XIV CONGRESS OF WOMEN INTERNATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION – WIDF

Caracas - April 2007

Executive Committee Report presented to XIV Congress by President Márcia Campos

 We are thankful to the President Commandant Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, to the Venezuelan people, the Unitary Platform friends, in special to Elena Linarez from the Clara Zetkin Women Movement, to Luzbélia Marin from Manuelita Saenz Women Movement, to Elvira Avila from Bolivarian Force of Women, to Elizabeth Tortosa from Active and Social Participation, to Gladys Requena from Vargas Women Net and to the friend Maria Léon President of INAMUJER, for the affection with that you had prepared this Congress and had received our Delegates and Guests.

 Our gratefulness to Minister David Velásquez, to Minister of Communication  William Lara, to Minister of Chancellery Nicolás Maduro, to PDVSA, Ministries of Culture and Tourism and to the friend Cília Flores President of National Assembly. 

We made this huge effort so that we could achieve our Congress. Also, it was a considerable employment comprising investment of time, revolutionary energy and resources that we will know how to value.

This is the biggest Congress of WIDF since the retrocession happened in the socialist countries in the 90’s that had threatened the life of WIDF and its organizations. We can affirm, today, that we are turning the page of this heroic resistance. The defeat of neoliberal politics in Latin America through the elections and re-elections of progressive presidents with the massive support of the people with great participation of women shows that new winds blow in the horizon.

 We are 446 delegates and 409 guests from 92 countries and 146 organizations of the 204 affiliated. Such participation is at least 07 times bigger that our last Congress. Also, it is very significant the participation of 46 friends working in industries and fields, who are part of the command of trade unions federations in 20 countries. I emphasize the participation of comrade Norma Cano, vice-president of World Trade Union Federation and president of Work Trade Union of Panama and comrade Maria Pimentel, international relations of CGTB in Brazil who organized this mobilization. I also point out Angie Mar Moreno, coordinator of our young women meeting which was a great success, a contagious show of beauty and revolutionary energy. For the first time we carried out the parliamentary woman meeting, organized by Deputy Marelis Perez. It was an extraordinary work of Vice-Presidents, regional offices and affiliated organizations, for the concretization of this huge XIV WIDF Congress.

 Of the friend Ruth Neto from Angola, that together with the friend Maitenkoan-mashabani from South Africa who are great leaders of the fight against colonialism and Apartheid. Of the friend Nana Rawlings, president of 31st of December Women’s Movement, from Ghana that faces the political prejudice persecution to the leaderships who fight against the terrible life conditions of the African people.

 We have a formidable delegation from Africa with 137 friends of 27 organizations in 16 countries. These are impressive results that fill us with pride and satisfaction of the priority that we have been given to African women, of SOS Africa, of the Executive Committee meeting that we gathered for the first time in this continent. Priority that is our contribution in the direction to rescue a historical debt that the Humanity has with the African continent.

 Of the friend Mayada Abbassi from Palestine and friend Linda Mattar from Lebanon who had guaranteed with their determination the presence of 11 countries, 94 delegates from 25 organizations that arrive directly from the center of the fight of the people against the imperialist savagery, already with the taste of victory in their lips. From the Palestine occupied with the Nazi-fascist rubbish, fattened by the North American imperialism. Of the firmness of the Lebanese people who one more time banished the invaders. In Iraq the heroic and victorious resistance of valuable people from two rivers, cradle of the civilization, that is making the imperialist armies, its foreheads of iron, Bush and Company, to regret bitterly to have put its boots over that sacred ground. Of Syria and Iran, who face the criminal economic blockades proudly. 

We are witnesses here in this Congress and when we were in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Iraq and in Syria, that the Arab women have participated side by side with their comrades in the fight against invading enemy, that bombs and tries to suffocate the Arab world to steal its wealth and its oil, that invades their houses, kills their children, rape and disrespect the women in jails.  I want to transmit our solidarity energy to friends from Women Federation of Iraq, who as we were informed in the Congress by the dear Iranian friends who got arrive here to tell us in a touching way that they are in clandestinity, in resistance, to defeat enemy. Palestine women from brave Lebanon and from blocked Syria. You are an example of the feminine dignity. 

Our gratefulness to the friends Cristina and Skevi from Cyprus. It is the region where WIDF grows the most. We have today a delegation from Europe revigorated with the victory of “YES!”, for abortion depenalization in Portugal where the WIDF affiliated organizations had a determinant role; with the participation growing of Russia and European East, of England and Germany. They are between us in 136 delegates and guests of 23 countries and 33 European organizations.   

