Women have been participating in the WSF since
it was first held in 2001. Has there been an improvement in our
representation ? Have we really integrated our issues in other Forum
discussions ?
The fifth World Social Forum (WSF) is taking
place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. For the fifth time, trade unions NGOs, and
other social movement actors discuss their future together in a world
confronted by wars, natural disasters, social injustice and
discrimination. Women's rights and feminism are presented at the WSF in a
number of events, demonstrations, panel discussions and debates. Are these
events enough or do we need to take more action in future ?
Women's rights
Let's take a closer look :
from 570 events that happened on the first day of the Forum, only 25 are
related directly to women's rights. This makes up about 4 percent of all
the events. The topics that were covered on this day were mainly on :
sexuality issues, violence against women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transsexual struggles. Very few events dealt with problems related to
education of young women, the impact of war on women, solidarity-based
economy, trade injustices and the new challenges of globalisation.
The
above activities cannot compare with the number of events on US foreign
policy, labour issues, democratisation and development, communication
rights and freedom of expressions. Of course, we must talk about all of
these issues ! But is this the right balance ?
Feminist inclusion in the Forum panels
Women
represent 60 percent of the population, and along with children, they are
also the most vulnerable. Then, why are there so few events on social
issues that impact on women ? Where lies the priority ?
Mercy Siame, an active Forum participants
offers a solution : "We need to ensure the inclusion of
women and feminist issues in all the panels of the Forum, and not just
speak about this separately." The Feminist Dialogues have become the
main opportunity to discuss women's issues .The "Diversity boat" or "El Barco" of Articulacion
Feminista Marcosur is another option - it is a space to discuss
different ideas, and one that reflects the diversity of issues and
strategies in the fight against fundamentalism. Participants in the World
March of Women have also shown creativity in carrying out their
campaigns--music, dance, and colorful costumes are used to promote change
in the minds of people. But we should not stop here. Women need to unite,
strategise, and network so that in the next Social Forum, we will have a
better representation !
