Speech of Skevi Koukouma, General Secretary of the Progressive Women’s Movement of POGO, AKEL Political Bureau member and MP On International Women’s Day – 8th March
Tuesday 8th March 2016, Nicosia
First of all I would like to express the satisfaction of the Women’s Movement of POGO for the mass mobilization co-organized with the Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) the day before yesterday outside the Presidential Palace. Such mass and militant mobilizations fill us with optimism and confidence. They charge us with the responsibility of continuing the struggle because the battle for gender equality is not confined to events, seminars and the submission of memos. The struggle for equality between men and women is first and foremost a struggle that is at the heart of society, in the streets, with women’s banners raised high, placards held high, raised fists and women’s hearts pounding. The mobilization organized the day before yesterday was just the beginning. Many women and men too responded to the call for struggle last week that commands: “People, don’t tighten your belt anymore.”
Many women and men are wondering, seriously and half-heartedly: Why should we continue to honour International Women’s Day? In doing so, do we accept that all the other days of the year belong to men? The reason why International Women’s Day is still being celebrated is because the struggle for parity has yet to be won and because equality between men and women has not yet been achieved, not even in the more developed countries. We honour Women’s Day because it remains a vision rather than a reality, because women are experiencing on a day-to-day basis dozens of open and covert forms of discrimination, oppression and violence.
We honour Women’s Day because the working mother who after finishing her job must continue a second job at home with children, taking care of the home, parents and in-laws.
We do so because of the dozens of employers refusing to hire young women of a certain age who will have children in order to avoid paying maternity leave.
We do so because in Cyprus, half of the complaints submitted to the Equality Authority concern sexual discrimination, allegations of sexual harassment, dismissal of pregnant women workers, discriminations due to maternity, discrimination in the hiring and promotion of women employees.
We do so because all the statistics on poverty, underemployment and unemployment persist in showing women recording the most distressing position.
We do so because in 21st century Cyprus, a pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage because, for example, the Medical Centre of Polis Chrysohous doesn’t have a gynaecologist and a gynaecological department?
We do so because even in the year 2016, the election of a woman as head of a state is news, and not a normal day-to-day occurrence.
We do so because even today when we hear about a woman victim of rape, many (and perhaps many women too) think “she was asking for it.”
We do so because even today are there still beauty contest shows that seek to humiliate not just a woman’s body, but also her mind.
We do so because the church and our country’s conservative circles want to decide about what women do with their own body. They characterize IVF treatment as “adultery” and are trying to block the modernization of the legislation on abortion and to prevent the introduction of effective sex education in schools.
We celebrate International Women’s Day because in civilized and developed Europe which gives lessons and preaches about civilization and democracy to the rest of the world, one in three women has experienced physical or sexual abuse and violence, usually by their partner; because only 14% of rape accusations lead to a conviction of the accused.
We do so because millions of women around the world, and in Cyprus too of course, are at the mercy of traffickers, who have them locked and confined where they are raped, brutally beaten, forced into prostitution, until they hate themselves and accept their fate .
We do so because there are 140 million women subject to the barbarity of the “custom” called genital mutilation so as to be supposedly clean.
We do so because there are 600 million women living in countries where domestic violence is not even considered a crime
We do so because there are 100 million women missing from the population of the Earth, given that in dozens of countries the birth of a girl is considered a curse and so the female embryos are discarded while female infants are left to die of hunger.
Therefore, for these and thousands of other reasons, International Women’s Day does have a meaning, a message and content. And this meaning has nothing whatsoever to do neither with lifestyle programmes that dedicate songs to women, nor with the offers of supermarkets for cosmetics and detergents. It has nothing to do with the women of the global elite who think they will celebrate the election of a Thatcher or a Merkel or now a Hillary Clinton, by overlooking the political content of their policy that reproduces poverty, unemployment and wars. Nor has International Women’s Day anything to do whatsoever with the wishes and rhetoric of the European Union, the Anastasiades government and the political forces who on the one hand are making – with their policies –the life of working women more difficult every day, and on the other issue statements to tell us how much they respect and appreciate women.
The meaning and content of today’s Day is what was written in the calligraphy of dignity and the struggles waged by the New York women textile workers in March 1857. The working women of New York did not demand expensive dresses, jewellery and a carefree life. They didn’t demand the right to be dynamic women behind successful men. Nor did they demand quotas in favour of their gender. They waged that historic strike for humane working hours, equality at work and in life. And they demanded it from those who were depriving them of these demands, that is to say from the employers and capital, who in fact responded with violence and repression. The women workers of New York wrote history with their own blood, precisely because they refused to suffer a double exploitation; to be exploited as part of the working class and exploited again also as women.
Besides – as was the case in the past so it is today – women from a higher social class and income levels are experiencing differently – if they experience it at all – gender inequality. These women can afford to pay for help in their household and for child care. They are not forced because of debts and financial obligations to accept a poorly paid job, a job that does not satisfy them, a job where they experience sexual harassment or prejudice. They have the financial independence so that they can leave a husband that beats them much more easily. On the other hand, a woman from the popular classes, the working mother of daily toil is confronting everyday with the many roles society and sexist stereotypes have imposed on her. This woman is left without any free time and opportunities to get involved in political activity, in social affairs and public life in general. This woman – which in fact represents the majority of our gender – is the one that suffers the burden of gender inequity. This woman personifies our struggles and demands.
