Via Campesina calls for End to Violence against Women

Grassroots International partner La Via Campesina celebrated international women’s day, March 8, 2010 with a re-affirmation of their global campaign to end violence against women. Last November 25th, on the occasion of International Day against Gender Violence, the Via called for an end to all forms of violence against women and called on its members to work with their ally, the World March of Women to coordinate actions against gender violence. The Via launched its campaign to end violence against women at its fifth international congress in 2008, in Maputo, Mozambique. Below is an excerpt from the Via’s call from November 25th, 2009.

There is still a long row to hoe…

The data reflecting the number of cases of women who end up being murdered and the number of barring orders, however spine-chilling, is still far from the actual situation because there are many cases of domestic abuse that are not reported. Even so, those cases prove that our societies still have a lot of work to do…

At the same time, many women suffer from other forms of violence that are more subtle and difficult to fight such as psychological violence, financial dependence and the pressure of having to keep up with a certain physical image or to play a traditional role. Many decision-taking processes lack equitable involvement of women.

Those factors prevent women from the freedom of developing and expressing themselves as a person and as a woman. 

We demand:

• A greater development in the legislations regarding the promotion of equality between men and women and a real transformation of those laws.
• Public support for women who are victims of male violence.
• A greater recognition of psychic violence and of the oppression of traditional roles.   
• Wide social changes that allow the necessary conditions for the development of women.
• Legal recognition of every right of female peasants; as well as their role as food producers and guardians of knowledge and sustainable agricultural practices.
• The elimination of legal and social barriers to enable female peasants and farmers to have the same rights in the farms (co-ownership, wages, social security,…)

On the 25th of November, we call out our organisations to take part in the demonstrations organised by the World March of Women in their own countries for the elimination of violence against women.