ASF REPORT

SWAN
I represented the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and the Women’s League of Burma in the ASF, a really big event wiht delegates from 140 organisations from 40 countries. Having attended such a big forum I got many experiences.

I was very interested to attend this forum to learn about resistance and fight for alternatives by agricultural workers, sweat-shope workers, from the unorganized sector; about land struggles, struggles for freedom and equality. The people came to the ASF to share their experiences and demand for their needs.

I learnt that there are many people in India, who live in difficult situations, people who are homeless and jobless. Although there is quite high percentage pf homeless people, they still have rights and freedom to assemble, to express their opinion in their own country. In contrast, Burma gained independence from British in 1948, one year later than India. How different the conditons are in India and Burma, how poor is the situation in the neighboring country of Burma, where people live under the gunpoint of the Burmese military.

My main objective at the ASF was to raise awareness on the issue of sexual violence committed by the Burmese military in the Shan State. I distributed information about the report on the Licence to Rape and our campaign Stop Licence to Rape. Collecting signatures under petition to stop rapes, at the same time explaining the situation in Burma was hard task because people knew little or nothing about Burma. In a short time, I had to explain the Burmese history by comparing the situation of India, so it was not easy to get my points. I also explained how ongoing sexial violence and oppression of people of Burma by the military regime is linked to the desires of the regime to profit from international or bilateral development projects. The regime uses rapes of ethnic women as a weapon to control the people and use our land, rivers, and other natural resources. Any kind of international assistance or cooperation would be gainful to military regime. That was why we asked Asian social movements participating in the ASF to raise awareness in their countries on the dangers of any kind of assistance or cooperation provided to military junta in Burma.

I was very proud of myself to represent SWAN women and speak out on the sexual abuses committed by the Burmese military. The rape survivors have no chance to talk about their cases. The Indian audience was shocked to know about large numbers of rape survivors - women and girls. In their communities, sexual abuses against women including rape cases do occur, but it is not at such a a mass scale as it has been documented in the report Licence to Rape.

At the workshop where I shared the cases and documentation, participants got an idea for collecting information, keeping files, data for documentation on violence against women.

ASF participants were very active signing under the petitions. They also gave their addresses to receive more information on the situation of Burma. I felt that there are no borders to work together internationally on women’s concerns.

kenneri@loxinfo.co.th

Sharing from a SWAN member on women and globalisation.

Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum (TNWF), with its members, joined this seminar. Fatima Burnad, leader of TNWF, welcomed the audience and introduced the seminar.

War on terrorism, she pointed out, is translated as the state terrorism in India, its genocide program in Gujarat, and every day atrocities on Dalits, particularly on Dalit women and also the Bush war on Iraq for oil.

There were lectures on “Bush’s War on Terror and the U.S. Drive to Consolidate its WorId Hegemony”. There were two speakers from the Philippines who focused on how the U.S.A. after September 11, has become more assertive in its colonial agenda, using globalization as an economic offensive, with “free market,” and claiming to be sole super power to impose a Pax America in a new world order.

A book was recently released called “Unmasking the War on Terror”. Copies of another book, “U.S. Imperialist Hegemony and Crisis” were given to partner organizations, Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED) / TNWF / Tamil Nadu Dalit Women’s Movement (TNWM).

The materials used in the seminar are good and important that the local groups are trying to get copies of these, for them to use. They will try to translate and simplify for the villagers and other audience here.

We will continue to spread this message on Unmasking the War on Terror, the real face of U.S. We will organize protest and resistance against U.S. imperialism. We will join the others in the world through mass actions to Stop War on Terror. This seminar enlightened us more on U.S. imperialism.

We planned to oppose War on Terror. We understood more about State Terrorism. We oppose Imperialism and we say “NO TO WAR”.

burnad@md3.vsnl.net.in

Solidaritas Perempuan
Member, RIW-TF
by Agustine (Nunuk) Prasetyo Murniati

I joined the Asian Social Forum as a representative of the Perserikatan Solidaritas Perempuan (SP) Indonesia, a member of APWLD. My primary role in this forum was a resource person in the Seminar on Communalism and the Law, organized by the India Centre for Human Rights and Laws, and in the Women Conference Resist the Globalization, organized by Core Women’s Group. I spoke about “Women and Fundamentalism in Asia :Indonesia Case” and “Violence Against Women in Indonesia”. (papers available upon request)

