FEMEN-Gate!

ORGANISATION FOR WOMEN’S LIBERATION
25 OCTOBER 2013
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womensliberation.net
FEMEN-Gate!
Azar Majedi
[email protected]
Violence
against women
Who is to blame?
If you Google “violence against women” your
search will result in thousands of facts and articles about it including rape, threats, domestic
violence and murder of women. There are loads
of campaigns and organisations to protest
against and stop violence committed on women.
They all say that they want to eradicate violence
against women. They ratify resolutions and draw
plans of action to this end. However, violence
against women has not diminished. In fact it has
increased. Is it not baffling? Whatever happened
to all the endeavors of international organisations including the United Nations?
War is one of the main and determining factors
in the increasing number of violence against
women, especially rape. Incidents of rape in African countries, where thanks to the New World
Order people have been struggling in war and
destruction for two decades, has increased at an
astronomical scale. Congo is an scary example
where rape has been used as a war ammunition.
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Maryam Kousha
[email protected]
The London Film Festival showing of a documentary by the Australian director Kitty Green
on 18 October 2013 was the venue of some
revealing facts about the feminist organisation
known as FEMEN. Green’s documentary
“Ukrain is not a brothel” showed the life and
activities of the feminist group FEMEN’s
members and their mentor. The group is more
famous for their method of fighting women’s
oppression by bearing their breasts. According
to the interviews and views of the members
some ugly truths came out which question the
way the organisation was formed and operated.
It is disturbing and questionable.
Green spent 14 months with the group, sharing
a flat with five FEMEN members in order to
get to know them and make her documentary.
The documentary reveals that the group was
masterminded by a man called Victor Svytski.
He was called the “consultant” to the movement. According to Green “it’s his movement
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prostitution. Prostitution has now evolved into
In Iraq where during the 10 year war of USA in
internationally trafficking sex slaves. Organised
this country, sexual violence and rape against
gangs kidnap children and women and just like
women has increased; in South Africa where
drugs, transport them from one country to anpoverty and unemployment is very high, rape
other. Every now and again, the mass media
has increased. In India, gang rape of women has
reports on news of human trafficking networks
become an every day occurrence. Only recently
bringing more sex slaves into the market. In
a 23 year old female student was gang raped and
some Gulf countries, the market of sex slaves
killed. It led to a massive protest movement in
the country. Although there was an extensive
solidarity movement nationally and internationally to stop violence against women in India, it
still did not reduce the number of rape cases.
During the same time more rape cases were reported. The Indian society which is named “the
biggest world democracy” is a country based on
discrimination, inequality, poverty, destitution
and deep capitalist exploitation and one of the
examples of a society where the gap between the
poor and the rich is nauseating.
Prostitution is an old phenomenon. However, in
today’s modern society, it has become a very
profitable and violent industry. Women have resorted to prostitution because of poverty, because
of the pressure of backward religious reasons
which forces them to flee home and resort to
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operates and young girls from the neighboring
countries are openly sold.
This is the reality of today’s modern society of
the 21st Century. Not only has violence against
women not diminished, it has also, thanks to
modern advanced technology become more aggressive. What is the root of this violence? Why
are women under such brutal attacks? Is violence against women limited to African countries, India or other countries with similar
social-economic situations? What should be
done to stop it?
Violence according to gender
Today’s society recognises the phenomenon of
violence against women. Allocating one day as
the international day of protest against violence
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committed on women in itself is evidence of the
existence of such brutal treatment of women and
the attempts to stop it. However, as explained
above, from the time this Day was announced
and recognised by the international community,
violence against women has not diminished. The
first question to be asked is: Is violence against
women committed by “men”? Some answer
categorically YES. In this common view, the violent nature of men as opposed to the biological,
hormonal and “delicate” nature of women, is
mentioned to prove the notion that men are the
cause of violence against women. This is a myth.
Why?
Biology or society
Women are not the victims of violence committed only by men. A lot of women suffer violence committed by women. For example, beating up children, girls or boys, even to the extend of torture is mainly carried out by mothers.
