Celebrations of International
Women's Day
2019
Women All Over the World Fight for Empowerment
Toronto, March 9, 2019.
One hundred and eight years ago, International
Women's
Day
was first celebrated to highlight the fight of women for the
right to vote, to fully participate in the political affairs of
their countries, and to take their rightful place in the vanguard
of all fields of human endeavour.
Since then, women everywhere have stood in the
front
ranks of
the struggle for empowerment and this year was no different.
Activities took place across Canada to mark March 8 and mass
actions could be seen around the world, as women asserted their
claims to a say and control over all the affairs of society. A
society's progress is measured by the degree to which women have
won their emancipation, which goes hand in hand with the
emancipation of the working class.
 In Canada, at rallies, marches and
gatherings of
all kinds, women
discussed their concerns and reiterated their demands for an end
to the
brutal neo-liberal anti-social offensive and that the government
take up its responsibilities on such questions as workers'
rights, housing, health care and childcare. Importantly, they
demanded an end to Canada's participation in U.S. imperialist
aggression and specifically that it keep its "Hands Off
Venezuela!" Participants demanded status on arrival for migrant
workers and stood with the courageous Indigenous women demanding
the situation where women and girls are considered a legitimate
target of attack must be made a thing of the past.
In the U.S., International Women's Day meetings
and
gatherings followed the mass
actions organized on January 19 in support of women's rights and
against the Trump presidency and what it stands for, organized on
the two-year anniversary of Trump's inauguration.
In Cuba, the 10th Congress of the Cuban Women's
Federation held in Havana March 8 to 10 was attended by some 360
delegates and 40
guests. The Congress summed up the progress made since the ninth
Congress in the level of
women's participation in leadership positions and seats in
parliament -- where women are now 52.3 per cent of the National
Assembly of People's Power. Also
reported on was the progress made in involving many thousands of
youth in the work of the Federation, ensuring its continuity.
The Federation adopted a declaration of solidarity with the women
of the world on the occasion of International Women's Day.
Venezuelan women, standing second to none in
defending
their
homeland from aggression and the attempted regime change by U.S.
imperialism and its allies, this year celebrated International
Women's Day with an anti-imperialist conference in defence of
peace, sovereignty and independence organized by Unamujer, the
national women's union. Sending greetings to women marching in
the
streets, President Maduro stated: "My greatest acknowledgement of
the
patriotic women who have taken to the streets of Caracas this
March 8
to celebrate their day and to express their profound rejection of
the imperial aggressions against the Homeland of Bolívar
and Chávez. You are the soul of Venezuela."
In Brazil, demonstrations took place in many
cities
nationwide
as women mobilized against the Bolsonaro regime. In Rio de
Janeiro, and other cities, women carried portraits of the late
city
councillor Marielle Franco and demanded answers as to who ordered
her brutal execution on March 14 last year.
In Bolivia, President Evo Morales, speaking
alongside
representatives of women's rights groups at an International
Women's Day program in La Paz, announced a number of government
measures to improve women's wages and conditions of work, and
to curb violence against women.
Mass actions marking
International Women's Day took place in
many countries of Europe and Asia, including Norway, Italy,
Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In Spain, many thousands
poured into the streets in Pamplona in the north of the country.
Many of the actions focussed on the right of women to participate
fully in the society without the threat of violence.
On International Women's Day in the Philippines,
thousands of women organized in
their
national women's organization Gabriela, took to the streets of
Manila and other cities against the Duterte government.
Participants expressed their determination to resist the
government, one of the worst violators of women's rights in the
region, whose neo-liberal tax reform law in particular further
impoverishes women and their families. Gabriela also celebrated
the
advances made in mobilizing
women across the country against Duterte, which has led to the
passage of a law extending maternity leave that came into effect
March 8, and to successes in advancing other legislative measures
to address the worsening violence and abuse against women and
children.
A national meeting in the Democratic People's
Republic
of Korea was held at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang
to celebrate the occasion and women's full participation in all
aspects of the life of the country. In Seoul, Republic of Korea,
a mass demonstration organized by the Korean Confederation of
Trade Unions took place demanding the improvement of women's
working conditions.
TML
Weekly
salutes the fighting women of the world for their
courageous leadership in advancing the fight for their rights and
the rights of all at a time counterrevolution has the initiative
worldwide, with its vicious neo-liberal anti-social offensive,
privatization of public assets, aggression and war. Women's
further development of their leading role is one of the most
important contributions to the emancipation of all working
people, the end of imperialism and war and the creation of a
society that recognizes the rights of all by virtue of being
human.
Canada
Dartmouth, NS
Montreal, QC
 
Ajax, ON
Barrie, ON
Brampton, ON
Toronto, ON
 
 
 
Winnipeg, MB
Edmonton, AB
   
Calgary, AB
 
Prince George, BC
Vancouver, BC
Victoria, BC
Asia and Oceania
Pyongyang, DPRK
Seoul, Korea
Beijing, China
Manila, Philippines
Delhi, India
 
Karachi, Pakistan
Lahore, Pakistan
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Kabul, Afghanistan
Beirut, Lebanon
 
Melbourne, Australia
Africa
Mombasa, Kenya
Latin America
Havana, Cuba
Puerto Rico
San Salvador, El Salvador
Guatemala
Caracas, Venezuela
 
Bogotá, Colombia
São Paulo, Brazil
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Feira, Brazil
Recife, Brazil
La Paz, Bolivia
 
Lima, Peru
Europe
Olso, Norway
Berlin, Germany
 
Falkirk, Scotland
Dublin, Ireland
Madrid, Spain
Pamplona, Spain
Milan, Italy
Istanbul, Turkey
This article was published in
Volume 49 Number 9 - March 16, 2019
Article Link:
Celebrations of International
Women's Day
2019: Women All Over the World Fight for Empowerment
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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