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Day 4. Stories of Women*: Why parental leave is (also) a male issue

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When I first met the man who later became my boyfriend, he told me “If I ever become a father, I want half of the paternity leave”. I was ready to marry him then and there. Finding a man – even in the liberal and equal Denmark – who wants to take on at least half of the responsibility for the children, can be hard. I knew he was a keeper.

Why child care is just for women in Denmark 
Let me just fill you in on the situation in Denmark. We had the first law on maternity leave in 1901 granting women working in the industry the right to four weeks of maternity leave including social benefits and excluding the stigma of the help for the poor (which would strip you from your democratic rights). Quite a breakthrough. In 1908 women were granted child custody over their own children (until then the father had the sole custody over the children, and the mother were not even considered to be a sovereign individual until 1899). The maternity leave was gradually expanded to cover all women and cover a longer period. Not until 1984 were men specifically included in the legislative framework on parental leave.
We had our last law on parental leave in 2002 expanding it to 12 months separated as this: The mother is granted 4 weeks before the birth and 14 weeks after. The father is granted 2 weeks. The remaining 32 weeks are to be shared between the parents as they see fit.

It’s not enough to talk the talk 
Back to my boyfriend and me. One thing is having the right opinions. Another thing is sticking to them when life puts them to the test.

As any average academia couple, we haven’t gotten around to having children yet. Statistically we ought to. Both of us passed the 25 year-mark several years ago and the last time I went to my gynecologist, there was a printed abstract from a new research showing that the ability to reproduce decreases rapidly after 25. Thank you very much. But my ovaries are really none of your business.

I have many friends who have had the idea of sharing the parental leave equally. Then life happened, and for a number of reasons it just seemed more fit to let the mother have the majority of the leave. Maybe her job was more flexible, her paycheck smaller and hence the difference in income for the family less, or it just felt better that way.
The average Danish father has 4 weeks of paternity leave. So much for letting the families split the 32 weeks among them. 2 for daddy and 30 for mommy.
But this is not a family issue. This is societal structures keeping mothers and fathers in old fashioned roles within the family

Uneven parental leave affects the father… 
When fathers don’t spend much time with their newborns it not only affects the bond between father and child it also affects the fathers’ position vis-à-vis the mother in the eyes of the law. Having most of the parental leaves often expands into having most of the child’s sick leave days and participating in more parent-school-conversations and the like.
If the parents gets divorced and ends up fighting over the custody of their children the decision will often be based upon which parent have the strongest ties to the child – which can be argued is rather subjective. But one thing which can be calculated and objectified is the number of weeks on parental leave and the number of child sick leave days.
Therefore, fathers often loose the fight for child custody. If the parental leave was split more evenly so would the child custody.

…and the working mother 
The consequences for the mother are just as severe. Having longer parental leave with one or more children highly affects the connections to the labor market, and thereby jeopardizing female career advancements. Studies show that men who take longer parental leaves are rewarded with higher pay or promotion while women are placed at the back of the line after a long parental leave.

Furthermore, the retirement savings of women are smaller because they are connected to years of employment and the lifetime income of women are considerable smaller than that of men due to longer periods of parental leave. The inequality created through old fashioned and uneven parental leave law has ripple effects on the entirety of the lives of mothers.

The societal expectations grant young men a head start 
Let us make a thought experiment: Let us assume that the academical background and experiences of my boyfriend and I were the same: exactly the same merits. And we were to apply for the same position. Would we have equal opportunity of getting the job? We should have.
But in reality, the employer would favor my boyfriend over me because of the expectation that my boyfriend is less likely to take a large amount of the parental leave when we have children. Economically probably very rational. But very unfair.

This inherent expectation in employers is giving young men a head-start on the labor market and creating an unfair disadvantage for women.

A reformation of the current law guaranteeing both the father and the mother one third of the parental leave and leaving one third to be shared would definitely increase fathers share of parental leave and child care.

My boyfriend and I are ready to fight with his former boss for his right to take half of the parental leave. But it would be great to have a legislative framework as support in that battle.

Disclaimer: This essay only focuses on the issues around parental leave concerning hetero parents. If we take same sex couples and rainbow families into account, the number of problems with the Danish law on parental leaves arises drastically.  

Day 3. Stories of Women*: Untitled

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At seventeen I just wanted to die
And to deal with the pain I got drunk and I got high
See, I was missing this boy, he was the love of my life
But he was living on the other side –
Of the world, and every day I woke up scared that he’d killed himself
Cause all we ever did was killing ourselves.

So when my cousin got married, of course I was feeling it
Made me too damn emotional, so at some point I stopped feeling it
Well the thing is, I stopped feeling anything at all
Instead I drowned my thoughts in wine and some schnapps
I didn’t realise that there was a point where I should have stopped
– and there was this “sort-of-cute-guy” and he just wouldn’t shut up
So when he offered me a cigarette I said “let’s go”
And I guess it would be naïve to say I didn’t know
on the way to his car in which direction this would go.
When he kissed me I guess I enjoyed the distraction
But then his hand started going in a different direction
– and I guess he expected a different reaction.

I said “there is no way in hell I will let you do this”
But the thing is, he kept going through this
And the truth is I let him do this.
Cause I was too drunk to care
Damn it, I was too depressed to care
I didn’t feel a thing. I didn’t move. I didn’t say stop.
But the thing is – I think I didn’t want to do this.

So when we finally got back to the wedding reception
My mum caught me crying, cause he didn’t use protection
The next morning she drove me to the pharmacy
But I threw up the pill that was supposed to help me

And I played it cool.
Told my friends what had happened alight
Cause I guess it is quite a good story, right?
To lose your virginity at a wedding in a car at night.

