International Women's Strike

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International Women's Strike
Nosotras paramos santafe 8M 29.jpg
Demonstrators in Santa Fe, Argentina, where the protest was called Paro Internacional de Mujeres'’

The International Women's Strike, also known as Paro Internacional de Mujeres, is a global movement coordinated across over 50 countries on International Women's Day, that started in 2017 and 2018. [1] The United Nations announced the theme of "Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030", calling for gender equality around the globe. [2] In the United States, the strike was branded as "Day Without a Woman". [3]

Contents

Background

On 3 October 2016, women in Poland organized a nationwide strike following a Polish parliamentary decision to consider a ban on abortion that would criminalize all terminations. [4] The day became known as Black Monday. [5]

19 October 2016, saw the #NiUnaMenos protest against femicide in Argentina, a large-scale response to the murder of 16-year-old Lucía Pérez. [6] Similar demonstrations took place in other Latin American countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Chile, and others. [7] A week later, on 25 October 2017, Brazil held its own #NiUnaMenos strike. [8]

Women's groups in Poland, including the All-Poland Women's Strike, who had organised the Black Protests against proposed legislation that would have tightened Polish abortion law in 2016, together with the Argentinian women's rights activists launched the International Women's Strike in 2017. The Polish and Argentinian groups coordinated using long proprietary software voice over IP discussions together with women from 28 other countries for preparing the strike. This led to strikes in many countries, including techniques such as rallies and banging pots. [9]

Participating countries

Over 50 countries have participated in the International Women's Strike. [10]

Ireland

In Ireland, an abortion rights platform titled "Strike 4 Repeal" demanded: "[...] that the Irish government call a referendum to repeal the 8th amendment by the 8th of March. If not, we will strike". [11] [12] [13] [14]

The protest was inspired by the Black Protest in Poland several months earlier, [11] [15] and was organised by an ad-hoc, non-affiliated group of activists, academics, artists and trade unionists organising for abortion rights in Ireland. The main march was held in Dublin, with 10,000 people marching to government buildings. [11] [16] Despite the name "strike" some people took paid holidays that day. Protests were also held elsewhere around Ireland and outside the Irish Embassy in London. [17] [18] [19]

The campaign was criticised by some anti-abortion writers. [20] Some participants in the campaign thought the coverage on RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, was insufficient, and organised a follow-up picket of RTÉ studios. [21] [22]

In May 2018, the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland (a proposal described as a 'Repeal of the Eighth Amendment') was approved in a referendum and signed into law in September 2018. [23]

Pakistan

On 8 March 2018, the first Aurat March (Women's march) was held in Pakistan on International Women's Day. It was organised in Karachi by the feminist collective Hum Aurtein, with corresponding marches held in other cities across the country.

Spain

International Women's Strike 2018 in Sabadell (Spain). Vaga feminista 8M 2018 a Sabadell 01.jpg
International Women's Strike 2018 in Sabadell (Spain).

On 8 March 2018, the Spanish feminist movement called for a 24-hour strike. The slogan of the day was "If we stop, the world stops". Instead of the strike being a simple labor strike, women were encourage to strike in other aspects of their lives. Women "were summoned to stop working, to stop attending classes, to cease to undertake care work and to avoid consuming". [9] Almost 6 million workers participated in the strike and joined marches in cities across the country. After the International Women's Strike was organized in 2017 and carried out, the next day, several feminist organizations started working together to ensure a 24-hour strike on 8 March 2018 would have a bigger impact. A commission representing these organizations began meeting on the 8th of every month to organize a general strike, and became the national "8 March commission". Local 8 March committees were also created in towns and cities elsewhere in the country.[ citation needed ] In 2018, the national commission called for controls to tackle "gender violence, bodies and the right to choose, borders and the economy". Hundreds of organizations as well as local political groups supported the strike. Due to the success of the strike call, the issues that were raised gained attention importance in the media and press.[ citation needed ]

United States

In the United States, A Day Without a Woman was a general strike held on 8 March 2017 and organized by two different groups—the 2017 Women's March and a separate International Women's Strike movement. The two groups asked that women not work that day to protest the policies of the administration of Donald Trump, encouraging women to refrain from working, spending money (or, alternatively, electing to shop only at "small, women- and minority-owned businesses"), and to wear red as a sign of solidarity. [24] [25]

Britain

In 2018 there was the first of the annual Women's Strike protests and events. It was organised by Women’s Strike Assembly along with the new United Sex Workers section of the United Voices of the World and included the Sex/Work Strike [26] as part of which a minute's noise for Laura Lee (sex worker) was held in Soho in London [27] and protests outside the family court in London and parliament [28]

Related Research Articles

The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1983 was an amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which inserted a subsection recognising the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn. Abortion had been subject to criminal penalty in Ireland since at least 1861; the amendment ensured that legislation or judicial interpretation would be restricted to allowing abortion in circumstances where the life of a pregnant woman was at risk. It was approved by referendum on 7 September 1983 and signed into law on 7 October 1983. In 2018, it was repealed by referendum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion Act 1967</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that legalised abortion in the UK on certain grounds by registered practitioners, and regulated the tax-paid provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service (NHS).

