When we strike the world stops!
FLINTA+ (women, lesbian, intersex, nonbinary, trans, and agender people) strikeshave a long history; Every year on March8th millions of people around the worldstrike.
WHY STRIKE ON 8TH OF MARCH?
Striking on 8th of March is a call for the end of the exploitation of marginalised
identities, against traditional work but also invisible labour (such as care, domestic
and emotional labour). By striking we show that if we stop, the world stops; our
labour, invisible and traditional, is essential but overlooked and trivialised.
Striking on 8th of March is a way to say that we will no longer tolerate the loss of
any of our siblings to gender-based violence, in any corner of the world. Genderbased violence is a reality of a patriarchal society. Globally, 81 000 women were
killed in 2020; 58% of them were killed by an intimate partner or family member.
This means a woman was killed every 11 minutes in their home. The statistics for
the queer community are even more terrifying: transgender people are over four
times more likely to experience violence than their cisgender counterparts.
By striking on the 8th of March we are reiterating our demand of building a
culture of consent in Maastricht. We want all relevant actors to enable this
process of allowing us to create a safe community for FLINTA people in the
city. This includes the role the university inevitably plays in a student city like
this one; we want continuous and genuine commitment from this institution in
creating a culture of consent considering the power they hold over educating
such a substantial number of people in Maastricht. We take an abolitionist
stance, acknowledging how the police and other law enforcement units have
repeatedly failed to protect, believe and support survivors of sexual violence.
We strike to keep each other safe through community building and
accountability.
Striking on the 8th of March marks our historical feminist struggle; it honours those who fought before us and for us.
Violence against gender minorities is persistent and prevalent. From highprofile sexual abuse cases, like in The Voice of Holland, tendencies worldwide
towards limiting abortion rights, and consistent mishandling of cases of rape
and sexual assault by institutions and universities, we see time and time again
that powerful individuals and institutions are protected and formed under
systems that perpetuate abuse.
We also see that change comes from underneath. Struggles for abortion rights,
women’s rights, and more become visible and heard when individuals take to
action, as the protests in Iran, Argentina, and many more around the world have
shown.
We won't be satisfied with slightly more diversity in a world of discrimination
and violence! Our feminist strike aims for a systemic approach that eradicates
the roots of oppression. In this deeply unjust and oppressive reality, feminist
fights cannot be separated from other struggles. Feminist, anti-racist, queer,
environmental, anti-capitalist and anti-ableist movements must unite to fight for
a better present and future!
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