Towards equality

Louise Nousratpour
Sunday March 11, 2007
The Morning Star

BRITISH REPORT: LOUISE NOUSRATPOUR listens to women giving inspiration in the fight against sexist and racist oppression.

WOMEN campaigners drew inspiration from revolutionary Venezuela at the weekend as they united for social justice at a north London conference, stressing the link between rape, race and violence and the chronic poverty generated by capitalism.

Saturday's Rape, Race, Prostitution conference, organised by the Global Women's Strike, brought together hundreds of working-class women from all over the world to discuss ways to stamp out rampant violence and gender inequality.

The gathering provided a forum for people to share their accounts of being on the receiving end of violence and brutality and the institutionalised racism and sexism
that women often face when they try to raise their grievances with the British authorities.

It highlighted the achievements of women's active roles in revolutionary Venezuela and upheld its progressive gender laws as a model which campaigners should press the British government to adopt.

GWS speaker Selma James stressed the link between the issues raised and their common root - poverty generated by the capitalist system.

"Behind the scenes of racist attacks, the witch-hunt of Muslims, false arrests, deaths in custody and atrocities of war, are women organising a fightback," she declared.

Scores of militant women speakers showed that this was true. They lambasted the government, judiciary, police and some voluntary agencies for, at best, failing to do their job.

As a result, over 200 women are killed each year by a violent partner or ex-husband,
while rape convictions are shamefully low at 5.3 per cent. In Suffolk, where five prostitutes were recently murdered, it is even lower, at just 1.6 per cent.

Asylum seekers, who fled rape and torture only to be smeared as liars and threatened with deportation by the British government, spoke out against the harsh immigration laws.

Somalian mother of eight Bilan Mohamud spoke of the repeated racial abuse that she and her family had been subjected to by neighbours in north London. Each time they alerted the police, officers treated the matter as a neighbour dispute and arrested her husband for "threatening" the neighbours.

"The attacker punched me in the face and broke my nose, while shouting 'fucking refugee, fucking nigger, go back to your country'‚" she recalled.

Melanie Khan recounted the grotesque violence that her pregnant friend recently suffered at
the hands of Brixton police in south London. She said that officers beat her and subjected her to a vicious sexual assault while she was in custody.

"Now she is the one facing trial for assaulting a police officer," Ms Khan said, asking: "Who do we turn to for help when the police and other authorities show signs of institutional racism and sexism, over and over again?"

Conference demanded stronger, swifter, action, including dismissal against racist and sexist police officers, the judiciary and rogue public bodies.

The audience was urged to pressure their local MPs to sign an early day motion, presented by Labour MP John McDonnell, which aims to improve women's legal rights.

Conference also tackled the devastating impact of the government's "nazi" anti-terror laws at home and the so-called "war on terror" abroad.

Maryam Ahmad, whose husband is
facing extradition to the US, described the "trauma and terror" suffered by Britain's Muslim community, while Tahrir Swift of the Iraqi and Arab Media Watch highlighted the plight of Iraqi women under occupation.

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Horrors beyond words

The 'honour' killing of a Kurdish 17-year old (right) has caused shockwaves worldwide. Now, activists are fighting back. LOUISE NOUSRATPOUR reports.

Sunday May 20, 2007
The Morning Star

AT just 17 years old, Du'a Khalil Aswad was dragged to her death in broad daylight by her male relatives. She was so shocked that she didn't even scream.

In a frenzy of misogynist violence, she was stoned to death in a Kurdish town near Mosul last month in front of hundreds of witnesses, including members of the US-trained Iraqi police force.

"These men killed Aswad, a child, laughing and kicking her. They smashed her face and head and, to humiliate her, they stripped her naked. Yet they seem to have walked free," says Diana Nammi, who is a member of the Iranian Women's Rights Organisation.

The brutal act was a so-called "honour" killing. Aswad's crime was to fall in love with an Arab man not of her own pagan Yazidi faith. She was deemed, therefore, to have brought "shame" on the family name.

Kurdish feminist Houzan Mahmoud, who has received death threats from reactionary jihadist group Ansar al-Islam in northern Iraq, explains that the mobile video of Aswad's murder has been sent to every girl and woman in the area to terrorise them.

