FiLiA

Panel discussion on surrogacy - a human rights violation, recorded at the FiLiA Conference 2019.

Do we need a feminist analysis of surrogacy? the law commission of England and Wales and the Scottish law commission have been conducting a public consultation on provisional proposals for reform of the laws governing surrogacy in the UK. the closing date for the consultation is October 11, 2019. after reviewing all responses, they will decide on their final recommendations for law reform, accompanied by a draft bill (legislation) in 2021.

Their project does not seek to examine whether or not surrogacy should be allowed. instead, the Commission’s first premise is that surrogacy is an accepted form of building a family, as recognised by the department of health and social care (DHSC). the DHSC already recognises surrogacy as a legitimate form of family-building. their focus in the project is on improving how surrogacy operates. they believe that while society and attitudes have evolved, the law has not done so sufficiently.

the speakers on this panel - Julie Bindel, Sheela Saravanan, Jennifer Lahl and renate Klein - challenge the Commission’s proposition that surrogacy is progressive.  they demonstrate that when the focus shifts onto a feminist examination of women, women’s bodies and women’s human rights a different conclusion about the politics of surrogacy will be reached.

STILL WE RISE

WAST roadshow - “Still WE Rise”- is written, performed by our members of WAST and directed by Magdaline Bartlette. The roadshow is made up of drama, song and poetry performances which show the reality through our own experiences of the trauma that we and so many other women seeking asylum have to face living under immigration rules in the UK. The roadshow also shows how together we can give each other strength and hope. WAST will showcase an abridged version of the roadshow with songs from some members of their renowned choir.

WAST is made up of women seeking asylum in Greater Manchester, many of us are under threat of deportation and are destitute. We share our experiences, empower and support one another whilst fighting for our rights and raising awareness about the issues that force women to seek international protection and the effects of the injustices experienced through the UK immigration system.

We are women of all ages, nationalities, ethnicities, sexual orientation and disability. We speak many languages, practice many religions and accommodate for all.
The WAST choir go into the community to reach out to people who have never met anyone in the asylum system and think we are given homes and free mobiles and don't know how we suffer and also that we are women just like them, who care about our kids and just want to be safe and free.

In 2015 the Women Asylum Seekers Together WAST choir were recognized for their commitment to the rights of women by the Liberty who awarded them the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award. The WAST choir continue to sing and use their voices to raise awareness of the challenges they and other women face.

LINKS

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER

SOUTHALL BLACK SISTERS’ ‘BRADFORD CONNECTION’ AND THE POLITICS OF SIMULTANEOUS RESISTANCE: LESSONS FOR CONTEMPORARY FEMINISM

Southall Black Sisters is 40 this year and FiLiA is organising its 6th feminist conference in Bradford. Against this backdrop, Pragna Patel, director of SBS, explores BME women’s experiences and political activism in the context of austerity, rising racism and religious fundamentalism and the attendant patriarchal agenda. She explores the ways in which SBS’s 'Bradford connection' has shaped the organisation's brand of secular, anti-racist and anti-fundamentalist feminism and draws out lessons for contemporary feminism.

LINKS

SOUTHALL BLACK SISTERS
FACEBOOK
TWITTER

Note: the questions and answers for this podcast had to be recorded separately as we were unable to continue the conversation over the internet due to Rojava being an active war zone. FiLiA is grateful to the  Women Defend Rojava team for speaking with us.

About Women Defend Rojava, in their own words from their homepage:

“We, the women of Kongra Star, began the campaign Women Defend Rojava to co-ordinate international resistance in solidarity with the women of Northern and Eastern Syria and the Rojava revolution against the occupation war of the Turkish state.

For over a year, the Turkish army has illegally occupied the city and region of Afrin. This has particularly impacted the women of the region, with rape, kidnapping and gendered violence systematically used as weapons. The Turkish army and the jihadist militias they fund and support work together in these aims, and have forcibly imposed Sharia law on women of all different beliefs.

The Turkish state is now threatening to make a direct invasion along the whole of the border with Syria that is currently self governed by the peole of the region under the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria. This region, commonly known as Rojava, was liberated by the revolutionary forces from Daesh fascists, bringing peace and freedom. Erdogan and his government have made their intentions plain: to wipe out the revolution.

The Rojava revolution is a revolution of all women of the world. Kurdish, Arabic, Assyrian, Ezidi, and other women of the region have inspired and given hope to thousands of women globally who are fighting for and imagining a better world. The revolution positions anti-patriarchal struggle as the most important battle, and thousands of people have been able to connect the revolution with common struggles in their own surroundings. Many women from all over the world have from the beginning participated in the revolution, some travelling to Rojava to join the struggle on the ground.

The fighters of the women’s defence forces YPJ took a central role in the military defeat of Daesh, and more widely the women of the Rojava revolution have devoted their whole lives to their freedom and the freedom of their communities. This is also the freedom of all women and all men who want to create a better world, based on true gender liberation, ecological principles, and socialist values. Our freedoms are linked because of what the revolution represents, because of principles of internationalism, and because of the international links that have already been built up.

This means that when the Turkish state attacks Rojava, it attacks us all. Women Defend Rojava aims to connect women who stand up, stand together, and speak out against the Turkish attacks. We publish voices of women’s resistance from Rojava, and messages of solidarity from around the world. Only the force of organised women can defend Rojava, and we will show that the women of the region are not alone. With your voices our voice will get stronger.

We co ordinate solidarity actions so we can have a united international presence. We call on groups and individuals to take action and share the results with us. We will spread the word of marches, demonstrations, occupations, statements and letters, messages of solidarity and any steps taken in the fight against occupation and fascism.

In all our different colours but together in our aims, we will stop the Turkish state’s war on women, democracy, and freedom.

We will unite, resist and defend!

Jin Jiyan Azadî!”

Homepage and social media:
www.womendefendrojava.net
Twitter: @starrcongress
Facebook: Kongra Star Diplomacy
Instagram: @WomenDefend

Contact:

Huschke Mau is a German woman who was in prostitution for a long time. 
She´s a writer, an activist and doing her PhD. Her biography in her own words:
-           Was born

-           Experienced heavy violence in childhood

-           Ran away at 17

-           Has been in prostitution for many years

-           Survived rape, prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide attempts

-           Attended university

-           Writing her PhD right now

-           Founder of Netzwerk Ella, the only prostitution survivors group in Germany 

-           Activist for the Nordic Model since 2014

Huschke will be speaking at the FiLiA Conference in 2019.

LINKS

HUSCHKE MAU
NETZWERK ELLA
FACEBOOK – HUSCHKE MAU
FACEBOOK – NETZWERK ELLA
TWITTER - HUSCHKE MAU
TWITTER – NETZWERK ELLA