- Conference
- 2008 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 25 October 2007
- Decision
- Carried
This conference notes that the experience, threat or fear of men’s violence affects the lives of women and girls everywhere, cutting across boundaries of wealth, race and culture. Violence against women is both a cause and consequence of continued inequality and discrimination. States continue to fail to meet a due diligent standard to prevent violence against women, to protect women from it and to bring its perpetrators to justice even where they have signed the UN human rights standards notably the Convention on the elimination of discrimination against women.
Women everywhere are rising up to demand that finally violence against women be eradicated and women’s rights be respected, protected and fulfilled. There is outrage at the continued subjection and abuse of women and Conference notes that on International Women’s Day – March 8th 2008 – a million women march is being organized by Million Women Rise Coalition. The Million Women Rise Coalition (MWRC) is a group of representatives from women’s voluntary and community organizations and supporting individuals, which includes Women and Girls Network, Women’s Resource Centre, The Nia Project, Southall Black Sisters, Equality Now, Roshni Nottingham Women’s Aid, Solace (Camden, Islington and Enfield Women’s Aid, Apna Haq East Midlands, Woman Kind, Women Healing Women, London Feminist Network, Emfems, Reclaim the Night, Women in Tune Wales, Safra Project, Awaaz Redbridge, Ashianna, Rape Crisis England and Wales, The MWRC operates by democratic process, has an elected chair and two co-coordinators. The coalition does not currently own charitable status and has therefore agreed and authorized the Women’s Resource Centre a registered and company limited by guarantee to hold its funds.
Even where they may not be a million individuals in body, there will be more than a million in spirit. Women will represent all those unable to march for themselves due to their lifestyles being restricted and controlled by men’s violence or indeed for all those women murdered by their partners and families and communities in male violence.
In solidarity with women all over the world we call upon the National Women’s Committee to:
1)Send a message of solidarity to Million Women Rise Organisation
2)Support the Million Women Rise on March 8th 2008 in every way – encourage women members to participate on the day via the regional self organized groups and branches.
3)Circulate information and publicise the event.
4)Through sponsorship or donation support the Million Women Rise organization to meet the financial costs which to enable the March to happen.
5)Support the call for an integrated strategic approach as recommended by the UN to tackle violence against women devised in conjunction with the women’s sector and rooted in the UN definition of violence against women.
6)Support the call on our government to make rights a reality by properly applying, publicizing and implementing existing legislation.