Press Release 2006-11-16

"We encourage all women and young women workers to lose their fear and to struggle for a life free of violence, without the fear of suffering harassment, and physical or psychological abuse."

STATEMENT MARKING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The International Young Christian Workers is against all forms of abuse against women, in particular young women workers who, day after day, suffer different forms of violence in all regions of the world. We would like to share about some cases which show how violence against young women workers expresses itself.

"Rosa María Alave Sandoval lives in the Ilo province in Peru. Her job consists in cleaning, washing, and ironing in the house of a prosecutor (her employer). She was accused of stealing $7,000, without taking into account her service years. Rosa was found guilty without a fair trial, and she was taken to jail without a prior sentence, without considering her situation as domestic worker, and the situation of her children and family. All this shows that there is now a trading of favours among judges with a view to violating Rosa María's rights."

"I'm Vicenta, domestic worker in Paraguay. I am exploited every day with working days of 10 to 12 hours. In Paraguay, women workers are despised. Their activity is not considered as work. When they are pregnant, they get fired, and this is why they very often hide their pregnancy. They face violence from their employers who harass them sexually and sometimes try to rape them. In this case, they have to leave their work without having the right to be paid, which violates their dignity as women and as young workers."

"Our friend Macarena, of Chile, told us that when she was working at the market (informal work), she got to know the reality of the young women workers who sell breakfast. The market is a place where men would take them by the hand, make flirtatious remarks. Those girls have to work from 6 am to 5 pm, earning some 3,500 pesos (around $7) a day."

'She' may be your sister, girlfriend, friend, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin, daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter. 'She' may be your pupil, colleague, class-mate, assistant, customer, client, salesperson, social worker, neighbour - suffering injustice and inhumane violence in America, Asia, Africa, Europe, everywhere. In the face of those situations of violence suffered by young women workers around the world, we are calling on you to denounce and organize yourselves against all types of violence and injustice faced by young women workers, and we demand:

A society in which young women workers can live and work in dignity.

In solidarity,

The Young Women Workers' Working Group
INTERNATIONAL YOUNG CHRISTIAN WORKERS - IYCW
Ave. Georges Rodenbach, 4
1030 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: 32-2-2421811 - Fax: 32-2-2424800
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Web site : www.jociycw.net