It is also said that fathers punish their sons
while mothers physically abuse their daughters.
In many backward societies where tribal and
village mentality rules, the mother-in-law is the
main culprit inflicting the most cruel abuse on
women. Verbal abuse and even murder of a
daughter-in-law by the mother-in-law is a reoccurring crime in India. In Iran, in more traditional parts of the society, mother-in-law is the
symbol of despotic power. The husband’s family is a violent and woman bashing institution.
The sister-in-laws play a major role in inflicting
physical and phycological abuse against the
wife. The verbal abuse between two wives of
the same man is another example of violence
against women by women. The phenomenon of
the second wife in societies under the rule of
Islam is a fearful and hated one. The two wives
manipulate their husband and inflict violence
against each other. “Step mother” is another
phenomenon which is tantamount to violence
and pain. The violent actions of the step mother
against the children of her husband in backward
societies is taken as a normal behaviour.
Women police attacking women in streets of Tehran
One might argue: Is it not true that every minute,
a woman is raped by a man? Is it not a fact that
domestic violence is inflicted by husbands every
where in the world? So, how can we claim that
the thesis of men’s “inherent violence” is baseless and a myth? These facts are correct and real.
However, first they do not reflect all the truths of
violence within the family and in the society,
second the violence against a woman by a man
cannot be an inherent phenomenon or explained
by biological elements. Violence in general and
violence against women in particular is a social
phenomenon because it changes by changes in
the social, economic and political factors.
!
The immigration of young girls and women
from poor countries in South East Asia, Philippines and others to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf
countries, Hong Kong and even Iran as servants
has been going on for decades. These women
and young girls are under constant violence.
They work all hours of the day and night, are
verbally and physically abused and raped. Apart
from rape which is the job of males of the family and ignored by the females of the family, all
other violent actions are inflicted by women.
In organised prostitution and brothels, the
“madam” in charge is the perpetrator of violence against the prostitutes. In Europe, there
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are shelters for men who are victims of domestic
violence by their wives. Domestic violence is no
longer defined by men inflicting violence against
women. Men, especially at an older age are subject to verbal and physical abuse by their wives.
Finally, despite the general notion of the feminists who believe if the society was run by
women, then violence against women would be
reduced, experience has shown that whenever
women have taken governmental positions they
have competed well with their male counter parts
in imposing hard and violent policies. Catherine
the Great of Russia, Queen Antoinette of France,
Margaret Thatcher of Britain, and Indira Gandhi
of India have all been mentioned as examples of
equality between men and women!
Is my argument not an attempt to excuse men
and hence a male chauvinist and anti women
stance? No. Not at all. My argument is an attempt to show the real roots of suppression and
violence against women. The fact that women
have for a long time been under suppression and
oppression does not mean that men are violent.
Social relations produce and reproduce violence
in the society and turn men into tools for violence against women. As shown above, women
too have been turned into tools of violence
against women. At the same time we observe that
the more societies have developed and social
movements have expanded, more and more men
join the campaign to fight against lack of freedom of and violence against women. The mass
protest movement in India which took place recently against rape of the female student shows
the active participation of many men. In Iran too,
many men are women’s activists.
A society that is based on violence, produces and
reproduces violence in different shapes and
forms. Violence in capitalist system is a natural
phenomenon because it is based on disenfranchisement of the majority of the people, selling
their labour power for the benefit of the minority
who own the means of production. In a society
where the only incentive is profit; prisons, police
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and army are organised to maintain the in-equal
and suppressive relations; people are thrown out
of their own homes and their daily bread taken
away from them; where human dignity is measured by the size of their wallets/purses; where
descent people are marginalized and the rich
who are the real thieves are regarded as important, violence is normal.
To sustain and justify its existence, capitalist
relations needs an ideology. It needs an ideology
which would portray such relations as natural
and inevitable. An ideology that, at best, would
just make some changes in a charitable fashion.
