EL Fem network has convened this weekend in Athens to discuss a new organization for the network’s functioning and a working plan for the next years. The capital of Greece was symbolically chosen to embrace this meeting as an expression of solidarity with Greek people whose rights and working conditions have been under a harsh attack caused by the austerity measures imposed by the governments.

The recent ripples brought by the social and economic crisis have directly affected women in a much higher proportion and demand the emergence of a new wave of feminism: women must claim their rights and places within the neoliberal world. The dominant paradigm is destroying the European social model, and the capitalist system is deteriorating the infrastructures in a big number of countries, bringing an ecological, social and economic disaster.

The International Monetary Fund plan for Greece will conduct people to escalating poverty and despair, the constitutional victories of the last 40 years are currently under a barbarian attack and a new and effective strategy for equality between woman and man is absolutely needed.

Violence, social harassment, poverty and social exclusion, the rise up of the retirement age, the proliferation of seasonal jobs and part time employment, the limitation of the welfare state, privatizations, the reduction of the maternity leave, and the increase of firing despite the law are part of this attack against women that describes a crisis of democracy where reaction and resistance is penalised, Lisa Doudoumi, Greek feminist declared in the opening speech of EL Fem assembly.

The current situation is putting the independence of women in risk and it is time to define a concrete framework for EL FEM network based in tangible axes as equality between man and woman, development of public services and a struggle allied to social movements and trade unions. From Finland to Greece, and from Bulgaria to Portugal, representatives from twelve countries explained the common and different points experienced by population under the present economical and social crisis and their concerns on protecting women rights against the assaults. The crisis cannot be used as an excuse to impose neoliberal policies and reduction of freedom and rights.

The fight in North Africa was also debated trough a common resolution as a sign of hope and inspiration of a social transformation done by women and youth. The participants visited the migrants without papers who are on hunger-strike since 25 January and expressed their solidarity with the struggle for respecting the human and democratic rights for the people living in the EU.

Concerning the organizational issues, the new coordination of the network will be assured by some of the founding members of EL FEM network, Christiane Reymann (LISA network, Germany), Litsa Doudoumi (responsible for feminist policy, Synaspismos, Greece),  Charo Luque Gálvez (Women’s policy Federal Coordinator, United Left, Spain), Laurence Cohen (Women’s Committee Coordinator, French Communist Party), and Gitte Pederson (women’s Commission Red-Green Alliance, Denmark).

Read the opening speech of Litsa Doudoumi here and the approved Resolution on solidarity with the women in the Arab world here.
The EL FEM appeal for the 8th of March, international Women’s Day, will be available soon.