APWLD-SRED marching through the streets of Hyberabad with the People's Movements Encounters

In this occasion, I got many ideas and support to continue on my work in the people’s movement in Indonesia. Everyday since the opening ceremony till its closing many people gathered in the grounds of the Nizam College, centre place of ASF. Their dance, their oration and their presence showed people’s power. It was not a power over, but power within every participant and power with the people. It seemed to me like a community of worms that have been oppressed for long, long time, which was trying to rise for sustaining their life, through solidarity movement. Every participant was fervently wanting to take part in this solidarity movement. For example, Dalit women’s solidarity was clearly seen in their dance and rally when many Dalit women danced and walked together in a tight group, no one of them separated from the group.

In the ASF, people who experienced negative impact of globalisation, gathered to look for a new vision, ways and directions for social, economic, political and cultural changes.

I noticed that there were more women participants than men. This clearly shows that women resist
globalization. Indian feminists like Vandana Shiva, Urvashi Butalli, Kamla Bhasin, Razia Sultan Ismail Abbasi; Farida from Bangladesh; and Rana Nasa Shiva from Palestine, among others, spoke out and sparked people’s spirit to respond to the problem of globalization, its impact on women and children.

The programme of the ASF was very diverse and very interesting. There were seminars, conferences, workshops, rallies, folk dances, people tribunals, film festival, cultural exchanges. The theme of the forum “Another World is possible” gives inspiration to all participants to look for the alternatives to globalization. But, unfortunately the workshops were scattered all over the city making it difficult to find the places.

Participation in the program
I want to share about my participation in the Seminar on Communalism and the Law: Gujarat Movement, organized by the Indian Centre for Human Rights. The objective of seminar was to broaden understanding of the participants about the communal violence in Gujarat, particularly how the law can respond to this problem. It was important to me to raise women’s perspective in the discussion. What kind of law and what kind of reforms should be undertaken? We have two kinds of law - customary or traditional law based on patriarchal culture, and formal law, which is created on the basis of the same culture. The relationship between law and culture must be analyzed. In this seminar, all speakers, including the Indian women speakers lacked women’s concerns addressing the issue. This is a challenge to APWLD in the coming years.


Another important conference that was organised in the ASF was a joint women’s conference Women Resist Globalization. APWLD was planning to contribute and speak from the floor to raise the issues from the other parts of the Asian region since the most of speakers were from South Asia. However, the four hours for the conference were not enough to accommodate all speakers.

The objectives of this conference were to deepen and broaden understanding of globalization from the women perspective. There were more than three thousand participants, including about 10 % of men. This conference was divided into 4 sessions. The first session talked about how women resist globalization. In this session the speakers share experiences of women’s movements in their countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The issues raised were how the women respond to the culture of consumerism, trafficking in women and children, environmental destruction, water crisis and destruction of biodiversity. The session provided inspiration for the alternative movement, towards the promotion of women’s ideology of simplicity, strengthened diversity and de-centralised alternatives.

In the second session, Vandana Shiva spoke about disadvantages women face on economic resources. Globalization has destroyed systems of food, seeds and water. All those resources are essential sources for sustaining human life. Vandana Shiva called women to fight for maintaining biodiversity, management and control seeds, water, food and natural resources. Farida from Bangladesh emphasized the need for women to maintain diversity in all aspects of life. Our diversity is our richness. We have diversity in all aspects of life. Our diversity is our richness. We have a responsibility to maintain biodiversity and food sovereignty. Also, Farida warned women especially in the third world to be careful with micro credit, and to avoid getting trapped in that kind of capital, which leads to the destruction of our lives.

In the third session on “Violence against Women” there were many speakers who wanted to share their experiences. Asmita from India, Rana Nasa Shiva from Palestine, Latifah from Gujarat, India, Namila from Nepal shared about women situation in their country and shared how they respond to the problem of violence against women.

The last session, under the sub-theme “Women, Freedom and Democracy”, Aung Tin Tin from Burma, Nita Hussein from Pakistan and Amalsana from Iraq shared their visions and strategies used by women in their country. Aung Tin Tin shared her experience in fighting the military government from aboard. She lives in India for 14 years and supports the Women League of Burma in its struggle against the military junta, against culture that supports women oppression, as well as in its effort in responding to poverty and violence against women in armed conflict. Nita Hussein from Pakistan shared her struggle to combat religious fundamentalism. This kind of fundamentalism is clearly anti-women movement.

