In celebration of 2019 International Women’s Day, BWI will showcase a series of #Herstories by women trade union members and activists fighting against gender-based violence and campaigning for gender equality.
Rita Schiavi, Chair of BWI International Women’s Committee addresses the importance of the global trade union movement mobilizing and campaigning to end gender-based violence and for an ILO convention on Gender-Based Violence in the area of work. The full text of her call in English is as follows:-
This year on the 8th of March we focus our struggle against
Last year I was in Brazil at the World Social Forum. Mariela Franco, a woman activist from Rio de Janeiro was to attend the WSF but she did not come. She was murdered just prior to the start of the WSF. She should have come to the Forum! Mariela was a fighter for women’s rights! She was a fighter against gender-based violence. She fought for justice and against police violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Mariela is just one of the thousands of women who are daily discriminated, sexually harassed, and murdered only because they are women!
Gender-based violence happens everywhere, also at the working place. This June at the International Labour Conference, there will be a discussion on an ILO Convention stop Gender-Based violence and harassment in the area of work. We, the Global Unions including BWI will be part of these discussions and we will fight for a strong Convention.
Sisters! Join us in our struggle for justice, equal pay, end discrimination and harassment against women, and stop gender-based violence.