Issue 6, Vol 10: 8 March 2013 In this issue:
The real meaning of Women's day: What is to be done? The real meaning of Women's day: What is to be done? By Khaya Xaba "Women emancipation is not an act of charity but a precondition for the liberation of society" Samora Machel March 8 is celebrated globally as Women's day. Originally the day was The International Working Women's day and was celebrated as a socialist political event in the Soviet Bloc. The aim of the day was to celebrate respect, appreciation and love towards women and it served to honour the economic, political and social achievements of women. As we celebrate (international) women's day this year, many issues must be confronted with determination when we consider the horrifying conditions that women live in. Women continue to be on the receiving end of violence including rape, economic exclusion and many other disparities. As members of the communist party, we must intensify our struggle for the emancipation of all women as part of the struggle against capitalist exploitation. The horrific incidence of violence against women and the recent story that shocked the world of the gang rape and mutilation of Anene Booysens reminds us sharply of the situation of South African working class women. Poor, black women in particular are at the receiving end of patriarchal brutality while they are triple oppressed under gender, race and class. However, the killing of Reeva Steenkamp in a leafy estate proves that gender violence in South Africa transcends race and class. Although we have seen a sudden upsurge in media reporting on rape, our media does not often report on the reality of South African women's daily lives. A woman is raped every six seconds in South Africa but we rarely read of these stories in our newspapers. In order to highlight the scourge of rape every incident should be reported. One rape is one too many for society to accept. The Young Communist League of South Africa recently made a call that, as an immediate measure, the SAPS must ensure that at least one police officer in every police station must receive extra training around rape and sexual violence. It is abhorrent that in this day and age, reports surface of smirk remarks, by some police officers at police station level, when women report rape. The police have a constitutional and moral duty to rape seriously. The YCLSA committed itself that to this end, its structures will be working together with the police at various levels to take this forward. Whilst we were caught in the frenzy of the Oscar Pistorius bail hearing, South African women continued to be at the receiving end of abuse and violence. By focusing the media glare on individuals and celebrities, the stories of the masses of our people go untold. During the same period, a man in Daveyton, a Gauteng township, allegedly beheaded his wife in front of the children. Needless to say, this incident received little attention. Whilst it is not the intention to compare tragedies, it is clear that women with a higher social standing receive more attention and assistance for the gender based violence they experience. We cannot allow the majority of working class women to remain voiceless and helpless as determined by their circumstances. Women continue to be victims of unfair labour practices, corrective rape, unpaid reproductive work and exploitative practices. In our quest to build a non-sexist society we have not focused enough on building an economic system that values women, especially working class women. The working class in a capitalists system is valued for its labour power, endurance and physical strength. In this system, women will always be at a disadvantage. We need to build a more equitable economy that will ensure that women feel and are safer from the sexual violence and high levels of patriarchy that plague our communities. As we focus on the immediate, practical needs of women including health, food and jobs, it is also critical that we pay attention to structural changes needed, including access to funding for business, a role in economic development and political participation. The playing field must be level for all to be able to contribute to the development of our country. Khaya Xaba is the National Spokesperson of the YCLSA Sent from my iPhone -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. 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