Women say NO to war!

March on the Pentagon, Saturday, March 21, On the 6th Anniversary of the invasion of Iraq

From Iraq to Afganistan, Philippines to Palestine
OCCUPATION IS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Women say NO to war!

Get on the bus on March 21 from Jackson Heights, Queens!

6:30 AM Bus leaves Dunkin Donuts at 74 St. & Roosevelt Ave., Queens
11:30 AM Bus arrives in DC
5:00 PM Bus leaves from DC
$40 Bus tickets (limited)
Contact:
GABRIELA Network/Mariposa Alliance: gabnetnynj@gmail.com, www.gabnet.org, www.gabnetnynj.blogspot.com/
Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines: ugnayan.nynj@gmail.com, www.alliancephilippines.blogspot.com

FAQs
- What’s special about March 21?
- How are our immigrant communities affected by the war on Iraq?
- How are we as women affected by the war on Iraq?
- How are other members of the Filipino American community affected by the war on Iraq?

What’s special about March 21?

March 21 marks the sixth anniversary of the current US war on Iraq. Organized by the Act Now to Stop the War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, simultaneous rallies will be held in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other major cities across the US.

In New York City, Queens-based organizations Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking the children of the Motherland), Damayan Migrant Workers Association, and Gabriela Network / Mariposa Alliance are urging immigrant communities from the borough and in New York and New Jersey to join the March on the Pentagon in Washington DC on Saturday, March 21.

Filipino-Americans, who comprise the base constituency of these organizations, have a stake in making their voices heard, as US troops pour into the Philippines, Filipinas are subjected to military rape with impunity and the war between the Arroyo Government and the people of Mindanao escalates. We do not want our ancestral country turned into a war zone for the profit of US weapons manufacturers and Blackwater mercenaries.

Obama promised that the US occupation of Iraq will end in August 2010. So why should we still join in the anti war rally on March 21?

The continuing US led wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Philippines impact the current US economic meltdown. Obama has allotted $200B for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for the next two years - that's about $100M a day at the back of the already suffering tax payers. This includes immigrants who are the first to lose jobs, homes and government services and suffer the higher cost of living.

How are our immigrant communities affected by the war on Iraq?

While the US government is allocating more money to fund the war in Iraq, the budget for social services are being slashed. The State Medical Insurance for Children was severely limited to children whose parents are "legal" or "documented" immigrants. This means that hundreds of thousands of children, born in the USA, will grow up without medical assistance.

With the pending budget cuts in New York City, tuition fees are projected to go up astronomically by next semester. This endangers the ability of young people, especially Filipino Americans, to acquire an education which would enable them to compete in the job market.

The Filipino-American community also suffers from the highest drop-out rate among Asian American communities. We Filipino Americans are practically invisible in the US society. That’s because we occupy mostly service jobs – not jobs of decision-making status.

How are we as women affected by the war on Iraq?

Women comprise the majority of the world's population. Violence against any nation impacts women exponentially. War increases violence against and trafficking of women. Women and children comprise war's collateral damage; they lose their value as human beings and become commodity who are bought and sold for the pleasure of those with power. Even women soldiers suffer from the violent machismo that is a sub-culture of militarism. American women soldiers are raped by their fellow soldiers, while military wives are often subjected to domestic violence and murder.

How are other members of the Filipino American community affected by the war on Iraq?

While the US government bails out capitalist banks and corporations, it only gives pennies to Filipino American World War II Veterans. These are former Filipino soldiers who fought during World War 2 in the Philippines under the US army. However, they are not treated equally as US veterans and are deprived of all benefits and entitlements because “their military service were not deemed active”.

Sixty-three years later, the US government would only give $15,000 lump sum for each Filipino veteran without any recognition to our US veterans. They are also being forced to agree to the the "quit claim" provision. This means that upon acceptance of the lump sum, the veterans will release future claims including lifetime pension.

As the US government continues to humiliate the Filipino veterans, they will keep funding the War on Iraq.

