March 8, 2024 is International Women's* Day.
As has been the case for 113 years now, feminists all over the world will be celebrating International Women's* Struggle Day on Friday and demonstrating for more rights and social change, against discrimination and oppression. Even though much has already been achieved, feminist struggles for the equal participation of FLINTA (women*, lesbians*, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people) are still necessary.
Authoritarian, right-wing populist or even right-wing extremist politics are on the rise worldwide, and with them, anti-feminist mobilizations are also increasingly appearing. These are directed in particular against the liberalization of gender, sexual and family lifestyles, but also against criticism of racism and sexism in general and against intersectional anti-discrimination policies. Right-wing populists and extremists see feminism as a danger because they want to maintain the patriarchal social order in which men are privileged and FLINTA are subordinated.
In Germany, too, feminist achievements must be increasingly defended against the political aspirations of the far-right and anti-feminist AfD, which is continuously gaining more voters and has already made a significant contribution to shifting the political discourse to the right. And this while equal participation of FLINTA is still a long way off in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, women* still earned around 18% less per hour than men in 2023, while at the same time taking on the majority of unpaid care work, such as childcare and caring for relatives. At the end of their working lives, women* also receive a third less pension than men. Due to their lower income, FLINTA are particularly hard hit by rising prices and rents as well as cuts in social services.
In addition, sexist slogans and ideas are still part of everyday life for FLINTA and FLINTA are disproportionately often affected by gender-specific or sexualized violence: at universities as well as at work, in private spaces as well as in public places and again and again specifically in armed conflicts and wars.
Hamas also systematically committed the most brutal sexualized violence against women* and girls* in Israel on 7 October 2023. This violence must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and cannot be justified by anything. Many feminists have remained silent about this violence for a long time and in some cases to this day, or have even questioned the actions of Hamas. However, there is a need for global feminist recognition and solidarity with the Jewish victims of the gender-specific, sexualized and anti-Semitic violence of 7 October.
This year at ASH Berlin, on the occasion of the International Women's* Struggle Day, we would therefore like to express our clear and unreserved solidarity with all victims of gender-specific and sexualized violence worldwide and especially with those of 7 October, their relatives and friends.
At the same time, we position ourselves unreservedly against any attempt to instrumentalize the actions of Hamas in a racist and/or anti-Muslim way or to use them to legitimize further war violence against civilians in Gaza. Because wars are also fought primarily on the bodies of women and children, as is the case in Gaza, Ukraine and many other wars worldwide.
We take a clear and unreserved stand against all forms of anti-Semitism and all forms of racism. We call on people to take to the streets and demonstrate on March 8 and every other day of the year: Against right-wing populism and right-wing extremism; against racism and anti-Semitism; against queer and trans hostility; against ableism and social Darwinism! For equal participation of all people everywhere and at all times.
On March 21 at 2 pm, we invite you to a reading in the Audimax of the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences on the occasion of Feminist Struggle Day. Under the title "The silent violence. How the state leaves women alone"*, Asha Hedayati, lawyer for family law, sheds light on the topic of violence against women. Her book provides insight into the experiences of affected women and relentlessly shows how the state often fails to protect them from violence. Together with the author Asha Hedayati, we want to get into conversation after the reading. We will place a special focus on the intersection of racism and sexism - in keeping with International Day against Racism, which takes place on March 21.