It’s two years later and everyone is screaming “Me too!”
And I am so angry, cause who the fuck did this to you?!
But I never felt like I meant myself too…
Until it started sinking in drop by drop
And I did everything I could to make it stop

Told myself that I was crazy and that you can’t just decide
Two years later that something wasn’t right
So I kept pushing the thought aside…

See, I thought I fighting for them and not me
And it took me two and a half fucking years to see
That maybe it also happened to me

No. It can’t be true, cause it didn’t even hurt
(that much) and there’s a million other girls who have had it so much worse
And I didn’t say no. I didn’t say a word.
But it’s 11 am and I am crying in the bathroom at work.
No, I don’t get to do this, I don’t get to cry
I don’t have the fucking right!
So why am I suddenly feeling this pain inside?
No. This didn’t happen to me.
I am sure it didn’t cause it cannot be.
Cause this isn’t how we defined rape in this society.

Cause they will never blame the guy who was like six years older
And he’d fuck me when we both weren’t sober
And every second I just wanted it to be over

No, if I told them they would just blame me
Just like I am blaming myself
Cause I should have just said stop
I should have cried for help

Hey, I am not saying that I was raped that night
I am just saying that maybe this wasn’t exactly “alright”
That maybe this wasn’t his god-damn right
That maybe this wasn’t how I wanted this to happen
That maybe this wasn’t who I wanted it to happen with

Hey, I just wish this wouldn’t happen every single night
All around the world, to girls who can’t even stand upright
Even less pick up a fight
Man, please tell me how good this must feel like
For you and your weak ass, who apparently can’t get a girl when she’s sober
Who doesn’t ever remember her name when it’s over.

But not anymore, our time has come to take over
And I will not rest until this world is a better place for our daughters to grow older
Man, I am writing this because your time is fucking over.

Day 2. Stories of Women*: Untitled

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I was young and in love. He was 19 and in college. I thought it was such a boost to my social status to date someone who was in college and in a rock band. Who wouldn’t want that? I was only 15 when we met. He had been playing basketball in our community park and I was teaching catechism in the nearby church. I was naive and wanted to be in love. I approached him one day and asked for his number and we started texting. He said he had only broken up with his girlfriend and wasn’t ready to date. I was okay with that. We became friends and I thought maybe he’d learn to like me.

A month had passed; he started seeing me in a different way. Maybe he was starting to like me. Alas, just like that, he did. We were hanging out by the park, that night and he told me he liked me. It was music to my ears. I told him I’ve always liked him. He held my hand as we were sitting by the bleachers of the community basketball court. We talked about everything, our hopes and dreams. I felt like maybe I can be part of his plans eventually.

It was young love. Well for me it was. We went on dates, mostly at night as I escaped from my house because I was not allowed to have a boyfriend. After all, I was little miss perfect. We spent those nights just talking and making out. And months had passed, and he started wanting more. He asked to hold my boobs and I felt uncomfortable but he said that’s what happens in relationships. He was my first boyfriend so I wouldn’t know. Against the no screaming in my head I let him touch me in all places. Not long after that he started initiating intercourse. At first he let me suck his dick and I felt scared because I didn’t know how to do it. He pushed me on the floor and commanded that I knelt in front of him. He pulled my hair and told me to open my mouth and stuck his dick in my mouth. I tried sucking him but then he slapped me saying what I was doing was wrong. I was so scared. I was shaking. This was the first time he hit me. When I got home I brushed my teeth several times to get the taste of his dick out of my mouth. But I can still feel it in my throat. I threw up in my bathroom just thinking about it. That night was so traumatic I cried myself to sleep. I wanted to text him that I didn’t like what was happening. He told me it was my duty as his girlfriend to please him. I apologised.

I didn’t know why I did; I didn’t feel sorry at all. I was in love with him or at least I was infatuated with him. The next night he said he wanted to fuck me, I said I wasn’t ready. Again he slapped me, pushed me on his bed and started taking my clothes off. At that point I was already shaking. As he kissed my body, I froze and tears just started running down my cheeks. And just like that he thrust his erected dick into me. I was screaming inside but my voice was gone. I wanted to stand up and run away but my body would not cooperate. My body betrayed me and it was my fault for even meeting him again that night. After he came, he told me to put my clothes on and he’d take me home. I sat in the shower that night just crying and shaking. I was disgusted with myself. This wasn’t how my first time was supposed to be like. After that night, I didn’t reply to his texts.

Then I started receiving threats like “what would people think when they find out little miss perfect is not a virgin anymore?” or “do your friends know you’re a slut?”. I got scared so I kept meeting with him and we’d have sex every time. Every time I would do something wrong he would punch me or slap me. I started wearing a jacket to school to hide the bruises. It became a trend but what they didn’t know that inside I was dying. I was dead. It went on for months when he would threaten me and physically hurt me and I let him. He would say it’s my fault for being a shitty girlfriend.
One day I finally got the courage to tell him that I didn’t want it anymore. That it was over between us. I wanted to leave. But, he pulled my hair, dragged me into his room and started beating me and when I wasn’t resisting took my clothes off and fucked me. I was young and in love but I knew that love wasn’t supposed to hurt. I cried myself to sleep every night and during the day acted like everything was fine. I played the part of little miss perfect perfectly.

At that point, I didn’t use my phone anymore. I just wanted to disappear into thin air. One day, I got a friendster message from him saying, “I am breaking up with you. You are a shitty girlfriend and I don’t want you anymore. Besides, my girlfriend and I have gotten back together.” Just like that it was over. But the nightmare did not end. I felt betrayed and hurt and lost and angry. He was not even sorry for what he did. I felt like the world was closing in on me.

My world completely fell apart. I started harming myself, slashing my wrists. It felt like I wanted to escape this world. The black hole was eating me and I was letting it. But, I stopped myself, I started coming to terms with the past and focused on moving on. I continued to be little miss perfect. Besides, it was only a few more months until my high school graduation and I got to leave that place and try to forget all the pain. So I did, after graduation I went away, and never looked back. At university, I started being active in women’s rights. I realised that what happened to me, was rape. I never gave consent. I was threatened, I was abused.

