IWA Supports the One Billion Rising Campaign; Calls on Women to Intensify the Struggle against Capitalist Crises and Systemic VAW

The International Women’s Alliance (IWA) expresses its support to the One Billion Rising Campaign and solidarity with the women of the world in the fight to end violence against women.

At this time of deep, irreversible and worsening crises of the capitalist system, measures are being put in place to salvage the banks, corporations and the whole capitalist system from total collapse at the expense of the 99% and to the further ruination and misery of the world’s poor, especially the majority of women and children in the Global South.

The financial and economic crises have resulted in massive unemployment and underemployment of women; devaluation and informalization of women’s labor; displacement of rural and indigenous women from their source of livelihood and way of life due to extractive mining, development aggression and imperialist plunder; feminization of migration; death, injury, loss of property and dislocation of women and girls due to war of terror, military intervention and aggression.

The neoliberal approach of the capitalist system to bail itself out of the crises reinforced the commodification of women’s bodies and labor and the intensification of modern day slavery. The austerity measures and budget cuts that states put in place in response to the crises robbed the women of their most basic rights to social services and social protection such as shelter, health, workers’ benefits, pensions and education.

These, together with fundamentalism, neo-conservatism and other reactionary values that exacerbate patriarchal and feudal views, marginalize, discriminate and violate women, and inflict the worst forms of violence and crimes against women.

The world capitalist system has thrown the world into chaos and disorder. It has brought unimaginable violence against women. On the occasion of the February 14 One Billion Rising, we call:

Women rise against capitalist greed!

Women rise against imperialist war and plunder!

Women rise against the violence of land grabs and extractive industries!

Women rise against budget cuts and austerity measures!

Women rise against the violence of racist immigration policies!

Women rise against commodification and modern day slavery!

Women rise against militarization, human rights violation and political repression!

Women rise against systemic violence!

System change now!