Indoleft | Women activists in Bandung say IWD must become fight for equality, against capitalism

Home > South-East Asia >> Indoleft

Women activists in Bandung say IWD must become fight for equality, against capitalism

Pojok Bandung - March 8, 2017

Bali activist commemorate IWD with demand for equal rights, decent wages – KBR. March 8, 2017
Activists in Makassar mark IWD with calls to end violence against women and children – Tribune Timur. March 8, 2017
Commemorating IWD, Pekanbaru students take up human trafficking, violence against women – Tribune Pekanbaru. March 8, 2017
Trade unions commemorate IWD in Jakarta with calls to end discrimination, sexual violence – Kompas.com. March 8, 2017
IWD rally in Yogyakarta highlights child marriage, sexual violence – Detik News. March 8, 2017

Bandung – Activists from the Women's Liberation Committee of Struggle (KPPP) held a rally to commemorate International Women's Day (IWD) in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Wednesday March 8.

The action, which started at 2pm, was held in front of the Sate Building (Governor's offices) on Jl. Diponegoro. The group brought banners reading "The Women's Liberation Committee of Struggle: Women Unite, Fight for Democracy, Equality and Prosperity".

They also brought posters of women figures who have fought for the birth of IWD which is commemorated on March 8 each year.

Visible were posters of Indonesian and international women figures, including among others, Marsinah, SK Trikurti, Kartini, Inggit Garnasih, Leila Khaled (Palestine), Clara Zetkin (Germany) and Camila Valejo (Chile).

The action was also enlivened with speeches, theatrical performances and the distribution of leaflets to drivers passing by the Sate Building.

"For me, International Women's Day is a milestone of the women's struggle, not just to be commemorated in a ceremonial way, such as by handing out flowers", said action coordinator Gesia Nurlita.

Gesia said that to this day women are still in the grip of the capitalist system and a culture of patriarchy (men). "Commemorating this [IWD] must become a milestone in the struggle to fight the capitalist system and for women's prosperity and equality", she said.

The groups voiced 37 demands, including among others, wages for labour in the home, equal rights and treatment for women and men in the workplace, a 50 percent increase in the [minimum] wage and free, scientific and democratic education. (imn/pojokbandung)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Perempuan Bandung Tuntut Upah untuk Ibu Rumah Tangga".]

International Women's Day Indonesia - Archive of IWD reports from the Indonesian media

Source: http://bandung.pojoksatu.id/read/2017/03/08/perempuan-bandung-tuntut-upah-untuk-ibu-rumah-tangga/.

See also:

Subscribe to Indoleft

Indoleft is an English-language news service produced by the People's Liberation Party (PPR) and APSN. Postings are translated from Indonesian language news reports, statements and publications not otherwise available in English. If you would like to subscribe free to this service just send a blank message to <indoleft-subscribe@lists.riseup.net> and you will be automatically added to the list (APSN’s news update subscribers automatically receive INDOLEFT).