25 November each year is designated as the UN day for the elimination of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
This year, women of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and the Young Communist League (YCL) have collaborated to put on a conference highlighting this issue. Georgina Andrews and Carol Stavris explain why.
This article first appeared in the Morning Star.
Georgina Andrews, General Secretary of the YCL
The YCL and CPB are excited to announce our first-ever joint women’s conference on Saturday December 7 at the Marx Memorial Library in London.
Falling on one of the 16 days of activism for the elimination of VAWG, this conference hopes to unite women from the labour and progressive movement to discuss the issues affecting women today, to support solidarity with our sisters abroad and to build the class struggle in Britain for women’s emancipation.
The central theme of tackling VAWG necessitates sessions on how to organise women in the most urgent challenges they face to win concessions for young and working women, as well as developing their political consciousness.
Attendees will get to discuss women’s issues with experienced speakers, learn what the YCL and CPB are doing to combat VAWG and hear from campaigners from across housing, trade union and international movements.
A platform to gain insight into local and international Marxist feminist politics and activities, the women’s conference will inspire fresh motivation and activity to fight for women’s emancipation at home and abroad.
With panels composed of trade union activists, community organisers and notable figures from the YCL and CPB, the day will explore how the oppression of women is still necessary under capitalism to provide the ruling class with super-profits and to maintain state-monopoly power.
Topics include the difficulties in securing affordable and fit-for-purpose housing for women, the role and importance of women in the trade union movement, and the international women’s movement and solidarity.
Discussions will aim to bridge the gap between theory and action to build a truly working-class women’s movement in Britain that challenges the oppression and super-exploitation of young and working women.
Open to everyone who is interested in Marxist feminist politics, you can attend regardless of whether you are a YCL or CPB member. We strongly encourage male comrades to attend to develop their knowledge of women’s issues and help our women comrades tackle VAWG.
Together, we can build and strengthen the women’s movement through grassroots organising and political education, making this conference an essential event for comrades who wish to deliver on these aims.
With speakers, panels and a shared desire to end VAWG, the women’s conference promises to be a motivating day of political education, solidarity and activism.
Carol Stavris, Women’s Organiser of the Communist Party
There is no genuine safety for women in countries run by capitalism or dominated by imperialism. These systems, through economic and political hegemony and military might, create a toxic environment controlling the lives, cultures and industry of the mass of the people, women especially. In countries ravaged by war, women are so much collateral damage — displaced, trafficked, raped and killed.
Women’s oppression within patriarchal societies means they are expected to carry many responsibilities. In all the nations of Britain, significantly more women than men provide unpaid care for old and young at home.
Women are doubly exploited in the workplace. In April this year, the gender pay gap (the difference between average hourly earnings — excluding overtime — of men and women, as a proportion of men’s average hourly earnings — excluding overtime) stood at 7 per cent.
Inequality at work means that women, especially single mothers, are more likely to live in poverty than men. This “feminisation of poverty,” leaving women vulnerable and marginalised, has been linked to increased sex-based violence — sexual harassment at work and domestic abuse in the home.
Violence is not limited to physical assault. Government policies which take funding away from public services that women and girls depend on for their health and safety are systemic violence on a huge scale.
In Britain, a culture of sexism and misogyny has entrenched extreme violence in society. VAWG is described as a “national emergency” because of the failure of action to protect women and the inadequate resourcing of services for survivors of domestic abuse.
The sex industry, where women’s bodies are treated as objects, is growing and demanding legitimacy despite the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on VAWG saying in June this year that “prostitution must be urgently recognised as a system of violence, exploitation and abuse.”
The elimination of violence against women and girls envisaged by the UN seems as far away as ever.
How can we contribute to the fight back? The women in the CPB and YCL believe a big step forward is to educate our male comrades in the labour movement.
We need their help to work with us for the fundamental change to a non-exploitative system to overcome our oppression and finally allow us to move forward to true liberation. We need a revived women’s movement rooted in the working class, which sees this integral struggle and can lead the way.
We invite men and women from left and progressive movements to join us on December 7, in person or online, to listen to women’s voices and take part in the debate. The conference that Georgina has described is a CPB-YCL statement of intent — we want an end to all VAWG; no ifs, no buts.
The women’s conference will take place on Saturday December 7 at the Marx Memorial Library, with doors opening at 10.30am for an 11am start. The conference will close at 4.30pm. For those unable to attend in person, there will be an online option. Due to high demand and limited seating, you are encouraged to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. You can register online at https://url.communistparty.org.uk/6.
Speakers include CP women’s organiser Carol Stavris, YCL chair Maise Riley, CP organiser Judith Cazorla, CP southern women’s officer Helen Field, CP housing convener Lorraine Douglas, Carrie Hedderwick, CP South Yorkshire, YCL industrial officer Micaela Tracey-Ramos, Gemma Aspinall, CP Lancashire, Cad Jones, CP Merseyside, YCL Scotland chair Bruna Leitao, vice president of the Student Federation of India Nupur Paliwal, Maite Suarez, Cuban embassy official, CP chair Ruth Styles-Wilson, and YCL general secretary Georgina Andrews.