I felt the guilt of having done this to myself that it was all my fault and thought about all the what ifs, what if I hadn’t approached him? What if I just left him and walked away. Up to this day only my closest friends know what happened that year. Even my parents don’t know. I was never really ready to tell anyone. I was scared of what the world would think. It’s been more than 10 years but it still haunts me. I am hoping that by sharing my story, young women would not let any guy guilt or threaten them into doing sexual acts just like that. We go through hell and we survive. Surviving just doesn’t end when the acts end. I hope that one day I will completely heal from this dark moment in my past. Healing is a long process but it get’s better.

Day 1. Stories of Women*: I am a Survivor not a Victim

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I dreaded writing this story because of the wounds of abuse become fresh and I wish the strength I have now, I had back then.

I am a 25 year old Swazi woman, a daughter to a woman who was abused by her husband whom I had to call my father no matter the painful scars that he embedded on my mom. This is what at first made abuse normal to me because my mother would always make an excuse on behalf of my father whenever he beat her. It was a long cycle of abuse with some days being the days where my father would make my mother feel so special like a queen before the storm broke; she was bruised and covered in blood. I came to accept that men can beat women up in the name of love and it was fine.

I started dating at age 17 after completing school due to the strictness of my parents who later separated as my mother had enough of the abuse. I met him at church during youth camp and he was every girl’s dream boyfriend at church, but he only had eyes for me. I think I appreciated being the chosen one for a while, but it was too good to be true. He was caring, really caring that he wanted to know everything about me; my whereabouts, friends, hangouts and sometimes who was calling on the phone. At first it felt sweet and caring and I enjoyed his attention. He loved knowing what time I would knock off work, so he could drop me off at home and I felt that it was his way of showing support.

I felt he loved me too much to let me travel by public transport. But he sometimes never asked but just pounced on me and did not negotiate whether I had plans to travel with friends or not. He never wanted to take NO for an answer and felt like as a couple we should be open enough to share each other’s phones as a sign of honesty and trust. I believed him and gave in even though I did not understand the significance of that. He would bring the phone in the middle of the night claiming men were calling and he would threaten to beat me up.

Threats escalated to beatings 
It started off as threats and then one day it was executed. It was a night out with friends at a colleague’s house, I forgot to tell him my plans for the night and co-incidentally we met as we went out to shop for snacks for the house party. He pretended to be understanding as one of my friends explained where we were going. He pulled me away from the crowd, so we could talk and before I could explain he slapped me so hard, I kissed the ground. My lips brushed through the soil and I wished to scream but it was so surreal, my lips felt numb then a hard knock hit my buttocks. I screamed, suddenly I heard him groan in anger and then he reached down for my hand and pulled me up to face him. I cried in shock and screamed but tears in his face made me stop. He was crying too and that touched my heart. He apologised teary and as much as I was in pain, it didn’t feel right to cry when I saw the level of regret he had written all over his face. He got away with it as I ended up blaming myself for making him angry thus leading to the beating.
The beatings started to become a pattern. He would beat me up for not taking his calls when I was busy at work, commenting on someone’s status with a ‘dear’, dressing up in clothes that he felt were revealing. Everything I did was wrong in his eyes. All arguments ended up with me lying on the floor screaming hysterically. I had devised a routine plan to fake seizures when he beat me up, so he could freak out and stop. I could not tell anyone about the abuse, not even the ladies I stayed with because it would have been hard for them to believe it. He was the “ideal man” in the eyes of others, always to the rescue when there was a need. I could not even bring myself to explain the bruises that were all over my body, so I hid away and cried myself to sleep.

Then one fateful day, this is still hard for me to admit. I realised I was pregnant a few days before my birthday, he had planned for everything in relation to my birthday party. I was excited about everything until I discovered that I was pregnant. He bought me a dress which was too tight, and I doubted if my growing tummy would not be too prominent in the dress. The day of my birthday party came. I failed to wear the dress he bought me, but I opted for pants and a flare top. Mr. party had to come fetch Miss party and as he came through the door I felt his shoulders drop and a fist clench on his hands. He smiled coyly and asked to be left alone then all hell broke loose. I was kicked, bashed and stamped upon. I played the seizure trick but that moment it did not help, he forced me into the dress like a corpse and carried me into the car.

The journey was rough, but one thing was for sure it was not to the venue for my birthday party. He called my cousin to apologise that I couldn’t make it because he had to rush me to hospital, but the road had no hospital sign. The pain was unbearable, and I passed out.  I regained my consciousness to his loud shouting, but I couldn’t make sense of any words. He finally stopped the car. It was a bushy place as I could see pineapple plantations around. He opened the door for me and helped me out and then the beating continued. I tried explaining that the dress was too tight and I was not going to be comfortable. But he maintained that I did not wear it because I wanted to wear clothes bought by my other boyfriends. I was kicked, forced to apologise and beaten for saying sorry too soft or with arrogance.

The last kick landed on my abdomen before I screamed out that I am pregnant. But it was too late as I had already started bleeding, the dress was covered in blood in the lower extremities and he acted too quickly. He finally took me to hospital. The baby was no more. My heart was aching so hard I couldn’t speak. Nurses told me that they could not give me care because I had to do a police report, but I told them I was mugged by unknown people. Due to fear of hypovolemic shock the nurses attended to me. I woke up in the morning to the sad confirmation that I miscarried and had broken a rib. As I lay in the post operation bed, I made up my mind that I will vanish either by death or by choice in this world. I decided to start my life anew.