We cannot reach the equality in an imperialist environment. The imperialist nature of European Union causes negative impacts on work and life conditions, especially for women. We are living in Europe a terrible moment of deprivation of working rights, of social protection, the deregulation of employment contracts, the immigration growing and the trafficking of women which are results of a neoglobalization wave. This situation has being faced with energy and enthusiasm on part of women who are working, women in trade unions and must be part of agenda of WIDF organizations. 

The millenarian and invincible Asia, from India to Korea. The brave confront  of our regional office coordinator Liza Mazza from Philippines who have been suffering a sue that can lead to death penalty for her fight against all kind of violence and preconception and which must deserve a bigger attention of WIDF. To friends from Vietnam, eternal example that a determined people is an invincible people. Example of collective effort for woman’s development and participation.  

I want to thank the effort of the friend Dora Carcaño and Magalys from my greater homeland Latin America that has been living one of the most wonderful moments of its history. These friends together with friends Yolanda divided with me the preparation of this Congress during all the time. 

Friends from the heroic Cuba under blockade since its liberation, who built the equality rights and a worthy life for its people is a bigger example of internationalism and solidarity. Your fight for the release of the five Cuban heroes, arrested by Yankee arrogance and prepotency, in which the Federation of Cuban Women has been in the first columns, counts on our integral support. To the relatives of the five heroes who are present and enjoying our Congress, we reaffirm our support and affection. Count on WIDF.

America almost reached 100% of the quorum: 25 countries, 312 delegates and guests from 88 organizations. An excellent news is the very significant participation of North American organizations that have been having a major role in the huge mobilizations for returning the North American soldiers from Iraq. 

I want to render a special homage to our great leader, friend Vilma Espin, builder of WIDF, friend in the most difficult moments to whom I ask for your  applauses. 

For us, to carry through the Congress in Venezuela is by itself a great lesson. As the poet said “living is fighting” - be with you all these days, living a little bit of revolutionary reality of Venezuela, worth for a thousand fights. 

The Venezuelan revolution fills with hope women in the whole world. It improved the workers life conditions, but women, it improved in a higher speed. The rate of  

unemployment between women in 2006, drop from 18,9% to 11,2%. Between 1999 and 2002 the number of active men increased in 430.000 and of women in 630.000. 

The work of INAMUJER presided by friend Maria Léon, the work of BANMUJER had already benefited a million one hundred thousand women, generating 217 thousand jobs. 

The minimum wage, in last the 7 years increased from 120 thousand to 512,3 thousand Bolívares from 36 dollars to 238 dollars, whereas the inflation rate drop from 20% to 12,5%. A 560% increase mainly benefiting women who have still receiving the lower wages. 

UNESCO declared Venezuela a territory free of illiteracy, from 1.482.543 adults literated above 15 years old, 65% were women. Also in 2005 President Hugo Chávez approved an aid of 80% of the minimum wage for housewives who lack of the minimum ways of survival. 

Recently President Chávez signed the organic Law for women’s right of having a life without violence. The law represents an important progress because it incorporates several types of violence as institutional, obstetric, in work, in the media and establishes courts of law to punish the aggressors with arrestment, fines, indemnification and community work. 

Beyond the conquests and the achievements of our fight, we have mainly discussed about oppression, preconception and violence that still victim billions of women around this world. Of women, as Lenin said, “subjugated to domestic slavery, suffocated by the work in the kitchens, a hard, stingy, rude, physical work, and, in general, also isolated from the domestic economy'' 

The women who in desperation are impelled violently to the work market, for hunger of their children, unemployment of their husbands or for a precocious pregnancy. Of the women who although the extreme need do not obtain a job or are forced to accept the informal and humiliating work without any right, without any protection to maternity and to the child by State.   

Of workers in factories receiving 30% less, on average, for the same work without appropriate installations, without respect for her women condition, persecuted for moral harassment, without having where leaving their children. Of those who need to have the double of qualifications to exert simple duties, many times giving up having children.

 Of women confined in refugee camps with their children without food, medical care, without anything. Of women who have their houses bombed, their children and husbands murdered by foreign invaders.

 If the oppression to the woman started with private property in the beginning of humanity, its exacerbation resulting from the monopolization process, annexations and fusions of mega-corporations, this oppression goes deeper, in a catastrophic way.

 According to UN the multinationals control 52% of GNP - Gross National Product along world. 2/3 of international transactions in combined goods and services. In aerospace warlike industry in the 80’s, there were 75 companies acting, today there are only three. The Lockeed-Martin withholds alone all the acquisitions of the Pentagon.