The ruling ideology, in every society is a tool to
explain and justify the in-equal, suppressive and
violent relations in the society. One important
aspect of this ideology is religion. Is there anybody out there who does not know that all religions are misogynous? In this ideology, women
must be servitude to men and ruled by them.
This is the ruling of all religions, and not limited
to just Islam, Judaism or Christianity. The Indian Imams declared that in the murder of the
23 year old student by the gang of 6 men, the
victim was as guilty as the men. The pressure of
religion was so much that her father had to defend his daughter.
The struggle to abolish violence against women
is part of the struggle to create a society with
freedom, equality, prosperity and void of violence. The struggle against violence must continue. An awareness must be raised as to the
roots of violence. The false promises of the
governments, United Nations, European Union
and such like agencies must be disclosed. These
institutions themselves are part of the reason for
an increase in cases of violence against women
and should be disclosed. This upside down
world must be inverted. The creation of a free,
equal and prosperous society in the place of
capitalist system is the only way of riding the
society of violence against women.
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.... FEMEN-Gate!
and he hand-picked the girls. He hand-picked the
prettiest girls because the prettiest girls sell more
papers. The prettiest girls get on the front page...
that became their image, that became the way
they sold the brand”. She also adds that Mr. Svytski talks about the FEMEN women members as
though they are weak creatures and need to be
dominated. This is what he has said: “They don’t
have the strength of character. They don’t even
have the desire to be strong. Instead, they show
submissiveness, spinelessness, lack of punctuality, and many other factors which prevent them
from becoming political activists. These are
qualities which it was essential to teach them.”
25 OCTOBER 2013
It is very sad to witness the demise of a
woman’s organisation which on the surface
seemed to be concerned about women’s rights
but being founded and controlled by somebody
who used them for his/her advantage. It is sad to
see that individual members who may have had
high hopes for changing women’s situation had
fallen victim to such power and money grabbing
monster. What is new?
The point is that right from the beginning, we in
Organisation for Women’s Liberation questioned the methods of this group. When an organisation claiming to fight women’s oppression
A Femen member is arrested outside an EU-Russia summit.
One of the FEMEN campaigners has talked of
the relationship between the women and the
movement’s founder as being like “Stockholm
syndrome”, in which hostages feel sympathy for
their captors. “We are psychologically dependent
on him and even if we know and understand that
we could do this by ourselves without his help,
it’s psychological dependence,” she says.
!
and inequality resorts to tactics as nude protests
makes one wonder if that is all women have left
in their weaponry? Does the society not portray
women as commodities enough that this organisation feels to fall into the trap of perpetuating
the same notion? Is it not like wanting to fight
pollution and doing so by exploding a nuclear
plant to high light the situation? The fact is that
FEMEN, seems to have been built to use
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women (nude ones at that) to combat women’s
exploitation! To sell papers! What is the difference between these nude pictures and other nude
pictures to sell papers and gain financial profit?
None.
Nobody should have problem with nude pictures
in general but when they are used subversively
then the agenda changes. In the case of FEMEN,
women were used to fulfill another agenda. This
has come forth by the admission of FEMEN
members and one of their founders Inna
Shevchenko. It seems that FEMEN cannot see
the woods from the trees! They claim to be
fighting women’s oppression but they themselves have fallen victim of oppression. That is
sad. They tried to fight patriarchy but were ruled
by a patriarchal man. Green says that Victor
Svyatski constantly gave orders to the girls on
the phone or by Skype. Near the end of the film,
Svyatski admitted he was “the patriarch in an
anti-patriarch movement”.
men and women, an end to exploitation of labour, universal rights of women, secularism,
and prosperity for all. Women are and have
been oppressed for the “simple” reason of being women. The only movement that can gain
from women’s bodies is the movement that
sees women’s bodies as commodities which
can be invested on. That is exactly what the
“consultant” has done. Are we so naive to believe that showing our naked bodies is the best
tool to fight the same system that uses
women’s bodies to sell papers and glorify submission? This is the question to FEMEN and
those organisations that supported them.