Religious Fundamentalism in Asia was discussed in the seminar organised by Heinrich Boell Foundation (HBF). The focus of the seminar was on its relationship with State, Power and Politics; the expressions of religious fundamentalisms in everyday life and personal relationships. Participants agreed that there are no pure religious fundamentalisms as there are always some politicians manipulating behind the scenes. The impact of religious fundamentalism on women’s lives is huge and is found in daily life. For us, it is important not to fall into trap by the political manipulations. We find fundamentalism movement in everyday life, so we must be critical in order not to be trapped by manipulation of politics.

The conference on Peace and Security, organized by Asian Peace Alliance, has drawn links between the globalization and war, conflicts, weapon industries, especially of chemical weapons. It was enlightening when the speakers shared how we have to respond to this situation through people’s science movement. This movement work to shape science and society for innovative alternatives to globalization especially for peace and social security building.

The conference on Debt, Development and Trade, organized by Jubilee South, analyzed the impact of foreign loans in Asian countries. The foreign debt, the Export Capital Agency and privatization in our societies have robbed the social resources, the people’s life resources such as forest, natural resources, especially land, water and sea richness.

The seminar on Ecological Democracy, Justice & Equity, organized by HBF, discussed how to achieve democratic, just and equitable use of natural resources. Nowadays, privatization, investments of land, soil, forest, water provide profits only to multinational owners and impoverish majority of people. How to solve this problem and achieve democracy, justice and equity remains unclear. This question was central to many other participants.

The seminar on Ecology, Culture and Knowledge: Defending People’s Rights to Resources, further analyzed the issue with a women’s perspective. The roots of the current crisis in ecology, culture and knowledge lie in the capitalist system itself. Globalisation serves capitalist goals. Multinational corporations hijack people’s life resources for the sake of own profits. USA used military to maintain their capitalism system in globalization. That is why armed conflict and war threaten people. People’s rights to use and control natural resources are taken away, so people lose their sources of life. Even water, the main need for human life, is being privatised, taking away the people’s rights to use it. These issues are very close to women’s hearts as they are directly involved with sustaining their families.

The workshop on Alternative Vision: Another Asia is Possible was organized by HBF and NGO-COD, Thailand. As the spirit of Asian Social Forum, the workshop explored theoretical and practical approaches in searching for alternatives.

From this workshop, I noted some points:

> Development should be oriented towards sustainable development and be people-oriented (not growth/income/profit oriented).
> Small is beautiful.
> To become many, not to become huge/big.
> To distribute out equally life resources, natural resources, capital as well as profit.
> To maintain the diversity in all aspects of life and manage it since it constitutes people’s source of life.
> Not to have more, but to be more !!!

To achieve this vision, we should be doing following:

> To globalize alternative vision;
> To support people’s movements by active non violence actions, especially women’s movement (women is a group of human beings who have to participate in all decision making);
> To transform neo-liberal capitalism system to a new social system as some countries are trying to do so;In every action we have to pay attention to the process: understanding, analyzing and setting up appropriate strategies;
> To teach the people to say no !!!

In the culmination of the ASF, I joined a rally with hundreds of women around the city of Hyderabad. On that night, I heard that there were around 30 women arrested. It is the reality of life in our relation with state. As it is almost always in Asian countries, governments use force against people.

By participating in Asia Social Forum, I am very sure that “new” socialism will come, another world for victims of injustice. It would require hard work but it is possible. Transformation of our economic-political system needs conceptualisation and practical support. All of us have to take part in supporting this transformation.

The difficulties in implementing such transformation to a new world are to change the mainstream consumerist culture. Most people are alienated and they are not aware of their own private situation anymore. Fast and material-oriented modernization as a color of globalization has made people blind.

The Asia Social Forum had affirmed my struggle in the justice and peace movement. I got support from the solidarity of people in Hyderabad. I will continue my work to assist the people in the grassroots “to say no” when their life’s resources are to be sold by the regional leaders or by the state.

I will hold on to my vision, and my mission to build an alternative world.

soliper@centrin.net.id