On 8th March 1910, Clara Cetkin, a German social-democrat, (1857-1933) proposed that March 8th be marked every year in commemoration of women’s struggle in the past.
The official policy of SFRY was to celebrate March 8th in a ceremonial way.
The alternative feminist-pacifist policy has returned the authentic character to this date:
- On March 8th 1988, The SOS Hotline for women and children victims of violence was started in Zagreb;
- On March 8th 1990, The SOS Hotline for women and children victims of violence was started in Belgrade;
- On March 8th 1991, The Women’s Parliament was founded in Belgrade.
Over the past ten years, during the period of nationalistic and militaristic ideology and practice, in the years of war, the official FRY policy completely ignored the authentic rebellious character of March 8th, reducing women to wives and mothers and guardians of "tradition and national values".
The position of women has not been improved since the change of regime that took place on 5th October 2000.
However, owing to the alternative women’s policy, March 8th is marked by emancipating and rebellious events: women do not accept the role of passive on-lookers of the official policy, but organize peace actions, found autonomous groups and undertake actions and initiatives as autonomous female beings.
On March 8th, throughout the world, women get organized in protest, unmasking various forms of oppression and discrimination, and of state and family violence.
On March 8th, women make visible their solidarity, and their opposition to war, militarism and violence. Women in Black, ever since they came into being in 1991, have held street vigils on March 8th every year, as a sign of solidarity with all the women in the world who oppose war and violence by creating peace and broadening the space for women’s human rights and women’s autonomy.
On March 8th this year, Women in Black express particular support, solidarity and admiration for the peace movements’ women activists who work under difficult, often unbearable conditions, for those women who transform their suffering and bitterness into non-violent actions against militarism:
- With the Women in Black from Israel, who have been protesting against the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Israeli army since January 1988, creating networks of solidarity and sisterhood with the Palestinian women’
- With the Women in Black from Colombia, who oppose all armed formations in non-violent ways, often risking their lives;
- With the Women in Black from Srebrenica, who seek the truth about their disappeared relatives;
- With the women of Afghanistan from the feminist-pacifist network RAWA;
- With the Algerian, Pakistani women etc., who have steadily been struggling against terrorism in non-violent ways. On this occasion, we wish once more to make visible our ties with all the autonomous women’s peace groups in the area of the former Yugoslavia.
This period was characterized by intensive preparations for the Tenth jubillary Conference of the International Network of Women against War (Novi Sad 23rd-26th August), so that all other activities were reduced in number, but still very important for us.
ACTIONS ON THE STREETS AND SQUARES
Several public actions were organized, which can be divided into the following way:
1. Actions against war and violence
The protest in Belgrade on 23rd August, with the participation of activists of the International Network from several countries, entitled Women’s solidarity against the war in Macedonia.
The protest in Belgrade on 5th September Let us stop armed violence in Macedonia – with women’s solidarity against war. The action was agreed upon at the Novi Sad conference and it was also held in other European cities.
2. Actions aimed at sensitizing the public to war crimes encouraging the process of catharsis and facing of the past
The sixth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre (Bosnia and Herzegovina) was marked with a protest vigil on 11th July in Belgrade (which was joined by activist from fifteen towns in Serbia). We organized the action together with the Center for cultural Decontamination from Belgrade, and we coordinated the protest in several towns in Serbia and Montenegro on the same day.
In cooperation with the Center for Cultural Decontamination, a panel discussion on the Srebrenica massacre was held in Belgrade on the same day.
On 6th August, a protest was held in Belgrade, on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the expulsion of the civilian population from Krajina.
In cooperation with the Women’s Peace group from Pancevo, the peace performance Storm was held in Pancevo on the same day.
3. Anti-militaristic women’s actions
We have continued performing the traveling women’s peace performance We pace slowly in order to get there safely, with the aim of promoting conscientious objection to military expenses and raising awareness about the connection between feminism and anti-militarism. The performance went on in Bujanovac on 14th July and in Kraljevo on 8th September.