 In 1969 the main financial group from United States Morgan Group had assets of 170 billion dollars. The second bigger, Rockfeller Group had assets of 125 billion. Today these two groups had fused with assets of trillions dollars, sometimes bigger that the Brazilian GDP - Gross Domestic Product of 500 billion dollars. 

The free market originated the concentration of private property in the hand of a few banks and a few families for dismantle and acquisition of competitors, for the introduction of machines in substitution of the human work, for the mass unemployment, for mechanization, robotization, and suppression of the workers, men and women’s rights. 

The monopolization increases the aggressiveness and intolerance with the democracy exacerbating the authoritarianism. Exacerbate the suppression of political rights and the concentration of Medias and information, economic power in the elections and common exercise of destructing the opponents in campaigns of defamation and politic persecution. 

The monopolization invests against the national States for the minimum state, and the final purpose is to disassemble it leaving the free territory for an economic, politic and military occupation. It tries to control the sources of energy, water, ores, land and raw materials, doing this by privatization of all public companies.

 And with this purpose, monopolies promote campaigns for the end of workers protection legislation and their rights as the 13th wage, the Social Welfare, vacations, license, etc.

 The anti-imperialist fight of WIDF’s women also has to assume challenges as the Colombian and Ecuadorian women who are facing the effects of the Colombia Plan and other imperialists attempts to take possession of their natural resources and to convert  

them into a infrastructure of the corporations’ war, and the monopolies, with serious damages for the food production in the poor areas in Equator and Colombia. 

The monopolization increases even more the exploitation over workers (men and women), over agriculturists, over small and middle companies and even though over great national companies of countries in development. 

The result is 2,8 billion human beings survive with 2 dollars per day.  One fourth of the humanity lives with one dollar, 840 million suffer from hunger, according to economic information of 2005 from UN from these numbers the majority is composed by women. In USA, the greatest world power, the participation in the wages is the smallest in the last 38 years. While the participation of corporative profits with the taxes’ deduction is the biggest since 1947. More than 36 million Americans live below the poverty line and 45 million do not receive health-insurance. 

The elections are indirect. The North Americans go to the voting machines on 1st Tuesday of November, every 4 years to choose 538 people who will conform the Electoral College. This Tuesday is not a holiday. People work and have their obligations as if it was a normal day. As if it was not enough the monopolies resort to fraud to subvert the elections’ results, as it became public in Bush’ elections in 2004. President Kennedy, who contradicted the interests of the monopolies, by not starting the nuclear war in as known as crisis of missiles, was murdered. And this also happened with his brother Robert, the most favorite in the elections, five years later.

 To threaten the world the United States withhold six thousand nuclear weapons as it was admitted by Bush or ten thousand as it is announced by BBC London itself.

 But at the same time the brutal exploitation, the degrading wages that do not guarantee at least the survival. And the unemployment of their comrades pushing the woman for work market, thus, in the end creates the objective conditions for the release of the woman when making possible her participation in collective production.   

The woman participation in production, manufactures and syndical fights at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution represented a first step in the change vision and concept on women’s role in society, opening space for a bigger identification and approach between men and women. 

 Since the rising bourgeoisie days, the interest of the class multiplied for a thousand, with the monopolization growing is to move the woman away from production, treating her as somebody in a 2nd position, so with the house work make cheaper the cost of working force. The monopolies and its allies resist to woman’s participation in production, paying them an inferior wage in comparison to one paid to men, resist to

 qualify and to professionalize the diligent woman, and they do not fulfill the protection laws to the feminine work and to the maternity. They do not want the industry or the State through collected taxes invest in day-care centers, kindergarten, assistance to maternity or that collective structures of support to the house work are constructed. 

They demand that women remain single or give up maternity. They make her feel guilty for leaving their children and family, for trying a career, a job and becoming an independent person.

 Work, family and children are antagonistic purposes for woman in monopolist capitalism. The imperialism is, thus the main obstacle to liberation of productive forces and in particular an impediment for participation of woman. The imperialism has no solution for the main woman’s interest, the work, the participation in production.

 So much so, after overcoming the obstacle thus, the monopolies domination over State and economy the results are spectacular, in special for women.

 After the victory of the workers and peasants’ revolution, the Soviet woman had her right to work fully guaranteed. Before the revolution, 5/6 women were illiterate. In a few years the illiteracy was eradicated between them. The first quinquennial plan elaborated in 1930, considered integration of 1.600.000 women in production. From 1929 to 1936 the number of female workers in all sectors increased more than 5 million. Until the year 1980, 94% of women in work conditions had a job. This ratio was 22% in Spain, 30% in Italy and 32% in England.

 As for the civil rights, in a little more than a decade between 1917 and 1930 were created 301 decrees and resolutions related to women; the equal remuneration for both genres, the access to the land by women, legislation about divorce which guaranteed equality between husband and wife, abortion legalization, etc. 

