MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY End Gender-Based Violence and Economic Exploitation Against Women

MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

End Gender-Based Violence and Economic Exploitation Against Women

March 8, 2015

The Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) greets the working women of the world on International Women’s Day (IWD), 8 March. In particular FESTU dedicates this day to strengthening the ties of solidarity with working women of Somalia in the nationwide struggle against their double exploitation as both workers and women.

Day-by-day barriers and grievance of workers particularly women workers are increasing. Huge unemployment, sexual harassment, worst working conditions, extremism and high inflation are making hard to survive for majority of the people.

Somali women workers throughout the country continue to suffer exploitation both at work and at home. At work, women are still paid lower wages, perform the most menial jobs and are less likely to be promoted. At home, violence and sexual abuse of women and girls is rising.

FESTU is highly disturbed by the increase in rape, killings and all forms of gender-based violence that is terrorizing Somali society. It is not only terrorist attacks by Al-Shabaab extremists group what is terrorizing our society.

FESTU believes that this is a matter for society as a whole and cannot be left unchallenged, as it will continue to doom the future of Somali children and ruin the reputation of the country.

It is high time for Somali society as a whole to stand up and fight against this monster that is terrorizing the country, and which denies thousands of women and children their basic human right to safety and security.

In this regard, FESTU is serious as a movement about confronting the issues that hold back the full participation, empowerment and freedom of women. The values, attitudes and traditional practices and all the unequal power relations between men and women must be systematically changed. This is important so that women do not become co-opted into patriarchal structures, but we should be aiming to dismantle the whole patriarchal system of oppression.

On International Women Day, the Federation of Somali Trade Unions extends solidarity with Somali women and reaffirms its commitment to raise the voice of Somali trade unions to end all kinds of discrimination, economic exploitation and violence against Somali women.

Omar Faruk Osman
General Secretary
Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU)

FESTU is a proud member of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and African Regional Organisation of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa)