Communist Ghadar Party greets the fighting women of all countries on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2018 It is an occasion to show the combined strength of women and the working class It is an occasion to sum up, take stock and plan ahead to advance the struggle for women’s liberation
All over the world today, women are in the forefront of the growing opposition to liberalization, privatization and cutbacks in public social services. They are active participants in the struggles for national rights that are under attack by multinational corporations and imperialist states. They are opposing the unjust wars being waged by US imperialism and its allies, resulting in widespread destruction and in millions of refugees fleeing from war zones They are opposing the racist policies of capitalist-imperialist states.
Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, 1st March 2018
Communist Ghadar Party greets the fighting women of all countries on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2018 It is an occasion to show the combined strength of women and the working class It is an occasion to sum up, take stock and plan ahead to advance the struggle for women’s liberation
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All over the world today, women are in the forefront of the growing opposition to liberalization, privatization and cutbacks in public social services. They are active participants in the struggles for national rights that are under attack by multinational corporations and imperialist states. They are opposing the unjust wars being waged by US imperialism and its allies, resulting in widespread destruction and in millions of refugees fleeing from war zones They are opposing the racist policies of capitalist-imperialist states.
Women are demanding that the State must protect the rights that belong to all women, by virtue of being women and by virtue of being human beings. Women are fighting shoulder to shoulder with working men and youth, demanding that education, health care and other social services are rights They must be guaranteed by the State
While India is called the “world’s most populous democracy”, rights of women and of the majority of men are violated on a daily basis The rate of maternal mortality, or death during childbirth, remains among the highest in the world.
Political power is concentrated in the hands of an exploiting minority, which pursues its selfish interests at the expense of the majority of women and men. The economic system is based on private ownership of the means of production This private ownership has become so extremely concentrated that just about 150 monopoly houses effectively control the State, the entire economy and set the direction for society.
The entire process of social production is geared towards maximizing the profits of capitalist monopoly houses and foreign investors, by exploiting human labour to the maximum possible degree, robbing small producers and plundering natural resources. The economic and political system keeps alive and thrives from the debasement and super-exploitation of women Women cannot walk without fear on the streets They are discriminated against and insulted at every step.
Super-exploited women workers engaged in government health schemes, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers, have come out on the streets in their thousands in our country They are demanding the rights that belong to them by virtue of being workers Working women in all sectors are demanding a secure environment at work They are demanding safety from harassment and physical attacks during travel between home and work.
Women are in the front ranks of the peasant agitations for loan waivers and for guaranteed procurement at remunerative prices They are in the front ranks of the fight against caste oppression, communal violence, army and police atrocities and all forms of state terrorism.
For more than 25 years now, the Government of India has been pursuing the anti-social program of globalization through liberalization and privatization Repeated rounds of elections have made no difference The BJP and the Congress Party have replaced one another Slogans have changed but the agenda has remained the same The goal remains the maximization of private profits of monopoly capitalists through intensified exploitation and oppression of the toiling majority of women and men
The economic offensive is accompanied by the criminalization and communalization of politics Brutal crimes against young girls and women have been rising in scale and becoming more and more barbaric Parties that claim to represent the people have themselves been guilty of some of the most monstrous crimes against women.
Prime Minister Modi, in his “man ki baat”, has declared that we are now moving from “development for women” to “women-led development” He is trying to cover up the truth that his government is committed to accelerate capitalist development, which is not for the benefit of women
Capitalist development is only for the benefit of the capitalist class It results in enormous growth in the wealth owned by a minority of big capitalists, at the expense of the toiling majority It is anti-women, anti-worker and anti-peasant.
The goal of women is not to become the leaders of capitalist development On the contrary, women want economic development to deliver prosperity for all Women want society to be liberated from all forms of discrimination, exploitation and oppression This can be achieved only if the toiling majority of people take political power in their hands and carry out the transition from capitalism to socialism Social production must be reoriented towards maximizing the fulfilment of human needs, instead of fulfilment of monopoly capitalist greed.
The goal of the women’s movement is not to be allotted a quota within the existing Parliament. Our goal is to replace this talk-shop parliament with a body that truly represents the working women and men. Our goal is to lay the foundation for a new State and political process, in which it is the working people who wield power and not a political elite backed by big capitalists and other exploiters. Our goal is to establish such a political power that would spearhead revolutionary campaigns against all outdated ideas and practices which demean the role of women in society.
Women have to get organised in their residential localities and in their places of work They must organise as women and as a contingent of the working class and its revolutionary movement to end all forms of exploitation.
We, the working women and men, girls and boys from families of workers and peasants, must organise to fight for our rights In the course of waging this struggle, we must prepare to become the rulers of society.
International Women’s Day is an occasion for women to reaffirm their resolve to fight for the New – for a world without unjust wars, without exploitation and repression, without discrimination between human beings based on gender or any other criteria.
Life experience is showing that capitalism cannot prolong its life without repeated crises, chaos and destruction of jobs and sources of livelihood It cannot exist without destroying innocent lives and entire nations through imperialist wars, state terrorism, racism and all kinds of oppression, old and new.
The Second International Conference of Socialist Women held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1910 decided that 8th March would be celebrated as International Working Women’s Day every year Since that historic decision taken by more than 100 women delegates from 17 countries, 8th March has been marked every year with mass demonstrations and meetings of women all over the world
Life experience confirms that the struggle for the liberation of women is inseparably tied to the struggle for socialism – that is, for the liberation of human labour from exploitation by the owners of capital This is the conclusion that the founders of International Women’s Day reached 108 years ago It is a conclusion that has stood the test of time.
Communist Ghadar Party calls on the women of India to unite to halt and reverse the anti-social program of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation! Let us unite and fight for the Navnirman of India, for the creation of a modern democratic state that vests sovereignty in the people! Let us unite to overthrow capitalism as the condition for the completion of the democratic, anti-colonial, anti-feudal and anti-imperialist struggle! Let us unite to build socialism through revolution!
We call on women who are committed to fight for the cause of social progress to join the Communist Ghadar Party of India and strengthen the leadership of the working class and the revolutionary movement for socialism and communism!