The cycle had to end
Upon release from hospital I contacted my uncle and asked to recover in one of his apartments where I was sure my boyfriend would never find me. The cycle had to end.  I was not about to let my life end with the cycle of abuse. I disappeared three months of no cellphones, jobless, but the support my family, gave me was my source of strength. At first, I could not tell anyone what had happened but as the wounds were healing I started to talk. I regained courage as I talked and shared my story of abuse, I had visible and invisible scars, but all hurt the same.

I started to share my story with other girls in my community; it was not easy the tears would well in, as the memories felt new and fresh. Some would show empathy and others would tell me to my face that when a man beat you up it was a sign of true love and commitment. I didn’t blame them; society had made us believe that it was a norm for a woman to suffer in the hands of the one person that they love. After all, culturally a woman was thought of to be part of the children in a household and children can be beaten so it was justified if a man beat his wife. I was made to experience these harsh beatings of my mother and she endured them in the name of refusing to be called a marriage defect in the community, so I grew up knowing it is fine to be beaten.

Currently, I have learnt to note the signs of an abusive man way before he even decides to lay a finger on me. I refuse to be controlled by any man, all issues are discussed, and an agreement is made. If he fails to do that then we are better off separated. A man cannot control my movements or me, he must understand that everything comes to the discussion table. I refuse to hear someone play around with words like ‘I’ll beat you up or I could kill you’. It shows me he has potential of being abusive.

There are boys in these abusive households, they learn the norm and adapt it and take it as good practice because they see it done continuously and no action taken. Is this not the reason today our boyfriends opt to kill us because they feel like beating us only has made us used to their beating so better death. I may never have children because of the abuse but I refuse to see any more women be barren in the name of love or be made statistics of intimate partner violence. When will our culture stop protecting men in the name of Godly given powers that they should treat women as children which makes them feel right to hit them as method of correction. More and more women are being killed in the name of love. But this can’t be a November cry. Authorities only notice that women deserve to be protected when we commemorate the 16 days of activism. Do women only die during the November and December era? Was I abused only in the November and December era? The answer is NO.

Abuse is not seasonal, it is happening everyday within different households and more and more perpetrators are being groomed as they watch abuse being normalized within the society. Why can’t we uproot the normalized abuse in the minds of young boys and empowering the girls that they can break free from the cycle of abuse. However, this does not mean we are not noting the number of men that suffer abuse in the hands of women, that also must be condemned in the same manner that abuse against women. As a woman who has suffered abuse, I refuse to be quiet in the name of being in love. I want more women to speak out and act.

By a survivor 

Swaziland is Africa’s last absolute monarchy led by polygamous King Mswati. Political parties have remained banned in Swaziland since 1973. A total disregard of human rights and the crackdown of human rights defenders who call for multiparty democracy is endemic in sustaining the royal dictatorship.  
Swaziland is a highly patriarchal society where abuse of women is systemic. The problem of gender-based violence is deep seated.  Sad statistics show that, 1 in 3 females have experienced some form of sexual abuse by age 18 years, and 48 per cent of women report to have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. The story of Siviwe is not an isolated one. Many women are facing abuse daily and unfortunately some lose their lives. The struggle for democracy in Swaziland cannot be separated from the struggle for gender equality. 

REGISTRATION IS OPEN: IUSY WORLD COUNCIL 2019: FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE – SOUSSE, TUNISIA FEBRUARY 21-24, 2019

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“Fighting against climate change and social inequality around the world”

We as socialists, social democrats and labour organisations want to create a sustainable future. We want to face climate change with sustainable proposals, not only regarding pollution, but also the social inequalities caused by the adverse effects of climate change on disadvantaged people across the globe.

The future we want to create for the next generations is one consisting of a fairer, more developed, and more equal world, and this Council will focus on questions relating to how we achieve this with the focus on climate change and the social inequalities escalated by climate change. For example, what exactly are the links between climate change and sustainable development? How can youth lead actions on preventing climate change? What are the socio-economic effects of climate change?

The richest 10% of people produce half of Earth’s climate-harming fossil-fuel emissions, while the poorest half contribute a mere 10%. Still those who suffer the most of the effects of climate change are the vulnerable groups of our societies across the globe. Even though climate change is an issue we need to tackle together.

As organisations that fight against inequality, we have to put this issue at the top of our priorities; a world suffering from a climate crisis and increased social inequality makes global development unattainable. It is time to fight for a sustainable world through taking individual and collective action, and we must do it now. We need to act locally and think globally in order to create lasting positive change for our climate.

The IUSY World Council 2019 is hosted by the kind hospitality of JSD Tunisia and Fateh Youth Palestine.

Best regards,

Johanna Ortega                        Ana Pirtskhalava
IUSY President                         IUSY Secretary General

 

  1. Registration of Delegates

All delegates need to be registered through filling in the registration link provided in the invitation email. We urge all delegations to register before the 16th of December 2018 (since this means a better estimate on the number of participants attending the Council). After this date only a reduced travel reimbursement for all eligible organisations will be available.

The last deadline for registration is the 6th of January 2019. For delegations registering after the 6th of January no travel reimbursement will be granted and their acceptance depends on the situation of the registrations before the deadline.

First deadline: 16 December 2018
Second deadline: 06 January 2019

Registration link: https://goo.gl/forms/3tmje0j5E22t8BYv1

  1. Size of Delegations

Full member organisations are entitled to send two (2) participants. (entitled to TR (except MOs from European Committee)

Observer organisations are invited to send one (1) participant. (entitled to TR (except MOs from European Committee)

Invited organisations (guests) are invited to send one (1) participant. (not entitled to TR)

Presidium and Control Commission members are not counted as participants of their delegations for the IUSY World Council; they will take part in addition to the total number of delegates of their organisations.

  1. Participation fee

Every delegate and guest must pay a fee to cover part of his/her costs for the World Council. In the spirit of international solidarity, the fees are different according to world regions.