"But it has had the opposite effect," she says triumphantly.

As the video of Aswad's barbaric murder was posted across the internet, thousands of men and women across Iraqi Kurdistan rose up in condemnation and demanded justice for Aswad.

"It has brought thousands of men and women out on the streets and we have so far gathered 80,000 signatures for our campaign. We have also seen the publication of hundreds of sympathetic articles and poems," she adds.

Many hold the US-led occupation and the Iraqi regime directly responsible for the soaring rate of rape, murder and other gender-specific violence in the country.

The occupiers are "allowing reactionary groups to flourish," says Amnesty International UK women's rights campaigner Heather Harvey. With it, violence against women in its most severe form is also growing, she added.

There have been many alleged cases of rape and murder of women by Iraqi and occupying forces. Most notorious is the case of 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, who was raped and then murdered, together with her family, by US soldiers in March last year. No-one has ever been convicted for these crimes.

It is estimated that hundreds of women have been murdered in the name of honour since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The latest United Nations figures show that over 44 women were killed between January and March 2007. Aswad and at least 12 others have since met the same fate.

"Behind Du'a and behind all the killing is the occupation. We will see hundreds of Du'a as long as there is occupation. There is no state in Iraq to uphold law. The 'authorities' watched Du'a get stoned," warns veteran Kurdish women's activist Surma Hamid.

The US-led forces also stand accused of deliberately supporting reactionary religious and tribal groups to divide and rule the population and undermine their ability to unite against their main enemy.

"We need to get to the heart of the matter and demand an end to the occupation," storms Hamid.

Campaigners are also calling for changes to the law to protect women and bring the perpetrators of violence to justice.

Many women in the region, who, like Aswad, dare to love outside marriage or resist forced matrimony, are staring death in the eye.

But, while lawlessness and rampant violence reigns in Iraq, the Iranian regime has "institutionalised" violence against women by enshrining stoning in law as punishment for disobedient women.

"The fate of Du'a could be mine," says Diba Alikhani of the Iranian Association in Support of Women.

The Islamic regime in Iran has left women with two choices, she argues. "To be a victim or fight back." She and many others have chosen the latter option and they, along with their counterparts in Iraq, now face death threats.

However, International Federation of Women Against Fundamentalism chairwoman Elizabeth Sidney dismisses as racist arguments which single out Islam over "honour" killings, stressing that this kind of misogynist brutality exists in all religions and cultures.

"Having studied many religions, I can tell you that the Christian sect, Mormons, can teach the mullahs - Islamic clergies - a thing or two about gender brutality," stresses Sidney.

In Britain, two women a week are killed by a family member.

Kurdish and Iranian Women's Rights Organisation director Diana Nammi highlights the case of Banaz Mahmoud Babakir Agha, who was the victim of an "honour" killing in Birmingham last year.

"Her murderers fled to Kurdistan and are now roaming free," says Nammi.

Campaigners have labelled the region a safe haven for criminals in the absence of laws to prosecute them. They are calling on the British government to hunt Agha's killers and seek their extradition.

The horrific killing of Aswad has provided the catalyst for an international campaign both to fight "honour" killings and to raise awareness about the plight of women in occupied Iraq.

Kurdish rights activist Ibrahim Karim issues a stark reminder of the challenge that it faces.

"Iraq is run by armed militia men and lawlessness is rampant. The Iraqi government has no authority. The occupation is the key problem."

Murdered in the name of honour

LOUISE NOUSRATPOUR reports from a conference on the silence surrounding "honour killings."

Monday October 16, 2006
The Morning Star

IN April this year, the mutilated body of Banaz Mahmoud Babakir Agha was found stuffed in a suitcase buried in a garden in Birmingham.

Police later recognised that she had been the victim of so-called honour killing.

The 20-year-old Kurd had sought help from the police at least five times, fearing that her life was in danger. But her concerns were ignored.

A conference organised by Iranian and international women's rights groups in south London on Friday stressed that Banaz was just one of thousands of women murdered each year in the name of "honour."

According to the UN, over 5,000 women and girls are killed every year by family members.

But the conference called this a "gross underestimation," citing Afghan women's groups which contend that at least 5,000 a year are dying in that country alone.