The Soviet revolution infected women from entire world. In the five continents women had started fighting for equal rights, right to vote, participating in battle fronts, in resistance to the Nazi-fascism, in trade unions, political parties and movements for national release.

With the capitalism retrocession in Russia the more acute problem that immediately appeared in relation to women was the unemployment. According to ILO today the women remuneration fell for 30 to 50% from what men receive working the same. More than 5 million female workers see themselves the obliged searching for the increasing informal economy, trying to survive with no right or coverage of the protection laws for feminine work

In parallel the collapse of social programs left without assistance millions of children and diligent mothers. Contraception does not appear in sexual education leading to terrifying results: in 2004, 1.600.000 abortions were committed, from which more than 50% were young under 18 years old, as the information given by Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

 All of this make clear that if depends on the imperialism and monopolies, women do continue and will continue in general, out of production.

 Even with the retrocession in Soviet Union with the imperialism promoting wars and provocations, in spite of the blockades and aggressions, today the women’s rights advance in the heroic fight of Cuba, China, Korea, Vietnam, Angola, among others.

In China in 2001, female workers respond for 27% for jobs in companies, 43,4% in institutions, 25% in state agencies, 43% in the services sector and 57% in public health. Nine of each 10 women were illiterate. In 2000 only 8.6% of the feminine population still didn’t know how to read and in 2001 it was declared 9 years for obligatory schooling. The health care network to maternity allows more than 90% women make prenatal, 78% have their babies in hospital and 87% receive home visit after childbirth.

 In the small and valuable Cuba of 11 million inhabitants 600 kilometers far from USA women are 46% of the work force. In professional technicians’ class they are 66%. The representation in parliament is 36%, fifth position in the world. It has been guaranteed the right of having a job, to equal wage, to social security, maternity leave. In education the illiteracy had been eradicated a long time ago and nowadays 62% of school admissions in universities are women. All of this, although facing a criminal economic blockade, part of a permanent imperialist plan, almost a war of 50 years to destroy the Cuban revolution and their people. 

WIDF as a heiress of all these fights and conquests history since its foundation Congress in 1945, mobilizes the masses of women and intervenes in the international and national forums, steering and supporting the initiatives of several organizations and governments which fight against imperialist domination, discrimination and preconceptions of genre and promote the equality of woman’s rights. 

The proposal of accomplishment of the International Woman Year in 1975, presented to UN by WIDF had an enormous resonance, reflecting the great growth of feminist organizations as an active and powerful force. From this initiative of the International Woman Year, the Woman Decade who got together in 1985 in Nairobi and in 1995 in Beijing was approved by UN.  

The VII WIDF Congress in 1975 approved the deliberations of the World Congress that among several proposals with political, economic and social character, included the legal abortion in the interest of woman health, having in mind the effort of clarification on methods of prevention pregnancy, familiar planning and access to contraceptive methods. The Congress also deliberated to keep strengthening the initiatives for adoption of the Convention for Elimination of All Kinds of Discrimination against Woman in politic, economic, social and cultural levels. 

The Copenhagen (1980) and Nairobi (1985) Conferences pointed to the gender violence as an offence to human dignity. In the following decade it became evident important progresses on field of combating violence against woman also urging several governments to assume commitments for its elimination. 

In many countries of the world as in Brazil, the women’s movement denounces the small importance that violence has nowadays, achieving an important conquest against the thesis of “self honor defense” accepted until then in the courts alleviating the barbarous murders committed against women. 

The statistics of violence against women and girls are still shady, in special the domestic violence that although insufficiency of statistical data, in case of Brazil mainly reaches young women in more than 25% cases, between 15 and 29 years old. We must defend a public politic assistance to the victims along with measures for preventing and combating violence. 

The confrontation of violence question against woman demands therefore, a strong politics of rigorous punishment for crimes and aggressions thus contributing for restraining them. However we know that the politic, economic, social and cultural changes are fundamental for effective solution of this problem. The social crisis invades homes and disaggregates family, frequently generating fights, domestic violence, and abandonment of home. Restraining and punishing the crimes that are committed in this scene of disintegration and whose victims are usually woman and children are very important, but we cannot lose sight of the fight in order to have the understanding of what is best is that, both must be united to confront the common oppressor, including educating their future generations in the conquest of a equalitarian world what must be our common purpose.

 On reproductive and sexual rights there is still a lot to progress mainly in those countries that had adopted the neoliberal principles, of privatizations, with high interest rates, of fiscal superavit in special the politic of “minimum state”, imposed by monopolies for dependent economy countries.

