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History
The
history of fight and organization of the working women has
developed together with the history of humanity. It suffices to
look at the wars, the constitution of nations, the participation
of workers in society, the conquest of basic rights of people.
Many
initiatives involving women have broken up with preconceptions and
violence in private surroundings and in the public social fights,
among others. Some of these fights have given origin to the
feminist movements and organizations, which have contributed to
the advance of emancipation of women.
In the
decade of 1980, different movements of women in the different
states of Brazil have consolidated, together with the appearance
of some field movements. We, the female agricultural workers, have
built our proper organization. Motivated by the recognition and
appreciation of the female agricultural workers, we developed
fights for: the liberation of women, creation of labour unions,
documentation, social rights (maternity salary, retirement salary...),
political participation among others.
During
this process, we felt it necessary to join the women organized in
the mixed field movements. In 1995, we have created the National
Articulation of Female Agricultural Workers, congregating the
women of the following movements: independent movements, Pastoral
Commission of the Land - CPT, Movement of the Landless Workers -
MST, Pastoral of Agricultural Youth - PJR, Movement of the People
concerned by the Dams - MAB, some agricultural labour unions and,
lately, the Movement of Small Agricultural Workers - MPA.
This process of
joining the movements of women and the women of the mixed
movements was marked by:
The experiences
of the autonomous movements of women affirmed the fight on two
axes: gender and class. The MMC is built up by women who belong
to the working class and fight for equality. While they were
fighting and organizing themselves, a common message of life,
conquest and challenge emerged.
Little by little,
the movements of women got stronger in the different states of
Brazil, advancing in specific and general fights, in the
organization of the base, the formation of leaderships and the
understanding of the historical moment we are living in. Moved by
the feeling that we wanted to fortify the fight in defence of life,
we started to unify the independent movements to have national
expression and character.
After some
activities in the base groups, cities and states and after the
accomplishment of a national course (from September 21 to 24,
2003), with the presence of 50 women representing 14 states and
representing the independent movements, we decided on the
direction of the movement and its name: Movement of Female
Peasants.
We discussed the
category of peasants which for us is based on the family nucleus
as productive unit. The family dedicates itself to an agricultural
production and artisanal autonomy with the objective to satisfy
the family necessities of subsistence and to commercialise part of
its production to guarantee the basic resources for the purchase
of products and services that the family doesn’t produce itself.
Female peasants
produce food and guarantee the maintenance of their families.
Among them, there are small farmers, artisanal fisherwomen, women
who crack coconuts, rural workers who extract products from the
trees, leaseholders, women who hold legal titles to property,
day-workers, partners, landless persons, settled and camped
persons, salaried rural workers and natives. The unification of
these peasant experiences and the political participation of the
women legitimise the movements of female peasants, affirming their
feminist and farmer character.
The construction of a
national movement of female peasants is justified by the
certainty that "the liberation of women is the task of women
themselves, result of the organization and the fight", and also:
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Thanks to
the national unit, we will give visibility to the actions
and fights of the women. Because we
understand that it is necessary to advance the continuity of
specific and general fights, facing the neoliberal system
and the chauvinism that explores women and the working class;
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We want to
advance the process of formation and construction of our
identity as women, as female peasants and as a social
movement. To fortify and to extend the history of the fight
of working women of Brazil, Latin America and world-wide.
To consolidate the MMC,
from the feminist and rural point of view, is to fortify
the fight of workers.
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