Abortion in Poland is legal only in cases when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act or when the woman's life or health is in danger. The last change in the Act on Pregnancy Planning of the Republic of Poland took place on 27 January 2021, when publication of the judgment of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal in the Dziennik Ustaw RP took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pro Life Campaign</span> Anti-abortion advocacy organisation

Pro Life Campaign (PLC) is an Irish anti-abortion advocacy organisation. Its primary spokesperson is Cora Sherlock. It is a non-denominational organisation which promotes anti-abortion views, and opposes abortion in all circumstances, including cases of rape and incest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion-rights movements</span> Social movement advocating for legal access to abortion

Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pregnancy without fear of legal or social backlash. These movements are in direct opposition to anti-abortion movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Savita Halappanavar</span> Woman who died from sepsis from being denied an abortion in Ireland

Savita Halappanavar was a dentist of Indian origin, living in Ireland, who died from sepsis after her request for an abortion was denied on legal grounds. In the wake of a nationwide outcry over her death, voters passed in a landslide the Thirty-Sixth Amendment of the Constitution, which repealed the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland and empowered the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion. It did so through the Health Act 2018, signed into law on 20 December 2018.

Y is a woman who unsuccessfully sought to have an abortion in the Republic of Ireland. She is an asylum seeker who arrived in Ireland and became suicidal after discovered she was pregnant as a result of a rape in her home country. At the time, Ireland's abortion laws limited abortion in nearly all cases. She was unable to travel to the UK for an abortion, and after a hunger strike the High Court granted an order to hydrate her against her will. After the 1992 X Case judgement, abortion should be legal in cases of suicide, and the then newly introduced Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 allows abortion in those cases. Her baby was delivered via caesarian section, but there is ongoing controversy over whether the government handled the case appropriately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ni una menos</span> Latin American feminist movement

Ni una menos is a Latin American fourth-wave grassroots feminist movement, which started in Argentina and has spread across several Latin American countries, that campaigns against gender-based violence. This mass mobilization comes as a response to various systemic issues that proliferate violence against women. In its official website, Ni una menos defines itself as a "collective scream against machista violence." The campaign was started by a collective of Argentine female artists, journalists and academics, and has grown into "a continental alliance of feminist forces". Social media was an essential factor in the propagation of the Ni Una Menos movement to other countries and regions. The movement regularly holds protests against femicides, but has also touched on topics such as gender roles, sexual harassment, gender pay gap, sexual objectification, legality of abortion, sex workers' rights and transgender rights.

The Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) is an Irish abortion rights group. The group's goal is the introduction of free and legal abortion in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Prior to May 2018, the group campaigned for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, which was achieved with the passing of the Thirty-Sixth Amendment 2018. The ARC also campaigns for the Northern Ireland Assembly on behalf of abortion legislation and "to ensure the health of women in pregnancy is protected in line with international human rights standards".

The Citizens' Assembly is a citizens' assembly established in Ireland in 2016 to consider several political questions including the Constitution of Ireland. Questions considered include: abortion, fixed term parliaments, referendums, population ageing, and climate change. Over 18 months a report is produced on each topic. The government is required to respond officially to the reports in the Oireachtas (parliament); as of 9 April 2019 responses have been given on three of the five topics.

Cora Sherlock is a writer, blogger and campaigner in the Irish anti-abortion movement. She is deputy chairperson of the Pro Life Campaign. In 2014, she was included in BBC's 100 Women series.

Mellet v Ireland is a finding from the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2016 that the Republic of Ireland's abortion laws violated human rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by banning abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and by forcing her to travel to the United Kingdom for an abortion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Day Without a Woman</span>

A Day Without a Woman was a strike action held on March 8, 2017, on International Women's Day. The strike, which was organized by two different groups—the 2017 Women's March and a separate International Women's Strike movement—asked that women not work that day to protest the policies of the administration of Donald Trump. Planning began before Trump's November 2016 election. The movement was adopted and promoted by the Women's March, and recommended actions inspired by the "Bodega Strike" and the Day Without Immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Together for Yes</span>

Together for Yes (TFY) is an abortion rights campaign group in Ireland. It campaigned successfully for a Yes vote in the 2018 referendum to ratify the Thirty-sixth Amendment, which removed the Eighth Amendment's constitutional ban on abortion in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland</span> 2018 amendment liberalising abortion laws

The Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland is an amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which permits the Oireachtas to legislate for abortion. The constitution had previously prohibited abortion unless there was a serious risk to the life of the mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Women's Strike 2018</span>

The International Women's Strike or International Feminist Strike 8-M was a movement that took place on March 8, 2018, International Women's Day. It was organized by feminist movements in support of women's rights across the world. It was supported by over 170 countries and a large number of related local activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Ireland</span>

Human rights in Ireland are protected under the Irish Constitution and European provisions. Since 2014 the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has overseen human rights in the republic. Human rights issues in the country that have raised concern include abortion rights, child abuse, and human trafficking.