One thing is certain. The desire to abolish
women’s oppression and inequality is prevalent. All women’s organisations agree on this
point. The differences emerge when methods to
achieve this aim are discussed. I just hope that
the sad demise of FEMEN is a warning signal
for future activities.
To fight women’s oppression and inequality in
the society demands correct analysis of the roots
of women’s oppression. The capitalist system
works at all levels, social, economic and cultural
levels. In the case of FEMEN-gate the dominant
misogynist culture and financial gains were used
to manipulate the cause. Women’s liberation
movement is not identified with breasts! It is
identified with strong, passionate political demands and struggle. Demands like equality for
Women’s liberation movement is the
uncompromising enemy of the Islamic movement.
Women’s freedom is the measure of freedom in society.
There is still a great deal left to accomplish in order to
eliminate inequality between men and women, not only in
Iran where misogyny brutally rules, but in the most advanced societies as well.The Organisation for Women’s Liberation sees itself as
part of the immense historical and international struggle for women’s liberation.
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Giving birth on the lawn outside the hospital!
A tragedy in our “modern”
world!
Irma Lopez, a 29 year old Mexican (Mazatecs)
mother of 3 had to give birth on the lawn of the Mexican Health Centre grounds after being rejected
help from the hospital staff. Irma and her husband went to the hospital on 2 October for medical
help with her delivery. The nurses claimed that she was only 8 months pregnant and not ready to
deliver, even though she was fully dilated. The couple, who are Mazatecs and do not speak Spanish
could not understand what the nurses were saying. They were told to leave. An hour later, while her
husband was still pleading with the nurses to accept her wife, Irma who was in severe pain squatted
and gave birth to their child. She was alone.
What a tragedy. What an inhumane world. The world is full of deprivation and pain. It is full of
riches yet full of misery and poverty. 86% of worlds wealth belongs to only 10% of the adult population! Obviously Irma and her family do not belong to this section. Their share of resources is to be
denied the basics in every day life and at times of need.
It is heart breaking to even look at the image. It only provokes anger and hatred of the system. A
system which is based on profit and greed. The world must change. Humanity and welfare must
prevail.
__________________________________________________
An 8 year old abused and murdered in Yemen!
An 8 year old girl is the recent victim of brutal Islamic
crimes. The 8 year old was married off to a 40 year old
man in Yemen earlier in October. She died after being
raped by her “husband”. Another case of official child
abuse and murder.
Women’s Liberation TV
The Persian language TV programmes of Organisation for Women’s Liberation is
broadcast every Sunday, at 17.30 Tehran time.
11642 MHz
Symbol: Right 27500
Channel KMTV
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Nudity or Nudity,
That is the Question?!
The following article was written by Azar last year in response
to Maryam Namazie’s campaign publishing a nude calendar
inspired by Femen. Since the points raised in this article are
relevant to the Femen-Gate, we are including it in this issue.
Azar Majedi
A calendar of some nude women is published.
The publisher calls it revolutionary. And we are
to believe that this action is revolutionary because the publishers say so. As a veteran
women’s right activist, as a Marxist and Workercommunist who has fought for a better world, a
world which guarantees freedom. equality and
prosperity for all its citizens, regardless of their
gender, nationality, ethnicity, their mother
tongue, their beliefs, and the family in which
they are born, and as a woman who has experienced Islam and political Islam first hand, and
was forced to flee its persecution, I see nothing
revolutionary in this act. Therefore, I wrote a
piece in Persian to state my opinion. As I was
going to write a similar statement in English,
Maryam Namazie, who proudly calls this calendar her “brain child”, responded to my critique.
Here, I state my view on this action and respond
to points made by Maryam in defence of her
“revolutionary” act.
publication of her nude picture as a protest
against misogyny and deep rooted male chauvinism dominant in Egyptian society, and Golshifteh Farahani’s, Iranian actress, nudity in a
short French film promoting Cezar’s film
award. The videos of these two interviews are
available in my youtube channel.
I clearly made 3 points before stating my views
on this calendar.
