rally, cultural

festival, potluck. -- SAN FRANCISCO Speakout at the Bechtel Corporation

which profiteers from water and war, winning contracts to rebuild countries

destroyed by war and is now building pipelines through Afghanistan, have

built half the world's nuclear power plants, and is suing Bolivia for

million because a mass movement against water privatisation forced them to

give back the water and leave. *** March to the closing rally & speakout at

Union Square, a major shopping area with an ongoing campaign to boycott

Israeli products. *** Special stop at the Venezuelan Consulate to hear,

learn from and support what women are winning there. -- SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

People for Peace and Justice organizing: 6 March - peace vigil with the

World Bank Bonds Boycott Organisation; 7 March - Presentation on the

Children of Ethiopia Education Fund + films; 8 March - Teach-in and Women's

Day Festival/Fair with dancers, speakers and poetry reading. -- WASHINGTON

DC The national Women's March for Peace and Justice on 8 March has endorsed

the Strike. -- YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO Antioch College will have speaker and

show Strike video.

We are in contact with women and/or supportive men in BRAZIL -- BOLIVIA --

CANADA -- DENMARK -- GUATEMALA -- PAKISTAN -- PHILIPPINES -- TANZANIA

Payday men's network is preparing an update of all the countries where men

are supporting the Global Women's Strike.

7 March 2003