Women of the Americas March in Peru

With drums, solidarity, art and action, members of the World March of Women gathered in Cajamarca, Peru this October. This gathering of one hundred women from Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Quebec, United States and Venezuela marked the fourth regional meeting of the World March of Women of the Americas. This also marked the first regional meeting that included representation from the newly formed US chapter of the World March of Women (of which Grassroots International is a member).

The regional meeting consisted of building analysis and strategy, sharing stories and culture, and taking to the streets to march in solidarity with the struggles of the women of Cajamarca.

One of the big struggles facing the World March of Women in Peru is the criminalization of abortion after rape. Activists are also hard at work fighting the criminalization of women activists, such as Máxima Acuña. Máxima is facing charges of terrorism for defending her land against big mining companies. She attended the gathering and drew strength from the support she found there and was a great inspiration to those who heard her testimony.

Those gathered discussed tools for World March of Women trainings. Participants identified different characteristics of the regional feminist movements and plans for actions to be carried out collectively in the coming year. They also created a map of resistance and alternatives representing their different geographical areas. This map will be joined together with other regional maps for next year’s international meeting of the World March of Women.

November 25 is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Let us be inspired by the power of the global feminist movements and the World March of Women and work to end violence against women today!