3. Even if we believe that what these women
have done is breaking taboos, not any taboobreaking is revolutionary or progressive. As
incest is a taboo, and I don’t believe breaking it
is to any decent human being a progressive or
positive action.
1- The Iranian national-Islamists have already
published their comments which are nothing but
exposing their loutishness based on Islamic and
nationalistic ideology. I have exposed this ideology in many occasions, including two radio interviews, in Persian, on Allia Magda Almahdi’s
!
2. I respect unconditional freedom of expression. Everyone is free to express themselves as
they please. This is the basic right of anyone.
But criticising the content of their expression is
also the basic right of everyone, as well. I respect the right of every human being to unconditional freedom of thought, belief and expression. But I do not necessarily respect what they
express or believe in. As I wrote in a piece entitled: “Wilders Has a Right ti Express Appalling
Views”http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/
2009/wilders-has-a-right-to-express-appallingviews/
I stated that I cannot see much difference between nude pictures of women in tabloids, e.g.
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the Sun, and this calendar. The fact that they
have written some bombastic slogans under each
picture does not change the essence of it.
Maryam responded by saying: “What Azar
doesn’t see is that nudity is not the problem; it’s
the commodification and objectification of
women’s bodies that are. To see the Nude Photo
Revolutionary Calendar of women showing solidarity with a young Egyptian woman under attack as one and the same as a tabloid that sells
dehumanised women’s bodies for profit misses
entirely the point of the Calendar and for that
matter Aliaa’s own actions. The Calendar is an
organised act by women themselves reclaiming a
tool used for suppression. It may not be considered courageous by Azar but nudity in this manner is not as easy as it may seem.”
I try to dissect this paragraph. There are many
big-sounded concepts thrown here. It is necessary to demystify them.
1- As it regards “commodification”, I like to ask
Maryam, in which context she is using this concept? In Marxian or in the everyday language
used on the street and by not only some feminists, but also by some mullahs who state that
women have become commodities in the West?
In Marxian term, a commodity is an object which
has both use value and exchange value. Has a
woman’s body become a commodity? I don’t
think so. Women’s bodies, as long as they are not
sold are not commodities. But apparently, Maryam thinks differently. So, may I ask, how is
she going to de-commodify it? By taking nude
pictures and sell them to fund their cause? This is
defying the purpose. If selling nude pictures of
women turn their bodies into commodity,they,
too, are selling their nude pictures. In essence,
their act is the same as the tabloids who are selling women’s nude pictures to increase their
profit. The fact that she claims its proceeds go to
defend women’s rights, and tabloids put the
!
money in their own pocket, does not change
one inch the fact, that their bodies and that of
the nude woman on page 3 of the Sun have become commodities. Why? Because they are
exchanged for money. They have acquired an
exchange-value.
Maryam claims that these nude photos are
against political Islam. It mist be stated that
Islamists do not commodify women’s bodies.
This is too advanced for them. They regard
women as slaves, couple of stages behind
commodity market!
2- “The Calendar is an organised act by women
themselves reclaiming a tool used for suppression.” This statement is nothing but a pompous
and empty phrase, which is used to silence the
opponent. Under the pressure of a trend in
feminist movement, the word “woman” has
acquired sanctity. just as religious figures and
icons. Woman is the last word. If a woman says
it, if a woman does it, then it is irreproachable.
And when more women come together and organise an action, then everybody must shut up,
otherwise one has offended the saint!
I dare to offend this sanctity, as I have done
many more times in my life. An organised action by women in itself does not justify an act,
as it does not make it right or revolutionary.
The act must be judged on its own merits.
Just for the sake of clarification, and not by any
means trying to make any similarities between
the two acts, I make an example. If women organise prostitution, would that change the essence of prostitution? Is a brothel that has been
organised by women themselves and it is run
by women themselves, change the fact that it is
organised prostitution?
