Speaking out for Women's Freedom at the WSF 2007/S'exprimer en faveur de la Liberte de la femme au FSm 2007.

• Author: Musa, Roselynn

Over the past three decades, in most African countries as in many parts of the world women's rights organisations have been created with the ultimate aim of improving the living conditions and livelihoods of women, through a diverse range of strategies and approaches. Partly as a result of the work of these organizations, but also taking due account of similar work undertaken by long standing formations, their role and contribution to development of women is now widely recognized and acknowledged as being both significant and critical to progress in that direction. For example Women's rights such as reproductive and sexual rights, which are guaranteed in regional and international human rights treaties and thus need to be recognized and enforced at all levels. They are intrinsically linked with other human rights and are a precondition for sustainable development.

Gender discrimination is perceived in the society as a consequence of the lack of openness that will necessitate the respect for individual rights. True democratic societies believe that no single tribe, race or sex has monopoly of the knowledge and power. It is also true that different people have different views and interests and there is need for institutions to promote the rights of all people to allow them live in peace. Ethnic and religious differences mask the underlying economic causes of the more than 30 wars raging around the world today. Inequality, competition for dwindling resources, and environmental degradation are factors in the outbreak of armed conflict that are worsened by free trade.

Globalization undermines the ability of governments to regulate and mitigate the damaging effects of the market, which leads to an intensification of all of the economic causes of war. In addition to that Globalization promotes military spending over social spending the effect of which is felt mostly by women. It requires police and military protection of corporate interests and undermines grassroots and local enterprises. It also promotes corporate security over human security and women bear most of the brunt. All across the world and especially in Africa, the challenges in addressing these inequalities that discriminate against women are enormous, for example, the socio-cultural setting, as well as, the existing institutional framework and capacity needed to facilitate programmatic intervention are grossly inadequate and in some cases lacking.

The Women's Freedom Rally

With this in mind, holding a rally during the World Social Forum (WSF) was therefore a popular way to raise awareness and encourage solidarity around issues of common concern. The Women's Freedom Rally was one of the many activities organised during the WSF 2007 by...