The participation fee (expressed in Euros, €) for registrations before the 1st deadline, the 16th of December 2018, will be the following:
Participants from organisations belonging to the European Committee (organisations from European Union’s member countries, from Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland): €150.
Participants from other organisations: €130.
Guests and invited orgs: €150.

The participation fee for registrations before the 2nd and last deadline, the 6th of January 2019, will be the following:
Participants from organisations belonging to the European Committee (organisations from European Union’s member countries, from Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland): €180.
Participants from other organisations: €150.
Guests and invited orgs: €180. 

Transfer the participation fee to following account respecting the naming mentioned below:

Bank: BAWAG
BLZ (BIC): 14000
Account number: 0531 0660 380
IBAN: AT41 1400 0053 1066 0380
SWIFT code: BAWAATWW

Reason for payment: Council 2019 + Name and Country of your Organisation

Note: Please send a confirmation of the participation fee payment to the Secretariat.

The participation fee covers all costs for meals and accommodation during the days of the event. With the participation fee, each participant directly contributes to making the IUSY World Council truly global and to ensuring a broad participation. The participation fee secures the possibility for IUSY to give financial support for travel costs to delegations coming from outside of Europe.

The fee has to be transferred by the 20th of January to the IUSY bank account. In case of exception, please get in touch with the IUSY Secretariat.

Please do not transfer any participation fee until you get a confirmation email from IUSY secretariat stating that you have been selected to participate in the Council.

Note: If the delegate will not transfer participation fee before the Council (respecting the deadlines) or if they do not do payment in cash on arrival (notifying secretariat about it in advance) they will not be able to have accommodation for the council. Adding participation fee on debt will not be possible!

  1. Travel Info/Accommodation/Venue of the World Council

The World Council will take place in the Sousse, Tunisia. Sousse is located on the coast of Tunisia, 140 kilometres south from the capital Tunis.

Accommodation and food will be provided for the days of the Council, including arrival (Thursday) and departure (Sunday) days. We encourage you to arrive as early as Thursday, February 21st, as the Council starts on Friday morning.

The following airports are closest to the Council venue:

  • Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport (23 km)
  • Enfidha-Hammamet International airport (60 km)
  • Tunis Carthage International airport (160 km)

Travel from all three airports to the World Council venue will be provided. Please take into account that the travelling time from different airports to Sousse varies, also there will be the waiting time for grouping the participants arriving with different airlines. Waiting time can be some hours. If you are not comfortable with that we will provide information about public transport later on as well.

We will only provide transfers from and to the airport on 21th and 24th of February. No exceptions will be made. Individual transfers will not be provided.

  1. Travel Reimbursement

We are kindly advising all organisations to start booking flights immediately in order to get the best possible price. IUSY will be able to support your travel costs for delegations not from the European Committee* with a fixed maximum amount per delegation depending on the date of the registration (ones registered within first deadline have more chances to get TR) as mentioned above.
A list with reference prices will follow for each region. Please note that the full amount of travel reimbursement listed can only be given to the delegations registering before the 6th of January.

In case the organisation has not paid its membership fee for the year 2019 or has some debts from previous years, membership fee and all debts should be paid or will be automatically deducted from travel reimbursement. (you will get membership fee invoices for you the year 2019 before 15th of December).

All travel reimbursements will be made in Euro by bank transfer after the meeting. Exceptions will ONLY be made for those who contact the IUSY Secretariat before the second deadline for registrations and you will justify the need to get reimbursement in cash. But even in this case we will not guarantee that TR in cash will be possible.

Please send the attached travel reimbursement form with complete bank information to the Secretariat at council@iusy.org.

  1. Visa

Delegations who need a visa to enter Tunisia should start the process as soon as possible and apply for a tourist visa. Please kindly contact the embassy or consulate of Tunisia in your country immediately to begin the process for obtaining the visa. To assist you in the visa process, please provide all the relevant information in the registration form linked to the invitation email. I would also ask you to send the copy of your passport with your confirmation of participation.

IUSY will issue invitation letter upon request but it is participants responsibility to contact the embassies and to arrange earliest possible appointment. IUSY will not be able to cover visa costs.

  1. Right to Vote

Full member organisations have the right to two (2) votes. To confirm voting rights, each organisation must have paid their membership fee for the year 2019 as well as any outstanding debt (this membership fees can be paid either via bank transfer or on the spot in cash – only Euros or US dollars will be accepted). As stated in the IUSY Statutes: “A member organisation’s right to vote is automatically suspended, if all outstanding membership fees have not been received by the opening of the Congress or Council.”

All delegations must be gender-balanced (1 female and 1 male delegate in delegations composed of 2 members). Delegations not respecting this rule automatically lose 1 vote and will not be entitled to TR. If you have not paid your Membership fee and debt yet, we urge you to do so right away. The Secretariat is more than happy to assist you in the process if necessary.

To contact the IUSY Control Commission directly, please send an email to the Chair of the Control Commission, Roland Gúr (roland.gur@iusy.org).

  1. Resolutions and Amendments to the IUSY World Council documents

All organisations will receive the preparatory documents for the Council by the 30th of November.

Should you have amendments to these documents or should you wish to present proposals for resolutions and declarations to the Council for adoption, we kindly ask you to send these documents to the IUSY Secretariat at council@iusy.org in advance, but no later than January 13, 2019. All IUSY member organisations can send resolutions, declarations.

From 1st of February 2019, all proposals received will be made available on the IUSY website: www.iusy.org 

You can propose amendments to proposed resolutions/declarations/statutory amendments by the 10th of February 2019.

Proposals for Urgent Resolutions can still be presented at the Council before Friday, February 22nd at 3pm.

In the spirit of solidarity, we encourage you to submit amendments/proposals in at least two official languages of IUSY (English, French and Spanish). If you would like to contribute in helping us translate the documents in French and Spanish please get in touch with the Secretariat. Your help will be very much needed and appreciated.

