*{
http://www.ffq.qc.ca/marche2000/en/commun.html
24 aout 2002

Press release


Montreal, May 31th 2000 - }

Five years ago, the "Bread and Roses" women's march brought 15,000 women to the National Assembly in Québec City, Canada, to demand measures to combat poverty and improve women's quality of life. It was also five years ago that Beijing hosted the fourth World Conference on Women; the Conference’s Platform for Action is to be evaluated in June during a special session of the UN’s General Assembly. 

In five years, the status of women has deteriorated. They form the majority of the 1.5 billion people who live on 1$ US per day or less. Primary victims of the International Monetary Fund’s structural adjustment programs, they are more likely to experience illiteracy, and are the first to suffer from a lack of access to social services, good health, water, land, housing and education. They are also the main victims of war, violence, rape, and sex trafficking. 

In response, women’s groups, community organizations and labour unions are mobilizing to protest this abuse and denounce free-trade agreements, criticize the big economic institutions and demand measures to combat oppression. The World March of Women is part of this movement. 

The World March of Women is demanding concrete measures from the UN and its member States to: 

Eliminate poverty and ensure equitable sharing of the world’s wealth between rich and poor and women and men; 
Eliminate violence against women and ensure women’s equality with men. 
As of today, 4400 groups in 153 countries throughout the world have signed up. Women are on the march in all these countries. On May 6, in Burkina Faso, 10,000 women rallied and presented the March demands to the president and prime minister of the country. The president of Burkina Faso announced the creation of a national forum so that women’s delegations can meet with the government of Burkina to discuss measures to be implemented in terms of the women’s demands concerning poverty and violence against women. Women in Niger marched on May 12, and then read out and submitted the national platform of demands to the president of the Republic in front of the entire government. In the Central African Republic, the march was held on May 19. The prime minister, Anicet Georges Dologuelle, met with the women and affirmed his total support for the March. He stated his aim for a steady implementation of measures designed to improve women’s living conditions. 

In Romania, Peru, Spain and many other countries, women held actions to publicize the national and world demands of the March. 

The June calendar of major actions organized by participating groups is provided below. We will be happy to give you further information regarding the actions and demands of the World March of Women.