Secularism in the Republic of Ireland has been described as a "Quiet Revolution", comparable to the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. It is an unofficial term that encompasses a number of significant social and political movements related to secularism and secularization, which have occurred within the last thirty years, and involved no violence or force. It has been described as a period where "the people led, and the politicians followed". Since the passing of a 1972 amendment with overwhelming public support, Ireland has had a secular constitution, although a high degree of religious influence over laws, education, and state business still persisted in the decades which followed, diminishing only in more recent times. In an assessment of the Irish state's overall secularity, Humanists International gave Ireland a mixed score, finding "systematic discrimination" against non-religious people in government, education, and society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All-Poland Women's Strike</span>

The All-Poland Women's Strike or Polish Women's Strike is a women's rights social movement in Poland, established in September 2016. It was set up in protest against the rejection by the Sejm of the Polish Parliament of the bill "Save Women", which was considered by the Sejm in parallel to the project "Stop Abortion". The movement was responsible for the organization of Black Monday, a protest action, involving various forms of strike, that took place simultaneously in 147 Polish cities, towns and villages.

References

  1. ↑ "About the IWS – womenstrikeus.org". www.womenstrikeus.org. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "International Women's Day 2017". UN Women. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  3. ↑ Cooney, Samantha (2017). "Meet the Organizers Behind the Upcoming Worldwide Women's Strike". Motto. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Davies, Christian (3 October 2016). "Women to go on strike in Poland in protest at planned abortion law". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Black Monday: Polish women strike against abortion ban". 3 October 2016 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. ↑ Español, Por CNN (19 October 2016). "#NiUnaMenos: el brutal asesinato de Lucía Pérez en Argentina moviliza a las mujeres del mundo".{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ Goñi, Uki (19 October 2016). "Argentina's women joined across South America in marches against violence". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Jensen, Emily. "Ni Una Menos Reaches Rio: Is There Hope To End Gender Violence In Brazil? | The Bubble | Argentina News". www.thebubble.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  9. 1 2 James, Selma (8 March 2018). "Decades after Iceland's 'day off', our women's strike is stronger than ever | Selma James". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  10. ↑ York, Alexandra Topping Molly Redden in New (7 March 2017). "'We are international, we are everywhere': women unite in global strike" – via The Guardian.
  11. 1 2 3 Edwards, Elaine; Flaherty, Rachel (8 March 2017). "Thousands march against Eighth Amendment in Dublin". The Irish Times.
  12. ↑ Forster, Katie (8 March 2017). "Irish women go on strike over the abortion ban". The Independent.
  13. ↑ Fox, Kara (9 March 2017). "#Strike4Repeal: Ireland protests abortion ban on International Women's Day". CNN.
  14. ↑ "Strike4Repeal protests: in quotes and pictures". The Irish Times. 8 March 2017.
  15. ↑ Gunter, Joel (8 March 2017). "Abortion in Ireland: The fight for choice". BBC News.
  16. ↑ Hickey, Katie (8 March 2017). "Thousands of Strike 4 Repeal protests takeover O'Connell Bridge (VIDEO)". Irish Central.
  17. ↑ Crean, Dermot (10 March 2017). "Kerry For Choice Holds 'Strike 4 Repeal' In The Square". Tralee Today.
  18. ↑ Ryan, Niamh Aine (8 March 2017). "Strike 4 Repeal actions take place later today". Cork Independent.
  19. ↑ McGowran, Claire. "'We're striking for Repeal in London in solidarity with our sisters in Ireland'". The Irish Times. London.
  20. ↑ Nolan, Larissa (8 March 2017). "Why the Repeal the Eighth march will backfire". The Irish Times.
  21. ↑ Magliocco, Sarah (10 March 2017). "Repeal protesters set to picket RTÉ to demand recognition for strike".
  22. ↑ Guyett-Nicholson, Roisin (13 March 2016). "UCD students organise RTÉ 'Repeal protest'". The Irish Times.
  23. ↑ Fitzgerald, Martina (18 September 2018). "Eighth Amendment repealed after bill is signed into law". RTÉ News. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  24. ↑ Ashley Killough; Eric Bradner. "Female lawmakers support 'Day Without Women'". CNN.
  25. ↑ Abrams, Susan Chira, Rachel; Rogers, Katie (8 March 2017). "'Day Without a Woman' Protest Tests a Movement's Staying Power" – via NYTimes.com.
  26. ↑ "WTF is the Women's Strike?". Women's Strike.
  27. ↑ Iida Käyhkö, Frankie Miren Susana Benavides and Rosie Ferguson. "Why we're striking for women's rights today". The Guardian.
  28. ↑ Alexandra Topping, Molly Redden. "'We are international, we are everywhere': women unite in global strike". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
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