24 hours of feminist solidarity : the strength of our movement

The Relay of the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity demonstrates the World March of Women’s strength. On October 17, the women of the World March will hold an action of one hour called 24 hours of feminist solidarity. At noon, in all time zones on the planet, they will take to the streets to show their support for the Women's Global Charter for Humanity and the values therein. The actions will begin in the Pacific Islands in Oceania, continue in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe simultaneously, and last in the Americas.

Denunciation of the deterioration of living conditions

During the 24 hours, women will stage actions that call the general public’s attention to the contents of the Charter. They will inform on deterioration of the living and working conditions of women, specially of young, indigenous and rural women, and they will denounce violence against women.

In Nepal, women are planning to make a trek to an indigenous village and disseminate the WMW charter among more women there. In Otavalo, an Indigenous zone in the Sierra of Ecuador, there will be protests against the privatization of water. In Mexico, women will denounce how Free trade treaties affect their lives.

In Bangladesh, women plan to organize a rally with 500 grassroots women and discuss with them the issues of poverty and violence against women. In India, they are going to march in protest against hunger, and will hold a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister’s office in 10 states, forming a human chain and a poster exhibition. In Pakistan the solidarity day will be observed in Hyderabad (Sindh) with women working in a bangle-making factory, a small bells factory (metals), a crockery making factory and bonded labours. These women get very small wages and are very poor.

Bulgarian women are organising a joint action with Greek women at their shared border against over-exploitation in Bulgaria and other Balkan countries and unemployment in Greece. In Athens, the Social Forum is preparing an activity for Saturday October 15th against the Bolkenstein directive and privatisations. In Italy, they will call students’ attention to the problems of lack of job security and the dismantling of social services, which make it harder and harder for young women to lead an independent life and will talk about violence against women.

The women of Mozambique will organize study days on women’s human rights in schools in the city of Maputo and at Eduardo Mondlane University, the country’s main postsecondary institution.

In Belgium, women will occupy the steps outside the Stock Exchange under the slogan “Money versus poverty: Women don’t have, or have too little, access to money.” In Niger there will be a trip to a place in the rural region of Dosso, to talk about poverty, violence against women and the culture of peace. A gesture of solidarity will be made for the malnourished children of Dosso, given the food crisis gripping Niger. In Brazil, the central issue is a minimum wage increase. Women of Korogocho, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, will be organising an activity denouncing domestic violence and sexual abuse of young girls.  They also want to have a demonstration walk in the entire Korogocho slum.

Peace, a core value of the 24 hours

Peace, a core value during the Relay, will also be highlighted, specially in Japan where various activities will be held, for example demonstrations, a signature campaign and marches in several cities in Japan. In Tokyo, women will make a human chain in front of the Diet reclaiming the withdrawal of the troops from Iraq.

In Yokohama, capital of Kanagawa Prefecture which has the second largest US military bases in Japan, women will demonstrate for peace and justice on Sunday October 16th in front of the Yokohama station.  In Korea, women will stress their political representatives to search for peaceful solutions to North-East Asian conflicts from women's perspectives. Women from Ivory Coast and Ghana will demand a return to peacetime and the eradication of poverty and war in Africa.

Equal rights for all women over the world

In Djibouti, the Network for Sustainable Development and the Association for Women’s Education and Health has invited 150 women to participate in a three-kilometre march to show that women want more rights and freedoms.

In Democratic Republic of Congo, a conference is planned for October 17 in Kinshasa on women’s real control over their lives and respect for the rights of Congolese women. In particular, the activity will stress solidarity with young homeless mothers, to encourage them to take charge of their lives. Three hundred women are expected.

In Lebanon, there will also be a solidarity action with poor families in Tripoli. In Bolivia, a press conference will be held on progress made by women and commitments to carry out programs for women. In Québec, they will demand equal treatment for workers with atypical status and a broad-based awareness-raising and education campaign on violence against women.

There will be a lot of joint actions with other groups. The women of New Caledonia, in partnership with the Human Rights League, will organize a Citizens’ Forum. In Paris (France), the action will be part of demonstrations on the occasion of Refusal of Poverty Day, organized at the initiative of several associations, outside City Hall and at the Trocadéro

In the Philippines, their action will be in actual solidarity with some 300 peasant, indigenous and fisherfolk women who will be gathered in the capital region as part of International World Food Day celebrations.

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