I remember that in 1999 Germaine Greer in a
meeting lunching her then new book The
Whole Woman, claimed that since female geni-
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tal mutilation (she did not call it that, she used
the term female circumcision) is done on girls by
women of a given community, therefore, it is
OK. I stood up in this meeting and challenged
this backward misogynic opinion and was applauded by the crowd in the meeting. I say the
same thing here. I listen to reason and am ready
to accept any false reflections in the face of solid
reason. But no one has ever silenced me by
throwing pretentious and demagogical phrases at
my face. I have learned to be strong in my long
and hard battles against Islamic regime, political
Islam and the misogynic ideology.
“to reclaim a tool which is used for suppression.”
This phrase especially is brilliantly void of any
real content and preposterous. How on earth
have you and those women who created a video
of their nudity have reclaimed a tool of suppression? Can you please care to explain? It is
claimed that women’s bodies have become a tool
of suppression of women. How? Apparently, because some use them in pornography, some use
them to sell commodities, some use them for joy,
and some veil them. So, we women take nude
pictures of ourselves and sell them to fight
women’s oppression. Isn’t this your argument?
I’m sorry, I don’t buy this. Just as I don’t buy
this calendar or the tabloids.
In my opinion you have played in the hands of
those you claim to fight against. You have used
their method to reclaim your “emancipation.”
This is none-sensical. This is nothing but sheer
demagogy.
Maryam claims that “tabloids sell dehumanised
women’s bodies.” How does one decide that
those women whose nude photos are published
in tabloids are dehumanised, but the women in
the calendar are emancipated? What is the basis
for such judgement? Any offered? NO. This is
nothing but arbitrary. “I say so, and I’m a
woman, so it is right.” This is no argument. May
I ask that if the board of the tabloid were all
women, the photographers were also all women,
!
would you still call them dehumanised?
Wouldn’t this be considered as an organised
action by women, and therefore, revolutionary
and emancipatory?
She further claims that her action is an act of
international solidarity. Why? Because she has
also taken a nude picture of herself and published it, as Allia Magda Almahdi has done in
Egypt. I never knew that international solidarity means to do exactly what a protester has
done somewhere else under totally different
circumstances. Allia’s act of defiance in Egypt
is totally different. Taking nude photos and
publish them in the west has long been permitted and attracts neither persecution, nor death
threats. In fact, by doing copying her act, in this
fashion, one trivialises Allia’s action.
Many workers around the world are being exploited, millions in the worst dehumanised
conditions. Are you ready to work under the
same conditions in order to show your solidarity? Many young women are being killed or
disabled as a result of the working conditions
they work under. Are you ready to expose
yourself to the same conditions? Many protesters burn themselves, as Ben Zaid did in Tunisia. Are you ready to do the same? Many protesters go on hunger strike, Should all supporters of their cause do the same? No, would be
your immediate answer. You would consider
this as lunacy. Then, why publishing nude picture of yourself is any different? It is easier. It
is a good propaganda. It might bring you to national TV, or be named in a main stream media.
This is the reason you have organised this act. I
wonder if this was the brain child of a man, you
would stop short of calling it misogynic?
Listen to Azar Majedi’s interview with
Radio F Word.m4v in Canada by clicking
on this link:
On the Nude Calendar, Radio F
Word.m4v
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Iran legalizes rape of step daughters!
New President, new rules!
Maryam Kousha
While the heads of states in the West are busy praising the new President of the Islamic Republic of
Iran, Rouhani, for being “moderate” and “open” to negotiations, his government ratified the legislation legalizing the marriage of
men with their step daughters.
Now, according to Islam and
the Islamic regime of Iran, men
can legally marry their step
daughters. Also, according to
Islamic law, the age of marriage is 9 and men can have 4
permanent wives and as many
temporary one as they wish.
The Islamic regime follows the
brutal reactionary and criminal
laws of Islam to the book. Their
nauseating argument is that If
the Prophet Mohammad could marry girls as young as 6-7 years old, then why not implement the
same rule in today’s society ruled by Islam. It is official pedophilia empowered and executed by Islamic Republic of Iran. It is a sick notion and can only be confronted with destruction of the whole
establishment. No matter how the West tries to portray “changes” in the Islamic regime and its leaders, nothing can hide the atrocities and crimes committed by this government.