Women who resist forced marriage, flee abusive husbands, have sexual relations outside marriage or are even victims of rape are slain by their relatives for bringing "shame" on the family name.

The conference argued that the near-epidemic rise in honour killing and its spread to communities in Europe should be seen in the context of rampant globalisation and the "war on terror."

It rejected attempts to label honour killing as merely cultural without considering the backward political and socio-economic conditions on which such violent patriarchy thrives.

Veteran socialist writer Fateh Sheikh argued that the rise in these crimes were a result of the world "counter-revolutionary offensive" that has been stepped up since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He explained that the wretched socio-economic conditions that are being imposed on large sections of the world's population had breathed new life into reactionary cultures and traditions that should have long been buried.

Iranian Association for Support of Women speaker Diba Alikhany, a psychologist, gave an eye-witness account of the extent of the problem in parts of Iran.

"Far from being recognised as a crime, honour killing is backed by the authorities as a family's right which should not be interfered with," she explained.

"We campaign to raise awareness among women about their rights through seminars and discussions, while challenging the legal system which condones these crimes of honour."

British-based Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) director Diana Nammi talked of the growing problem in Europe and Britain.

She accused the Establishment of giving lenient sentences to perpetrators on the basis that it is their "culture."

Over 180 women in Britain had sought help with the group in the past year, of which 14 "would have certainly been killed if we had not forced police to provide 24-hour protection," Ms Nammi said.

IKWRO is campaigning to raise awareness within the judicial system.

It is asking the British government to ensure that "service providers and front-line social workers are aware of the crime and have the necessary resources to support the victims."

Ms Nammi addded: "We also need effective legislation to prevent any reduction of charges being made in the name of culture, religion or nationality."

Pregnancy discrimination 'must be halted'

Louise Nousratpour at TUC Conference, Brighton
Thursday May 17, 2007
The Morning Star

CIVIL servants union PCS conference warned on Thursday that women who experience post-natal depression and other pregnancy-related illnesses are not protected by the law against management discrimination and bullying.

Delegates condemned the law's inadequacy to protect women suffering from childbirth-related illnesses beyond their statutory maternity leave period and demanded new legislation to rectify this injustice.

Around one in six women experience post-natal depression.

Cardiff and District delegate Kathrine Williams said that the Department of Work and Pensions, where she works, was receiving an increasing number of complaints from women about workplace discrimination during and after pregnancy.

She warned that employers were ignoring legislation and using sickness absence schemes to put pressure on depressed mothers to return to work or face the sack.

Ms Williams also highlighted the fact that massive cutbacks in the health service directly affected these vulnerable women, pointing out that "many, who are often in imminent danger of harming themselves or others, are having to wait six to eight months just to access an NHS counsellor."

Glasgow Branch delegate Jerry McMahon, whose wife suffered from post-natal depression, agreed that "the law doesn't provide the protection needed."

He also argued that the statutory maternity and paternity leave period should be extended to allow parents time to bond with their new-born child "without the threat of bullying or sacking."

PCS national executive member Sue Bond pledged the union's commitment to push for amendments to the law to protect these women from aggressive employers.

PCS lambasts Trident replacement

Louise Nousratpour at TUC Conference, Bighton
Thursday May 17, 2007
The Morning Star

PCS delegates lambasted government plans to renew Trident nuclear weapons at an estimated cost of £76 billion on Thursday.

The civil servants' conference in Brighton attacked ministers' "shameless lies" about the necessity of privatisation and public-sector cuts to balance the books, while allocating billions to renew Trident nuclear missiles and fund illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Conference was urged to make a link between these issues and campaign with other unions to push for public money to be spend on building a world-class social system at home, not imperialist wars abroad.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka accused the government of having "political priorities" which were anti-working class and tipped in favour of war and big business.

Greater Manchester delegate Dave Vincent said: "It's absolute hypocrisy for the British government to threaten countries like Iran about their nuclear capability when we are about to renew ours.

"The £76 billion would be more usefully spent on education, health and pensions."

Mr Vincent praised the "bravery" of whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu, who served 18 years in jail for exposing Israel's secret nuclear weapons in 1986, as well as anti-nuclear protesters arrested for blockading Faslane naval base in Glasgow.