War Forces Migration!
Money for Workers' Rights & Compensation, Not for War and Occupation!
Violence against Nations = Violence against Women!
Solidarity with the Women of Iraq, Aghanistan, Palestine & Philippines!
War Kills the Filipino and Working Class Youth!
Money for Jobs & Education, Not for War & Occupation!
Money for the Filipino Veterans, Not for the War! >>Read more

GENDER RIGHTS TRAINING FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS OPENS

When Norma’s quadriplegic employer asked her to use her hands instead of a washcloth to soap and wash certain parts of his body, she was unsure whether this was par for the course or something else altogether. When Marina ’s employer demanded massages, she wondered if this was part of domestic work in the US . Anna, on the other hand, didn’t quite know how to respond to her employer’s predilection for showing her porn websites.

Because of these and other situations encountered by domestic workers, GABNet of the Mariposa Alliance and the Damayan Migrant Workers Association have initiated a School on Gender Rights for Filipino Domestic Workers. Funded by the New York Foundation, the project is the first of its kind nationally and historically. The first session will be on April 5th, at the North Star Fund Office, 520 Eight Avenue, New York, NY 10018.

Press release

Contact: Ollie Quinto, GABNet Education Director, at 212-592-3507
or email catherine.m.judge@gmail.com

GENDER RIGHTS TRAINING FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS OPENS

NEW YORK : When Norma’s quadriplegic employer asked her to use her hands instead of a washcloth to soap and wash certain parts of his body, she was unsure whether this was par for the course or something else altogether. When Marina ’s employer demanded massages, she wondered if this was part of domestic work in the US. Anna, on the other hand, didn’t quite know how to respond to her employer’s predilection for showing her porn websites.

Because of these and other situations encountered by domestic workers, GABNet of the Mariposa Alliance and the Damayan Migrant Workers Association have initiated a School on Gender Rights for Filipino Domestic Workers. Funded by the New York Foundation, the project is the first of its kind nationally and historically. The first session will be on April 5th, at the North Star Fund Office, 520 Eight Avenue, New York, NY 10018.

Those interested are requested to register either with GABNet at (212) 592-3507 or with Damayan at (212) 564-6057.

“It is a landmark and collaborative project created by im/migrants and second generation Filipina-Americans,” said Catherine Mercedes Judge, coordinator of the GABNet NY/NJ chapter. “When it comes to gender rights, violence against women and gender discrimination, we are not so different from our mothers, aunts, even grandmothers. We have a shared experience on this issue."

Olivia Quinto, GABNet National Education Director, will lead the first session. “From the first batch of participants, we will select those with the potential to be peer counselors." she said. "They will receive further training from Dr. Annalisa Enrile, who is an associate clinical professor of the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California.”

Ms. Quinto explained that this was to ensure that the domestic workers were empowered to deal with issues of gender rights themselves. “It is an expression of respect on our part that we consider them perfectly capable of tackling such issues once they are in receipt of knowledge and training.”

Report to Be Released

At the conclusion of the two-part training, Damayan intends to release its two-year study on domestic workers from the Philippines. The report is based on a qualitative survey, in-depth interviews of and focus group discussions with about 200 domestic workers from the Philippines. A joint project of Damayan and the Urban Justice Center , the report was prepared with the assistance of the renowned journalist and novelist Ninotchka Rosca.

The report will include an analysis of the impact of the Philippine Labor Export Policy on migration, antecedents of domestic workers in Philippine history and a set of recommendations for policy makers.

Those interested in obtaining copies of the report should call Damayan at the above number or send a letter to Damayan Migrant Workers Association, 406 West 40th Street 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018.

The Damayan Migrant Workers Association is the largest organization of Filipino domestic workers in the US. In its six years of existence, it has helped a dozen workers recover unpaid wages; it is in the leadership of a six-organization coalition of domestic workers pushing for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. The bill is anticipated to pass the New York legislature this year. Damayan hit the headlines recently when a member, Marichu Baoanan, sued a former Philippine ambassador to the United Nations for trafficking and peonage.

GABNet of the Mariposa Alliance is a 20-year-old US-Philippine all-women solidarity mass organization. It has had a long history of advocating for the gender rights of Filipinas and Filipina-Americans. Its Purple Rose Campaign against the trafficking of Filipinas led to the passage of the International Marriage Broker Regulatory Act by the US Congress. -- ##
>>Read more

FREE THE NJ 4!