  1. Important deadlines

1st deadline for registration: 16 December 2018
2nd deadline for registration: 06 January 2019
Participation fee payment:    20 January 2019
Sending resolutions, declarations, statutory amendments: 13 January 2019
Amendments to proposed documents: 10 February 2019
Urgent resolutions: 22 February, 2018 by 3pm.

  1. Contact the IUSY Secretariat
  • Phone: +43.1.523.12.67
  • Email: council@iusy.org (we will only answer questions/requests regarding Council 2019 via this email)

 

Declaración en apoyo al Impuesto a la soja en Paraguay

admin

IUSY siempre ha estado comprometida con las luchas democráticas y en busca de justicia de nuestros compañeros y compañeras de Paraguay. En el 2012 nos pronunciamos enfáticamente exigiendo justicia, el esclarecimiento del caso Curuguaty y en contra del golpe parlamentario al presidente Fernando Lugo. En diciembre del 2014 tuvimos la oportunidad de visitar a los presos políticos de Curuguaty y de conversar con diversos actores políticos y sociales, constatando la falta de voluntad del gobierno paraguayo en el esclarecimiento del caso y la ausencia de una justicia imparcial y equilibrada.

Finalmente, en julio de este año, los compañeros presos y las compañeras presas de Curuguaty, fueron liberados y liberadas, luego de la decisión de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de declarar la investigación insuficiente e incongruente; demostrándose así lo que siempre supimos: que fueron y son inocentes.

Desde hace unas semanas, vemos con consternación como una vez más campesinos, campesinas e indígenas son expulsades violentamente de sus tierras, en complicidad con las fuerzas de seguridad del Estado, profundizando la inequidad en la distribución de tierras vigente en Paraguay. Hemos visto ataques armados por parte de terratenientes a estas comunidades que han dejado personas desaparecidas y heridas con armas blancas y de fuego que se dan con el objetivo de extender los cultivos de soja sobre tierras públicas y tierras de propiedad comunitaria.

Desde IUSY, condenamos enérgicamente la expulsión de campesinos, campesinas e indígenas de sus tierras, a la vez apoyamos el proyecto de ley del “Impuesto a la exportación de soja, trigo y maíz en estado natural” impulsado por la bancada del Senado del Frente Guasu como un mecanismo para la redistribución de las grandes rentas de los sectores agroexportadores, para que esos ingresos sean invertidos en programas sociales en favor de las poblaciones rurales así como también la protección del medioambiente.

Exhortamos al Estado paraguayo a implementar el Impuesto a la soja, así como a implementar políticas públicas para la recuperación de tierras mal habidas, de apoyo a la agricultura familiar campesina y la realización de una verdadera reforma agraria que permita la redistribución de la tierra en Paraguay y una mayor justicia tributaria.

“La tierra es de quien la trabaja”
“Impuesto a la soja YA”

Comité Americano de la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas – IUSY Asunción, 13 de noviembre de 2018

Documento programático feminista, Comité Americano IUSY 2018 “Sin feminismo no hay socialismo”

admin

El Comité Americano de la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas –IUSY, por sus siglas en inglés– reunido entre el 11 y el 14 de noviembre en la ciudad de Asunción, Paraguay, con el objetivo de reflexionar en torno a la lucha del movimiento feminista en América, conociendo de las situaciones actuales que se desarrollan en cada uno de nuestros países, así como de los procesos y desafíos colectivos para vencer al machismo, el patriarcado, el conservadurismo, la violencia y la inequidad de género.

En América se han desarrollado múltiples movimientos sociales que visibilizan una serie de realidades injustas y naturalizadas para las mujeres. El movimiento Ni Una Menos/Ni Una Más, la campaña por el aborto libre, seguro y gratuito, las marchas en contra de la violencia de género, la demanda de justicia para Marielle Franco, solicitar educación sexual integral y educación no sexista, el surgimiento de hashtags en redes sociales como: #MeToo, #VivasNosQueremos, #CuentaloTú, #SomosLaMitad #QueremosParidad#MiPrimerAcoso, #NiñasVisibles, #LasNiñasPueden, #NoQuieroTuPiropo, #EleNão; todos los cuales convergen en el amplio espectro de demandas feministas.

En ese contexto, nos pronunciarnos sobre una serie de puntos:

La urgencia de debates feministas en la región

En nuestro continente la agenda feminista ha emergido con fuerza en una nueva ola, entendiendo que tanto el patriarcado como el capital constituyen barreras de desigualdad que empobrecen la calidad de vida de las mujeres. La lucha es mucho más apremiante, si consideramos que el avance de las fuerzas conservadoras está representando una amenaza directa a la lucha feminista. Vemos como la realidad de la violencia de género, en todas sus formas, se encuentra generalizada en el continente y transversalizada en todos los niveles de la sociedad. Queremos incidir en la formación de leyes, programas políticos y políticas públicas que incorporen una perspectiva de género. Sin embargo, es importante tener claro que esto no se puede agotar en el ámbito del Estado, sino que tenemos que apuntar a un profundo cambio cultural en nuestras sociedades.

Requerimos fuerzas políticas coherentes con la agenda feminista

Nuestras juventudes deben ser el vivo reflejo de la agenda que declaramos, llevando a la práctica el discurso feminista. Entendemos que un socialismo auténticamente democrático debe representar los principios antipatriarcales, decoloniales y que aporten una mirada interseccional a nuestros países. A partir de este Comité nos comprometemos con avanzar en protocolos contra la violencia de género, para tratar los casos que tengan lugar en las organizaciones; a promover la participación política efectiva de las compañeras en forma paritaria en nuestros partidos; a insertarnos y acompañar los movimientos sociales y luchas autónomas de las mujeres en los países; así como también, nos damos a la tarea de cuestionar fuertemente la idea de un modelo heteronormado y androgénico de forma hegemónica.

