Declaration of the WFTU for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Declaration of the World Federation of Trade Unions

25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

‘Safe Country, safe Home, safe Workplace

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN’

The 25^th of November has been designated by the UN as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

WFTU, on this occasion and under the slogan ‘Safe Country, safe Home, safe Workplace – STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN’ condemns violence against women and stresses that violence, wherever and in whatever form it may occur, has no place in society.  The struggle to eliminate violence is a priority of the class-oriented, progressive international trade union movement and its millions of members who struggle daily against all forms of exploitation and injustice through the ideals of peace, justice and equality.

Violence against women is not just a personal/individual problem, but a social one, a global scourge that grows and thrives through the inequalities and diseases of the capitalist system. A system that has failed to create the conditions that prevent such behavior, which is rooted in patriarchal perceptions and the abuse of power by the strong at the expense of the so-called “weaker” gender. As a result of this systemic failure, millions of people, the majority of them women, from all social strata, regardless of education, age and other characteristics, experience these inhuman and abhorrent behaviors.  Every woman has the right to live and work in dignity and security, without fear for her own life, and it is the duty of every state and every society to ensure this.

On this day in particular, we draw attention to women living under war conditions and experiencing all forms of violence, at the same time. In particular, we stand in solidarity and respect for the Palestinian woman who is experiencing the worst form of violence and human rights violations and demand an immediate end to the genocide and the war, so that  finally the people of Palestine can live in peace in their own independent homeland.

WFTU and its affiliates will continue the struggle to create a culture against all forms of violence, for a world where every woman and man can live freely, with dignity and safety, because violence also means the absence of rights and protections, the absence of alternatives to one’s own condition, but also the absence of economic independence, counselling centres, sex education in schools, social spaces, free contraception, a home to live in, an income that guarantees a dignified existence, a salary commensurate with one’s work, and free public territorial services.

stop violence against women and solidarity with Palestinian and Lebanese people against the genocide of Israel, USA and EU.