This is precisely the point from where the whole issue is revealed in its essence and from where the burning questions showing the credibility and sincerity of each and every force on gender equality are set out.
The government should stop its wishful talk about equality. They should tell us whether they support – as AKEL and POGO do – the increase in maternity leave and the implementation of a scheme for paid parental leave that will cover both parents
The government and the DISY President should tell us how would they react, for example, if women militantly demanded equal pay with an increase in pay in women’s occupations? Would they support such a demand or would they tell us that this would “harm entrepreneurship”, as they had stated when the Christofias government increased the minimum wage in numerous jobs with a high percentage of employed women?
The government and DISY should tell us why they tried to cut the social pension from women who have no other income? They should also tell us why their Memoranda are closing day care centres and homes for the elderly, that is to say infrastructures that are indispensible for working women? Will the government – now that we have supposedly exited the Memorandum – reopen these facilities?
The Anastasiades government should tell us how will women have time to live their lives, to see their family, to become active in society, when the new working hours they want to impose – at the behest and orders of the big stores and supermarket chains – will lead to thousands of women shop workers across Cyprus working today a daily 10 hour and 12 hour shift?
Let them say when they will finally operate the Breast Centre and radiotherapy department at the Limassol General Hospital.
Let the Minister of Justice tell us how long it will take to bring before parliament the ratification of the Istanbul Convention for the Combating all Forms of Violence against Women? It took two years for the government to proceed to the signature of this Convention, despite the fact that it already had in its possession all the required preparation which had been completed by the previous government. We hope it will not need another two years for the next step to be made.
Let the government and ruling forces tell us what they are doing to modernize the humanistic content of our education? What are they doing to educate our children with the ideals of equality and mutual respect between men and women?
Dear friends,
There is another current topical issue in the news that concerns women. This concerns the new trick of DISY and the government, together of course with the Centre Party DIKO and the Social democrats of EDEK, who want to introduce quotas for women in the composition of the administrative boards of Semi-governmental organizations. This proposal is full of contradictions and dare I say of hypocrisy as well. Firstly, why is DISY so concerned about the composition of the Semi-governmental organizations when they want to sell them off to foreign and local capital? Must working women in these organizations celebrate because they will be made unemployed by a woman and not by a man?
Secondly, what is preventing the government, which makes all the appointments, from appointing women? What does a legal obligation serve? We must of course remind everyone that the Anastasiades government appointed just one woman to the Ministerial Council and this only after the reactions that exploded in society? Why didn’t the liberal Europeans of DISY party say anything then when they plunged Cyprus at the bottom of the world ranking in terms of the participation of women in decision-making centres, that is to say on the same level with Saudi Arabia? Let us actually remind them that during the Christofias administration, the number of women Ministers reached 4, the biggest number in the history of the Cyprus state. Let us also recall that there are 3 women MP’s in the Parliamentary Group of AKEL-Left-New Forces where quotas are not implemented, whilst in 2011 just three women MP’s were elected by the other political parties.
Nobody, however, doubts that the underrepresentation of women in decision-making is a real problem, affecting Cyprus and every modern society. But quota systems, regardless of the intentions of those who support them, operate disapprovingly about women’s capabilities. They reverse the root of the problem. The main reason why women are underrepresented in public life is not sexist stereotypes and the devaluation of women’s capabilities. These perceptions are refuted daily by women themselves in all areas of life. The root cause lies in the fact that today’s working woman is called upon to simultaneously fulfil multiple roles and responsibilities – at work, as a mother and in the family – a fact which eliminates the time and opportunity for women to engage in political activity, in trade union struggles and in mass organizations. Women face much more obstacles and difficulties which they have to combat so as to be able to actively engage in socio-political issues and struggles. So if we want to see more women in politics we have to improve their living and working conditions and more specifically for working women – who represent the vast majority of women. We are struggling for society’s progress and the substantial improvement in the lives of women themselves – not an artificial improvement of women’s image.
This is the reason why dear sisters and friends, POGO and AKEL are struggling, demanding and winning for women, the woman worker, mother, the unemployed, the woman farmer, pensioner and immigrant. A simple recording of the issues raised and the draft Bills submitted by the Parliamentary Group of AKEL-Left-New Forces in the House of Representatives on woman’s issues and gender quality is sufficient to convince women which political force is – both in theory and in practice – the force of women, the force of social progress and of the people.
The women of Cyprus, with their vote will take a position on the major political and social challenges of our country and society. At the same time however by casting their vote they will also express their opinion about the unacceptable phenomena of sexism and the vulgar attacks in parliament perpetrated by DISY members. With their vote they will reward or punish DISY who consciously chooses to have within its ranks such forces so as to appease the most conservative and reactionary section of society.
The Women’s Movement of POGO has not hidden its identity, history, ideology and class position. We are part of the Left of Cyprus. We are together with AKEL and we wage all battles together. Together we will also wage the battle of the forthcoming May parliamentary elections.
We shall struggle so that our people’s hope will remain powerful and strong, as well as the prospect of a just solution of the Cyprus problem and the reunification and liberation of our island.
We will struggle with AKEL so that it stays strong, the only force that can put a brake on the government’s neoliberal tsunami against the Cypriot society.
We will wage the battle for AKEL to be powerful, the force and voice of women in Cyprus.