Fortalezcamos la participación política de las mujeres

Identificamos como obstáculos a la participación política de las mujeres la inexistencia o debilidad de los procesos de cuotas en elecciones populares, la falta de formación política con una perspectiva feminista, la ineficacia de los partidos a la hora de incentivar la participación de las compañeras, la invisibilización de vocerías femeninas en espacios políticos y una débil descentralización de la representación en los espacios subnacionales. Para estos obstáculos creemos que es importante trabajar activamente en favor de la autonomía política de las mujeres, potenciando las capacidades que, en todos los sentidos, tienen las mujeres para participar activamente en los espacios de la esfera pública.

Generemos las condiciones para un trabajo decente para las mujeres

Hemos visto de cerca, ya que es evidente, como las mujeres de América trabajan en empleos informales, en condiciones precarias, por mayores tiempos y con menor salario que los hombres. En efecto, los trabajos no remunerados siguen siendo formas de empleo invisibilizado y minimizados en nuestras economías, realidad ante la cual apuntamos decididamente a la formación de Sistemas Nacionales de Cuidado que contribuyan a mejorar la vida de las mujeres que han sido relegadas a estas labores por su condición de género, clase social, lugar de procedencia, edad o pueblos originarios y afrodescendientes. Del mismo modo, la realidad de las jóvenes que, por distintas razones, no acceden a educación u oportunidades laborales, es preocupante y nos impulsa a buscar mecanismos de garantía de estos derechos sociales, siendo la ampliación de la educación pública, gratuita y de calidad la mayor herramienta para ello.

Aspiramos a una educación con perspectiva de género

Nos hemos sumado, y daremos continuidad, a la demanda por una educación no sexista a lo largo de todo el ciclo educativo. Atendiendo, con particular atención, los procesos de eliminación de estereotipos de género, promoción de la participación activa de mujeres en áreas del conocimiento masculinizadas, exigir mayor presencia femenina en la cabeza de nuestros centros de educación superior, instalar la paridad en la representación estudiantil. Estas demandas no reemplazan, sino que complementan, la lucha activa que llevamos por ampliar el acceso de niñas, jóvenes y mujeres al derecho a una educación pública, gratuita, integral, laica y no sexista.

Queremos una vida libre de violencia para las mujeres

Nos mantenemos firmes en la defensa del derecho de las mujeres americanas a una vida libre de violencias. Esto incluye la necesidad de ampliar la concepción de violencia, y así penalizar acciones como el acoso callejero, la violencia sexual y la explotación de mujeres en el comercio sexual y el narcotráfico, así como ejecutar eficientemente los programas estatales que abren casas de acogida, procedimientos judiciales especializados y prevención de situaciones de violencia. A su vez, hemos detectado que la creciente encarcelación de mujeres en el continente dice relación con la utilización de las mujeres por parte del crimen organizado y un paupérrimo acceso a la justicia.

Abramos el debate sobre las libertades y derechos sexuales y reproductivos

Durante 2018, hemos sido testigos de cómo el movimiento de mujeres ha impulsado el debate sobre la agenda de derechos sexuales y reproductivos. Compartimos los objetivos de Educación Sexual Integral para decidir, anticonceptivos para no abortar y aborto legal para no morir. Vemos, en la comunidad LGTBIQ+, una población donde no hay una promoción suficiente de sus derechos sexuales y reproductivos, al igual que el conjunto de sus Derechos Humanos.

Estamos segures de que, los puntos anteriormente desarrollados, son una expresión de la progresividad de los Derechos de las Mujeres, que no es otra cosa que progresividad del Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos en su totalidad, el avance de una democracia sustantiva sin fronteras y la consolidación de un desarrollo sostenible, a través de la transversalidad de la mirada de género en nuestros países y la implementación de la Agenda 2030.

Nos volvemos a nuestros países con la convicción de que sin feminismo no podremos construir socialismo.

¡SIN FEMINISMO NO HAY SOCIALISMO!

¡SE VA CAER!

Comité Americano de IUSY 18´
Asunción, Paraguay
13 de noviembre de 2018

 

Declaración final Comité Americano IUSY 2018 “Sin feminismo no hay socialismo”

admin

El Comité Americano de la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas –IUSY, por sus siglas en inglés– se reunió entre los días 11 y 14 de noviembre en la ciudad de Asunción, Paraguay, con el objetivo de reflexionar en torno a la situación actual que vivimos en la región, sobre el estado de nuestras democracias y la imperiosa necesidad de construir una agenda feminista desde la izquierda para toda América. Centramos nuestros esfuerzos en la construcción de estrategias, alternativas y programas políticos que den respuesta a las demandas sociales y necesidades de nuestros pueblos.

En un contexto global en que se profundiza el capitalismo en formas cada vez más sofisticadas, vemos en América el avance de gobiernos ultraconservadores, que aplican políticas económicas que generan cada vez más desigualdad en nuestros países. Esta desigualdad favorece a una minoría concentradora de la riqueza global, en desmedro de los sectores medios y populares, que son la mayoría de nuestros países. La desigualdad ha venido acompañada por el incremento de la violencia, la intolerancia, la militarización de nuestros países, y un fuerte retroceso en los derechos y libertades conquistadas en los últimos años.

Estos gobiernos han constituido alianzas estratégicas con los sectores empresariales y confesionales del continente, se han legitimado mediante el manejo de los medios hegemónicos de comunicación y con la judicialización de la política como práctica habitual. Vemos también cómo se profundizan los discursos de ultraderecha que promueven posiciones misóginas, xenófobas, racistas, belicistas y contrarias a la realidad del cambio climático, que encuentran sus máximos exponentes en figuras como Donald Trump y Jair Bolsonaro.