On August 18, 2006, seven young African American lesbians traveled to New York City from their homes in Newark for a regular night out. When walking down the street, a man sexually propositioned one of the women. After refusing to take no for an answer, he assaulted them.

The women tried to defend themselves, and a fight broke out. The women were charged with Gang Assault in the 2nd degree, a Class C Felony with a mandatory minimum of 3.5 years. Patreese Johnson was additionally charged with 1st Degree Assault. Three of the women accepted plea offers. On June 14th, 2007 ,Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20), and Renata Hill (24) received sentences ranging from 3 1⁄2 to 11 years in prison.

GABNet-NY/NJ stands with the NJ4 against violence against all women!

Check out the NJ4 blog to support their efforts at http://freenj4.wordpress.com/intersectional-injustice/ >>Read more

Increases in wives' income contributions affect psychological well-being of husbands

University Park, Pa. -- Being the main breadwinner still seems to carry an important distinction for husbands and their sense of well-being, says a Penn State researcher. In reacting to increases in their wives' percentage contribution to overall family income, men appear to experience declines in well-being as measured by their reports of depressed feelings, varying levels of life satisfaction and physical symptoms such as headaches, says Dr. Stacy J. Rogers, assistant professor of sociology and human development and family studies. She notes that, paradoxically, the husbands' marital happiness is not affected to a significant degree. "It may be that the persistence of bread-winning expectations for men in our culture contributes to personal pressure and stress when their wives increase the percentage that they are contributing to the total household income," Rogers notes. >>Read more at ScienceBlog.com >>Read more

Join ANSWER's Anti-War March in DC - March 21, 2009

More information to follow...

>>Read more

Lay Down The New Women's Agenda For Full Women's Liberation!

LAY DOWN THE NEW WOMEN’S AGENDA FOR FULL WOMEN’S LIBERATION!
[Statement in support of GABRIELA Network and Mariposa Alliance by National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC), SIKLAB National, Philippine Canada Task Force on Human Rights, and Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (PCYA), and affiliates]

On the occasion of International Women’ Day, we support GABNet and the Mariposa Alliance in their call to lay down a New Women's Agenda attuned to the needs of our time for the full liberation of humankind. As we continue to march into the 21st century, such a call is appropriate and correct in the amidst the rising global economic crisis and continuing growth of transnational women and their families with their own specific and particular issues.

For over ten years now, GABNet and the member organizations of the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) have been working and continue to work together for genuine development and equality of women in their respective geographical locations in North America. They have also separately and jointly supported and continue to support the struggle of women in the Philippines for national and social liberation.

We are glad that this effort of GABNet and Mariposa Alliance to start laying down a New Women’s Agenda is fully grounded in their scientific understanding of women issues and their actual experience and practice in North America. This signifies a further advance in our continuing endeavor of learning from our experience and raising this experience to the realm of theory which in turn, should guide our subsequent practice.

On the occasion of this International Women’s Day, we wish GABNet and Mariposa Alliance success in this effort and in firmly holding up “half of the sky.”

Long live GABNet and the Mariposa Alliance !
Long live International Women’s Day !
Forward to a New Women’s Agenda for transnational women and their communities !

National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) and affiliates:
Philippine Women Centre of BC
Philippine women Centre of Ontario
Philippine women Centre of Quebec
Philippine women Centre of Manitoba

SIKLAB National and affiliates:
SIKLAB - BC
SIKLAB – Ontario
SIKLAB – Quebec

Philippine Canada Task Force on Human Rights and affiliates:
BC Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (BCCHRP)
PCTFHR - -Ontario
PCTFHR – Quebec

Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (PCYA) – National and affiliates:
PCYA – Montreal
PCYA – Ontario
KM- Montreal >>Read more

CNN's GPS: Al Qaeda, Taliban and Women

Good discussion in Fareed Zakaria's GPS re whether we should go to war to defend women... sigh... they always miss the point: military solutions are never the answer; empowering women is.

>>Read more