International Women's Day - calender
WOMEN of events
ON MARCH 8, 1986, women around the world will be celebrating International Womens Day for the seventyfifth time. The first International Womens Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911, following a call from the second international conference of Socialist Working Women in 1910. Below we give some examples of how in different countries will be celebrating this historic occasion. IN BELGIUM ... "Women Against the Crisis," a coalition that has brought together independent women's organizations, women from the workers' parties and the women's commissions of the two trade-union confederations (both Christian and socialist), has called for actions in the streets in as many cities as possible. Leaflets will be distributed supporting the struggles of women throughout the world but particularly in South Africa. And a call will be made for a boycott of the products of apartheid. Flowers will also be distributed.
In Brussels the demonstration will be broadened by the participation of groups of immigrant women and political refugees. An "official" visit will be paid to the new Secretary of State for Social Emancipation to communicate to him the demand that March 8 be declared an official holiday. IN BRITAIN ... wives of printworkers currently engaged in a struggle for jobs are organizing a women's march to the picket line mounted on the Wapping print plant (near London) where newspaper magnate, Rupert Murdoch, has set up his new printing works based on scab labor. The women will be joined by miners' wives who have supported their call and who were themselves involved in similar activity on International Women's Day, last year.
Outside London, in most coal-mining areas, Women Against Pit Closures are organizing events since March 8 is also close to the anniversary of the beginning and end of the historic miners' strike. IN DENMARK ... Copenhagen will hold its traditional large evening meeting organized by the trade unions. In other cities labor parties, trade unions and women's are organizing meetings and, in some places, demonstrations. IN LUXEMBOURG... For the fourth consecutive year a demonstration is being built by a coalition of women's, and labor women and s This year's theme is "Violence against and will deal with the three aspects of violence: inside and outside of the family and in the media. IN THE SPANISH STATE ... This year Women's Day, March 8, comes four days before the referendum on whether or not the Spanish state is to remain in NATO Therefore, legal problems have arisen because it is not clear whether demonstrations can be held in the midst of the campaign around the referendum.
The movement's working orientation is that whether or not it is legal, it is necessary to hold some sort of mobilization or ceremony to commemorate as a day of struggle for women. If it is legal, demonstrations will be called.
The forms of support which such actions get will be because of the problem mentioned before. The theme of the day of action in almost all cities is going to focus on opposition to NATO and militarism. In some others, all the themes on which the movement is working -abortion, sexual harassment, ete. - will be raised. •IN SWITZERLAND ... A unified demonstration comprising feminst organizations, left parties and women's trade-union commissions has been called in Basel. The themes to be emphasized are: South Africa (two South Africans have been invited to speak at a public meeting); new reproductive technology; and solidarity with women refugees against racism and expulsions. A fete will also be held. IN THE UNITED STATES ... The National Organization for Women (NOW) has called for massive demonstrations to be held in Washington, DC, on March 9 and in Los Angeles on March 16. The theme of the action is "National March for Women's Lives." The marches will protest both the violent attacks on abortion clinics during the last year and the Reagan administration's criminal offensive against women's right to control their own bodies.
A broad range of women's, Black, student and labor organizations are helping to build the demonstrations. Endorsements have been received from college and university groups across the nation. The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) is organizing a contingent in the Washington action. In a letter to the National Executive Board of CLUW urging participation in the march, CLUW President Joyce Miller wrote: "The purpose of the march is to show that the majority of Americans believe in and want to preserve a woman's fundamental right to make private and confidential decisions regarding reproduction, including the freedom to choose, or not to choose, abortion.