Como jóvenes socialistas, socialdemócratas y laboristas estamos llamades a profundizar nuestros debates, a reflexionar críticamente y movilizarnos en defensa de la democracia, de los derechos humanos y de los sectores postergados del desarrollo. Estamos siendo emplazades a actualizar nuestros programas, nuestros discursos y nuestras organizaciones, en miras a consolidar una izquierda auténticamente democrática en todos nuestros territorios.

Vemos con mucha inquietud la situación de Brasil, que representa en su máxima expresión el avance de las fuerzas de ultraderecha y neoliberales. El discurso de odio sembrado por Bolsonaro ha calado hondo en una parte importante de la población brasileña. El desprecio por les pobres, las mujeres, les afrodescendientes, los pueblos indígenas, la comunidad LGTBIQ+, entre otres, no hace más que reforzar todes nuestros temores. Lo que en un momento fue un conjunto de amenazas, hoy se hace realidad. El Ejército a la calle, la violencia, los ataques al diferente y al vulnerable, la falta de respeto a las instituciones y el desdén por la democracia se hacen cada vez más moneda corriente. El límite de lo posible se corre más y más hacia el fascismo, lo que nos llama apoyar a nuestros compañeres brasileñes.

En Argentina, manifestamos nuestra preocupación con el gobierno de Mauricio Macri, quien ha demostrado que no poder solucionar ninguno de los problemas que recibió de la gestión anterior y agravó la mayor parte de ellos. El abrupto salto cambiario de 30% en cinco meses y la inflación que se acelera degradan el poder adquisitivo de les argentines y las expectativas de crecimiento. El brutal endeudamiento y la hipoteca no sólo de los activos del presente, sino primordialmente del futuro, siguiendo expresamente las imposiciones del Fondo Monetario Internacional, constituyen un evidente desmedro de la soberanía nacional. A todo esto, se suma el lento avance en torno al fortalecimiento institucional, la crisis del Poder Judicial, el financiamiento de la política y la transparencia.  A 3 años de que Cambiemos llegara al gobierno, ha aumentado significativamente la desigualdad, millones son excluidos y la crisis social aumenta, debido a la falta de políticas que garanticen derechos y al recorte presupuestario en áreas como educación, salud, ciencia y tecnología.

En Nicaragua y Honduras, la represión que los gobiernos de Daniel Ortega y Juan Orlando Hernández han ejercido contra las protestas populares merece nuestra más profunda condena. Dichas represiones han dejado a más de 700 compañeres latinoamericanos asesinados, más de tres mil heridos, más de 50,000 exiliados, más de 800 personas encarceladas ilegalmente, afectando principalmente a jóvenes y mujeres. IUSY demanda el pleno respeto a los derechos humanos de las y los nicaragüenses y hondureñes, la libertad a les preses ilegalmente encarcelados y cumplimiento de las recomendaciones de la CIDH y la Oficina de la Alta Comisionada de Derechos Humanos.

En Chile, estamos presenciando un retorno de la derecha al poder de la mano de Sebastián Piñera, proceso que tiene a nuestras organizaciones locales impulsando redes de vinculación como oposición activa. En esa dirección, la centroizquierda joven ha estado presente en las luchas contra la precarización del empleo juvenil, la criminalización de la protesta social y las luchas feministas que no han encontrado aún una interlocución válida. En paralelo, nuestras juventudes han iniciado un proceso para constituir una alternativa política progresista, que interprete los cambios que se han generado en una sociedad post transición democrática, algo que celebramos como parte de la unidad de las fuerzas.  A su vez, aplaudimos la relevancia internacional de la ex Presidenta, Compañera Michelle Bachelet, hoy Alta Comisionada de Naciones Unidas para los DDHH, que en ese rol seguirá en la defensa de los derechos fundamentales en el continente.

En Ecuador, expresamos nuestro contundente rechazo ante la eliminación del Ministerio de Justicia, creado en base a compromisos asumidos para con la comunidad internacional, como ente responsable de la aceptación de la ley para prevenir y erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres. Exhortamos al gobierno ecuatoriano a tomar medidas urgentes y eficaces a favor de las mujeres y la población LGBTIQ+.

En Venezuela vive hoy una crisis humanitaria de lamentables consecuencias para la población. Reiteramos nuestra profunda preocupación por la situación política, económica y social del país, en la que no vemos mejora. Deseamos que se promueva un diálogo plural entre los distintos actores políticos del país, buscando soluciones concretas donde se garantice la supervivencia de la democracia, el respeto a las instituciones y la convivencia política. Respaldamos las acciones que promueven la vía electoral como derecho fundamental y necesario para lograr cambios positivos significativos, confiando en la capacidad unificadora de los sectores progresistas por el camino democrático y bajo los valores de la solidaridad y la pluralidad.

El gobierno del Frente Amplio en el Uruguay, por su parte, sigue avanzando en derechos para la población y cambios estructurales. Estamos segures que enfrentarán el próximo proceso electoral, en la unidad en la acción que siempre ha caracterizado al FA. Esto resulta fundamental para resistir al avance de la ultraderecha en la región.

Finalmente, en México se vive un momento de cambio, ya que el próximo 1° de diciembre entrará en funciones el nuevo gobierno de López Obrador. Desde este espacio esperamos que se pueda hacer cargo de temas que se arrastran desde hace décadas y que afectan gravemente a las y los jóvenes, tales como la violencia, el narcotráfico y la corrupción, y que sus decisiones se basen en los principios de izquierda, y sean apegadas a derecho. La voluntad de las y los mexicanos se manifestó de manera contundente, sin embargo; esto no significa que sea un cheque en blanco para el gobierno entrante.

El Comité Americano extiende el agradecimiento a la organización anfitriona Juventud País Solidario por las actividades realizadas.

¡Si a la Paz!

¡Ni una menos!

¡Vamos a tirar al patriarcado!

¡En todo el mundo para cambiarlo!

Comité Americano de IUSY 18´
Asunción, Paraguay
13 de noviembre de 2018