a1155: Haitian Women`s Declaration of March 8th, 2002 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Haitian Women`s Declaration of March 8th, 2002, issued by Enfofanm, Fanm Yo
La, Kay Fanm, and SOFA. (Released at the International Women's Day
celebration event at Catherine Flon Place, Champ de Mars, Port-au-Prince, in
which more than 400 women, from all departments across the country and from
various socio-economic sectors, participated.)

The eve of the XXIth century saw women marching. Women throughout the whole
world marched in their countries, holding hands, marching together again on
October 17th 2000 in New York. If so many women, coming from so many
different horizons looked in the same direction, it is because indeed each
and every one of them had consciousness of sharing the same fate. If so many
women continue to walk side by side, it is because they very well know that
they share the same world. If so many women continue to call upon their
sisters to join them in this long march, it is also because they believe that
if they put their voices together, the womanly power of their song will be
able to change their tomorrows so as to give birth to societies that welcome
the diversity of humankind as a source of richness; societies in which one's
sex will no longer be the reason for either privileges or discrimination.

This March 8th is an occasion for us, Haitian women's organizations engaged
in the women's struggle, to proclaim our sisterhood, that is to say, to
express our profound solidarity with all women, wherever they are, whoever
they are. Our solidarity conjugates itself daily with regard to the
downgrading fate reserved to women in societies, in Haitian society, just
because they are of the female gender. Our sisterhood carries all the faces
of understanding, listening, sharing and moving forward. We understand,
because we have developed the intelligence of the heart. We hear and pay
attention to others as we know the results of being good listeners. We share
because we well know that beyond appearances, the sorrow of each one of us is
for all of us. We walk together because we want to take the path of life in
order to meet with all of our sisters. And with them, we want to talk with
our brothers, men, of the necessity to build other gender relationships,
relationships that negates domination, for domination crushes the victims and
cripples the oppressors; we want relationships that allows us to grow;
relationships from which we can work collectively to give new foundation to
our quest for a new society, a Haitian society that cares for human beings, a
society based upon justice.

Once again we celebrate March 8th in the midst of an extremely difficult
political conjuncture and its dreadful consequences on people's lives,
notably the most deprived and vulnerable categories of citizen because of
their social status. Political wrong-doings have made public affairs
management a nightmare that intends to annihilate our quest for change, and
suggests fleeing our homeland as a dramatic alternative. Impunity, as a
corollary to unstifled insecurity, continues to spread sorrow. In this
conjuncture of despair, we have special thoughts for our sisters of the
ghetto in Cité Soleil and their families. Whenever groups confront each other
with violence, women are the first victims. Each house that is being burnt
down means homeless women left in the streets with their children. Each
confrontation carries batches of raped women. We refuse to believe that
misery engenders such situations. How can misery afford to buy itself weapons
and ammunition to make war? Instead, we very well know that misery is
dehumanizing and how women`s poverty is widespread and has to do with the
condition of Haitian women.

This March 8th 2002 is an occasion for us to testify our utmost respect for
the daily struggle waged by Haitian women. In this hard battle, women do not
use weapons that destroy lives. Quite the contrary, they demonstrate their
capacity to develop all possible resources of ingenuity and combatively so
that life can live. The tenacity of Haitian women is geared at preserving
life, and, it is thanks to their daily courage that Haiti is able to survive
in spite of the turmoil.

To look at Haiti with women's eyes is to discover the possible, and most of
all, to find the strength to continue to call for tomorrow. It's also to want
to join with those who are marching ever forward in order that tomorrow can
belong to our sons and daughters, citizens of tomorrow to whom we shall give
the desire to continue to dream for Haiti.

ENFOFANM, FANM YO LA, KAY FANM, SOFA.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 8th 2002


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SEE THE HAITI SUPPORT GROUP WEB SITE:  <A
HREF="http://www.gn.apc.org/haitisupport">http://www.gn.apc.org/haitisupport
</A>

The Haiti Support Group - solidarity with the Haitian people's struggle for
justice, participatory democracy and equitable development, since 1992.
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