INTERNATIONAL ALTERNATIVE POLITICS
We organized the peace gathering in Bujanovac on 14th July with the support of the Women’s Center from Leskovac and the Board for Human Rights from Vranje. Activist from Macedonia and Serbia (predominantly southern Serbia) also took part.
The Tenth Conference of the Network of Women’s Solidarity against war The Women in Black Network was held in Novi Sad. The conference was attended by 250 activists from 16 countries. Within the framework of the Conference, the international peace performance We Create Peace was also held, on 25th august in Novi Sad.
After the conference, several encounters of the activists from the International Network were held with activists from several towns in Serbia
On 27th August, a memorial gathering was held in the Center for Cultural Decontamination to the recently deceased member of Women in Black, Neda Bozinovic, with the participation of activists from Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The international Conference of Danube countries Art and Culture took place in Regensburg, Germany. Within the framework of the Conference, an exhibition of "Women in Black" from Belgrade was put up (20th –26th September 2001). Ismir – Feminism and anti-militarism in Turkey (25th –29th September 2001). Pontevedra (Spain) – International Conference on the Balkans.
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
The yearlong project Traveling women’s peace workshops, has been continued. Within the Fifth Cycle, Antimilitarism and Women, three workshops were held in Kraljevo on 7th and 8th September. There were 25 participants from Kraljevo, Cacak, Smederevo, Valjevo and Svrljig.
PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES
The compilation Women and Peace came out at the end of August in two editions: in Serbo-Croatian and in English. This is the eighth compilation of Women in Black that has come out since 1993. This year’s issue has 438 pages. The English version has also been published since 1993. This year it is somewhat shorter from the Serbo-Croat version.
BRIDGES OF PEACE AND DEMOCRACY
Two panel discussions have been held, the first on 5th July in Kragujevac, entitled For and against the Hague (in cooperation with the Center for the Development of the Civilian Society from Kragujevac) and the second on 7th September in Kraljevo, entitled Civilian Society and Conscientious Objection (in cooperation with the Creative Workshop from Kraljevo).
Belgrade, 30th September 2001
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Women in BlackWIB |
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wib@matriz.net |
Le réseau des "femmes en noir" paix et liberté |
We join in the condemnation of terrorist attacks and we deplore most sincerely all the victims of the outrageous attacks on New York and Washington on 11th September 2001. At the same time, our sympathy is with the wounded and with the families and friends of the casualties in these attacks. It is our opinion that all the participants in this brutal act have to be brought to justice.
Nevertheless, we believe that it is imperative to resist the drive for retaliation. The war against terror that is being announced by the USA and their allies will cause the loss of many innocent lives and will further aggravate the existing gap between the West and the Muslim world. In order to stop the circle of violence, we urge that the racist campaign waged by the West against the Muslim population and Islamic culture be stopped and that a concerted effort be put in finding a non-violent solution against terrorism in the world.
We demand from the Serbian authorities to deal with the problem of terrorism in a thoughtful and responsible way. We denounce taking advantage of the 11th September tragedy in order to conduct a lynch policy toward members of Muslim denomination in this area, under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Implementing a belligerent policy, mirroring the policies of the American, Israeli, Russian and other governments, means directly assuming responsibility for divisions between "us" and "them", and sharpening differences between us. We expect that our political and military authorities will pool their efforts in search for non-violent strategies that lead to a solution to this problem, in the belief that non-violence and respecting differences are the only way to achieve peace.
We will hold a protest vigil on 3rd October 2001 on Republic Square from 15:30 till 16:30.
We apologize for our delay in sending you this announcement. Also, we will not be able to join your vigil on 5th October, because we are traveling inland Serbia, where, on Sunday 7th October, we will hold the performance "Women’s Solidarity against War" with women from 20 towns in Serbia. In addition to this, we will organize another protest on 9th October on Republic Square in Belgrade and we will inform about it later.
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