The Islamic regime is by definition ISLAMIC and cannot be reformed. People of Iran hate the regime and demand a secular, free, equal and prosperous society void of any abuse, suppression, oppression, exploitation and destitution.
Medusa TV
A satellite and internet TV programme presented
by Azar Majedi broadcasts programmes for one
hour every Friday through KMTV.
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No more death!
Stop death and maiming of workers in Garment industry!
The tragedy in a garment factory in Bangladesh
on 24 of April this year, which led to more than
370 confirmed deaths, 900 missing and hundreds injured is the sheer manifestation of
greed and exploitation of workers by not only
native capitalists, but also multi-national companies, such as Primark, Matalan, Mango, Beneton, C&A, JCPenny, Wallmart, Marks and
Spencer, George and the like.
Six months earlier from this date a fire in a
garment factory, Tazreen Fashion killed more
than 120 workers and couple of months before
that on September 11, a fire killed nearly 300 workers in a garment factory in Pakistan. Fire and collapsing of buildings are quite common in the garment industry. Since 2005, until the last tragedy,
more than 1,000 workers died in garment industry in Bangladesh alone.
The poor, unsafe and unhygienic working conditions lead to death and sever illnesses of many workers; Many workers suffer from TB from exposure to cotton fluff. Low wages, long working hours
without breaks, constant harassment by supervisors create a semi-slavery working conditions for millions of workers in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Vietnam and China. Majority of
these workers are women migrated from rural areas to work in the industry. Exploitation of young is
also a common practice in the industry. Workers are deprived by law to form unions or organise to
defend their rights. The fact that the workers are from the most destitute section of society, subdued
and downtrodden by misogynist tradition and ideology, make them a valuable workforce for the
greedy companies: very cheap and docile labour power.
It is our duty to put a stop to these brutal conditions; to stop workers slaughter at workplace; to create
a decent, dignified and humane working and living condition for millions and millions of human beings. Organisation for Women’s Liberation calls upon all progressive and humanitarian organisations
and individual to join us in a campaign to bring dignity and humanity to the garment industry worldwide. Our campaign is focussed on safety, a decent living minimum wage, right to organise and
shorter working hours. Let’s 1st of May 2013 be named the day to safeguard workers of garment industry. We will write in more details in our next communiques.
Long Live workers’ solidarity; Long live a better world
Organisation for Women’s Liberation
1 May 2013
Contact: Azar Majedi [email protected] [email protected]
Visit our Face Book page:
https://www.facebook.com/NoMoreDeathStopSlaughterOfWorkersInGarmentIndustry?ref=hl
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ORGANISATION FOR WOMEN’S LIBERATION
25 OCTOBER 2013
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The Organisation for Women’s Liberation
womensliberation.net
Editor: [email protected]
Finantial contributions
Please make your donations to the following account:
Lloyds tsb Bank, Account name: Medusa
Account no: 0972959 Sort Code: 30-99-86
369 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London N13 4JH, England
Medusa Huset
Shahla Nouri,
[email protected]
www.medusahuset.se
Linnegatan 21B, 413 04 Gothenburg, Sweden
Members of the Steering Committee of OWL, elected in the AGM held in Gothenburg, Sweden 23
February 2013.
From left standing: Shahla
Noori, Suhaila Turkiya, Karim Noori, Chiman Darabi,
Azar Majedi, Nooshin Ghaderi, Afsaneh Zijji; Sitting: Mariam Afrasiabpour,
Maryam Kousha
The OWL’s aim is the unconditional liberation of women and complete equality between women and men in Iran. We fight for:
1- Complete equal rights for women and men; abolition of discriminatory laws, particularly
laws in relation to family, marriage, divorce, and parental responsibilities, for children;
2- Abolition of compulsory veiling and freedom of dress;
3- Access to equal resources in education, employment, sports and cultural activities;
5- Separation of religion from the state and education.
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