 The inclusion of gender approach to the public politics in the last decade of the millennium in several countries is a very positive progress when it is proposed to incorporate guideline of several kinds of dissimilarity to the public politics, what implies in proposing to attend more than a half population and in practice runs into impediments of the economic politics imposed by monopolies.

 The state does not assure the conditions for adequate familiar planning, guaranteeing the free access to the contraceptives methods what aggravates the difficulties of woman searching for work, health problems resulted from this, premature tubal ligations, the incidence of interrupted pregnancy and aggravation of the survival conditions of the family. The freedom to decide when and how many children they desire has been cut. 

To the young is not allowed the complete development of their sexuality through the education, the sexual information and the full access to the contraceptives methods. The young when gets pregnant, nowadays 1.1 million teenagers get pregnant per year in Brazil, the rights and conditions to assume her son has not beet guaranteed by the State. According to Ministry of Health the induced abortion is the fifth cause of internment of young, 146 internments per day and it is the third cause of maternal death in the country. In a general way and according to WHO the maternal mortality rate is three times bigger in adolescence in comparison with pregnant adult. 

We have had a big progress on contraceptive methods and the knowledge of our own body but this control will never be 100%, in special during the adolescence and youth. Where is the place for emotions and the unpredictable? Or if you choose complete abstinence, or not having intercourses with opposite sex. The discourse of total control of the body is fallacious. It is the discourse of the monopolies agencies and its representatives that want to control everything in the world, the growth rates of dependent economies in 1% or preferable zero, the populations growth also preferable, that is, how many children we must have, preferable none, our wages, that is, they want to control everything. 

The politics of “minimum state” of monopolies does not allow even beds in number enough in maternities to attend with dignity the woman in hours of being confined. Our fight of decades for woman become free of preconceptions and sexual repression opened way for our youth advance even more. But for woman’s full sexual freedom is fundamental, beyond fighting the preconceptions, fighting for a society and a State that assume the maternity as social function. 

Contrary to what the imperialism, the monopolies and its media have been tried to impose us, we can affirm as our flag:

Our fight is for releasing the nations and peoples from the imperialism yoke, its rapine wars, its animal individualism, its violence that disaggregates nations and families, which humiliate our husbands and violent our homes, our children and we, women. Our fight is for the women’s unit, for the diligent women’s unit with diligent men, is for the workers’ unit with all people for their emancipation, for the oppressed nations’ unit, for the end of imperialism, the end of barbarism, it is the only way capable for setting free men and women from exploration of a man by other man and setting free both of their alienation have becoming them definitively part of their destine, their history and not objects submissive to the capital.

Our fight is against all attempt of dividing the oppressed nations and peoples, against all attempt of manipulating and dividing workers, men and women, against all attempt of dividing workers from field and city, laborers and intellectuals.

Our friends are our better and stronger allies in this fight for work valuation and for the end of exploration of man by other man. The diligent man has an objective interest in woman’s integration in production, either to improve the particular conditions of their family or for more general collective interest in strengthening the fight for the end of exploration and their fight for socialization of production means. Female and male workers must take the power in their hands to retake what had already gone yours one day, the work instruments, the production means.

Our indignation by the millenarian oppression that we have been living as women, our thirsty for justice will be all canalized against our true tormentors, the monopolies and imperialism, nothing will deviate us from this fight, nothing will oppose us to our friends, victims like us from the empire oppression, in the way of our liberation.

We, women had already felt the taste of our liberation and we had already seen in all the victorious socialist experiences, and even in those of it had retroceded, the revolutionary conquests that we, women, had gotten in our fight side by side with our friends and that had never been surpassed by none capitalist country, nor for the richest imperialist countries, we saw that it was our unit with our friends that allowed this spectacular progress and with them we will grow and go forward, with them we will reach our total emancipation, for desperation of our tormentors and their media agents.

 The women’s domination appeared with private property and therefore its extinguishing is an objective and necessary condition for overcoming the preconceptions over the centuries. We want to retake what it is ours; we want the property over production means. At the same time we know that going forward in collective conscience on specific questions on woman allow us to liberate an enormous energy to fight against common enemy of the delay, the imperialism and its monopolies that explore, submit and oppress the people, women and men in several countries of the world.

The victories against the discrimination and on dissimilarities of gender promise us a long walk of fights in front of us. The examples of conquests of revolutionaries which the history offered us are huge. The moment is, therefore of maturation of the women movement and the feminist ideas, revolutionaries. The moment is to join forces for fighting the true enemy of the women liberation and giving a jump in direction to the women equality.   

Out Imperialism! 

Long live Woman liberation! 

Long live WIDF!