Some delegates expressed concerns that abandoning Trident would mean thousands of job losses for members working in Faslane and Coulport naval bases.

But conference promised to dedicate part of the campaign to push for alternative jobs, where these members can use their skills in socially useful sectors.

"The £85 million a year allocated by the Scottish Executive to renew Trident could be used to create over 3,000 jobs in the region," one delegate highlighted.

In a debate on the NHS, Harrow Branch delegate Mark Benjamin warned that over 12,000 jobs had been lost in the health service since April last year as bosses seek to save money.

"The privatisation is wasting the extra money put into the NHS on profiteers rather than patients," he said and encouraged PCS to "visibly" back local and national campaigns by health workers and their unions against these cutbacks and closures.

Public sector ready to hit back

Louise Nousratpour at TUC Conference, Brighton
Wednesday May 16, 2007
The Morning Star

FURIOUS delegates at the Civil Service union PCS conference in Brighton warned the government yesterday that it will face a summer of discontent because of growing anger over privatisation, job cuts and pay.

Conference unanimously endorsed proposals to co-ordinate industrial action where possible with other public-sector unions whose members are also affected by the below-inflation pay offer of just 2 per cent.

On job cuts and privatisation, delegates agreed to intensify the union's campaign and to consult as widely as possible with its 300,000-plus members on further industrial action.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said that the unanimous vote was "for intensifying and escalating the campaign," which has already seen two national strikes this year, as well as other actions short of strike.

"We will now be seeking to hold as many meetings with union branches and activists across the country as possible to discuss the way forward," he said.

Public-sector union UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis sent a message of solidarity, giving his union's full backing for co-ordinated action.

Pointing to new Labour's "relentless drive" to privatise and cut public services, he stressed: "Unions cannot fight these battles alone and PCS and UNISON should be working together to maximise our impact in responding to the attacks on us."

Mr Prentis invited PCS to discuss in the weeks ahead "how we can liaise on developments on pay, so, where there is industrial action, we co-ordinate where possible such action."

Mr Serwotka welcomed the support of UNISON as "very significant" for the campaign.

Education unions NASUWT and the National Union of Teachers have already signalled their support for co-ordinated action, while the UNISON health conference voted to ballot for strike over pay last month and the Communication Workers Union is currently balloting members over the issue.

Mr Serwotka explained that, over the summer, PCS will meet internally and with other unions to take the campaign forward.

This could lead to to mass action, including extended national walkouts and targeted action, by the end of summer.

Delegates heard that civil ser-vants were starting to be hit by compulsory lay-offs under government plans to cut 100,000 jobs, which have left members stres-sed and demoralised and facing violence from irate customers.

About 25 wildlife officers will be laid off this week and officials at the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Work and Pensions also face compulsory redundancy.

"PCS stands ready to negotiate," Mr Serwotka stressed, but only if the government halts its attacks on pay and conditions.

"Faced with a cut in living standards, more privatisation than the Major and Thatcher years combined and savage job cuts, delegates today have said they will stand side by side with other public-sector workers and, where possible, co-ordinate industrial action," he said.

"The government can move to quell the discontent running through the civil and public service by starting to value its workforce with fair pay and by recognising that decent public services need public servants to deliver them."

Raise Your Voice

(Written by my father Rebwar - right - and translated from Kurdish)

Raise your voice now!
Don’t let it quiver in the cold
Oh bright-eyed Galaveje wrapped in rags

Come, sing the anthem of “Comrade Shwan” load and clear
So your shorn little lambs shiver no more in the icy gust

Declare:
In this world,
Mum and dad and their fellow wretches
Have knitted so many woollen jackets with their weary fingers
That neither I, nor any other child will suffer from the cold

Declare:
In this world,
There is so much wool and fleece
That neither my little lambs, nor any other will be shorn to shiver in the cold

Yes:
I’ll sing my anthem
And raise my luminous voice
I’ll console my comrade Shwan
Until I string them up
Those witch-eyed pot-bellied brutes
Who stole my woollen jacket
Who fleeced my little tender lambs
I’ll hang them up, annihilate them