CONVOCATIONS IN ENGLISH 2015

While the expenditure for weapons has increased in Spain year by year since the 90’s because of commitments made to the weapons and defense industries by the Ministry of Defense, the UN has urged the government of Spain to fulfill its international commitments with regard to the issue of gender equality in face of the alarming retrogression in this matter produced in recent years because of discrimination against women both in legislation and in practice.

This last 7 November, thousands of women and men from all over Spain demonstrated in Madrid regarding the macho violence that affects women throughout their entire lives. Globally, up to 70% of women experience psychological, economic and sexual violence perpetrated by their partner or former partner.

During armed conflict, rape and sexual violence are exacerbated and used as weapons of war, including violence against women of all ages, affecting millions of women and young girls with an aim to humiliate and terrorize the people and to destroy communities creating the fiction of giving birth to others. This violence is aggravated by the growing islamization in various countries, mainly harming women because of the presence of ISIS or other armed groups.

Violence against women is not limited to one specific culture, region or country, nor to a particular group of women in society. The violence against women has its roots in the persistent discrimination against women.

On 25 November, declared by the UN as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women:

♀ We ask for a life for women without fear and violence.

♀ We demand a radical change in the budgets, so that we cease wasting money on weapons and dedicate it instead to social goals and especially the eradication of gender violence.

♀ We request implementation of feminist social policies with the equal participation of women.

♀ We affirm our confidence in dialog, justice and nonviolence as a path for understanding among people.

♀ We see the need to promote “Education for Peace” from the perspective of gender, intercepting situations of violence at their roots and promoting nonviolent social change; to participate in the tables for Peace negotiations; to work for autonomy and equality; to create a just and lasting Peace and to cry out for “truth, justice and reparation” so that the horror will not be repeated.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

March against Sexist Violences
that will take place
7 NOVEMBER 2015 at noon

The march will depart from the Ministry of Health

If you want to accompany us for the demonstration,

Women in Black (of Madrid) Against War will be

in front of the stairs of the Goya Street entrance of the Prado Museum at 11:45

……………………………………………………………………….

The area between the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Caspian is becoming a powder keg. Because of the entry of Syrian refugees in Turkey and the recent attack in Ankara, this country is in the news, but the authorities appear to not give any importance to the conflict that is developing: the armed conflict between the regular Army and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in both cases involving party interests, and having the people closeted between the bullets and hate speeches. All this is aggravated by the growing Islamization of the country, which mainly affects women, and the presence of ISIS.

Further, tension is also mounting at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with bombings, civilian deaths and more hate speeches calling both sides to arms.

Women in Black Against War (of Madrid):

Demand that these and other conflicts be intercepted through diplomacy before they continue to grow and that international organizations assume their responsibility for action or inaction in these conflicts.

Denounce the passivity of the international authorities, who once again are going to wait until open war is declared.

Denounce the economy of war and economic interests in the conflicts. It is immoral and unacceptable that the suffering of millions of people is tolerated to permit a few enterprises to become even more enriched. It is not acceptable that the defense budgets of many countries, ours included, are maintained or even enlarged when there are many social needs to cover, budgets for which are increasingly reduced.

We want to be able to say “neither these nor the others”, that we do not support any side in the conflict. We understand that there is a third path through politics without armed confrontation and abjure the militaristic speeches that polarize society into friends and enemies.

We are on the side of the civil population, which is the one that suffers the consequences. We believe that the real and definitive cessation of conflict must come from a change of values and involvement of the civil society.

We support the initiatives of the civil society that have as its objective to encourage living together peacefully, as well as respect for human rights locally, regionally and globally, so that these rights will one day become universal.

We are in solidarity with the Turkish pacifists and conscientious objectors, who we know are experiencing times of great pain and frustration.

We are also in solidarity with the Women in Black of Armenia, who like Cassandra of Troy, sense beforehand and denounce what will happen if nothing is done to stop the escalation of hate and violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Further information:
Official Statement of The Armenian Initiative of the Women in Black International Peace Movement
Declaración de las Mujeres de Negro de Armenia ante la escalada del conflicto en la frontera con Azerbaiyán (in Spanish)

Women in Black of Madrid want to denounce the policies regarding migration of both the European Union and the Government of Spain.

In these moments, we want to keep in mind the causes for human displacements, the nature of the wars declared and brought about by our governments in various countries of the planet, clearly for purposes of control and dominion, as well as the policies they carry out in support of governors who do not have respect for human rights.

The recent events in southern Europe make evident an inhumane strategy for immigration. The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) promotes militarization of the borders and converts them into a battleground where it doesn’t matter about the victims as long as it is clear that they will not be permitted to enter Europe. We recall that only 30% is spent for humanitarian aid in comparison to expenditures for FRONTEX.

Tolerating the suffering of millions of people to permit a few businesses to enrich themselves even more is both unacceptable and immoral. Our Government permits the sale of arms and the barbed wire being used in Hungary is made in Spain.

We are in solidarity with the women who live in the countries in conflict and suffer this misery of migration. When the social and human structure collapses, it is the women who sustain life, they are the ones who maintain the links of unity and are the agents of reconciliation.

We side with the civil population, who are the ones that suffer the consequences of wars. We are concerned that there is talk about armed intervention, negating all possibility of diplomacy. We think that the real and definitive outcome for conflicts should emerge from a change in the values of international policies and the participation of the civil society. This belief is clearly confirmed and reinforced by the disasters of military interventions that have taken place to date.

We are outraged that the great migratory movements produced by wars or famine do not worry us until they arrive at our doorstep.

Women in Black:

♀ Demand an urgent change in international policies. We ask for a policy that will permit persons to live with dignity and respect for their human rights any place on the planet.

♀ We request that the money dedicated to FRONTEX be invested in cooperation so that individuals do not need to emigrate in order to survive.

♀ We declare our support for the NGOs, collectives and persons involved in supporting the migrants.

♀ We demand that the Government of Spain and the European Union a design a more humanitarian policy for migration.

♀ We express the necessity to seek actions against racism and xenophobia, integrating a perspective of gender.

♀ We invite personal reflection on attitudes and prejudices in relation to immigration and the right of every person to a life with dignity.

Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain

Further information (in Spanish):
“Un éxodo de 600 millones de personas”
“Radiografía de los refugiados en el mundo”
“Los refugiados no tienen por qué migrar de forma ilegal: las medidas que la UE no aplica”
“Debate: Crisis de refugiados ¿Debería Europa abrir sus fronteras o reforzarlas?”
“Europa gasta 13000 millones para frenar la inmigración, los traficantes ganan 16000”
“Impresionante demostración de solidaridad de los alemanes en apoyo a los refugiados”
“El apoyo a los refugiados desborda lo institucional en Madrid”