This speech was delivered by: Diba Delara from 8TH March Women Organisation (Iran – Afghanistan) on 9th March 2013 at rally organised by Million women rise
We often hear about the rape or gang-rape of women that may have happened in a village in Congo or India or in central London or elsewhere.
We often hear about the murder of women by their husbands or partners.
We often hear about the sexual abuse of women in workplaces, schools and even in the family.
There is no doubt these reminds us of Amanat the young Indian woman who was gang raped and consequently lost her life in December that outraged millions over the world.
This reminds us of Abeer, Doaa, Sakineh, Nadia,Amy, and many more over the world that became the victim of various forms of violence against women.
We Iranian and Afghani women have also been suffering from the violence of a reactionary anti women Islamic regimes that their religious identity is closely tied to the severe oppression of women.
But we are also aware that if you are a woman can not escape the violence anywhere in the world.
According to a World Health Organisation study, up to 60% women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. Another study finds that rape and domestic violence is more dangerous than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria for women aged 20-44
On the other hand the violence is taking horrifying forms. Thousands and thousands of women yearly are trapped, tricked coerced or drugged into selling their bodies or into the international sex trade a modern day form of slavery in order to generate billions of dollars profits in the western and other economies where there is a huge market for it.
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The question is why women as a group continue to be discriminated against and continue to be the victim of violence and why this is not the exception but the rule in today's societies.
Why women are not immune by any religion or culture or any system that represent the present world
Why violence against women has no nationality, no religion and no ethnicity; it can happen anywhere in any form at any time.
It is not difficult to see that, despite their gestures and apparent sympathy, the authority of today’s world have done nothing and are not really willing to tackle this fundamental problem that threaten the lives of half of humanity.
We are convinced that the violence against women, is universal and it is deeply engrained in the capitalist system that the present world represents. It is an inseparable part of the religions, traditions and moralities that are part of that system.
That is why makes it essential to lunch a world scale campaign to fight violence against women hands in hand, no matter what age or strata, no matter from what country or nationality, no matter from what religion or culture. It is an absolute necessity to fight internationally and united.
We must unite to fight to end the violence against women
We must unite to fight to end the subordination of women and end the patriarchy capitalist system.
If one woman is not free no one is free