Call to join the Campaign

We, the women and men of La Via Campesina stand together to denounce violence in all its forms against all people, especially women.

Statistics on the injury and death of women in all countries unequivocally prove to us that women are more vulnerable to violence, not only from institutions and the state, but from men in their Rural women are particularly excluded and oppressed, economically and socially. This is why as a farmer`s movement, we have to mobilise against this massive injustice.

We know that we women and men have to be truly united against the neoliberal system that takes our dignity, our livelihoods, and the resources we need to survive, a system which steals our labor, exploits our powerlessness and poverty to gain more wealth, power, and control.

But in reality we men and women are often divided by the same lack of respect and rights as we are shown by the rich and powerful and the governments and institutions which support them. By reproducing this exclusion pattern, we show that we accept their model of the strong against the weak without regard for justice.

It is our tireless task to build a model of society from the grassroots up in which all people, men and women, reject violence in all forms; economic, social, physical, mental, sexual, and environmental, and ensure that our model has NO tolerance for violence.

A society where violence is excused, condoned, or covered up under the guise of culture or religion is not the model of society we are working to build. The whole community must confront and challenge violent individuals, institutions, and governments in every place and situation in this world. We need a society which will build safe and nurturing communities which value the worth of every human being, and recognize that womens` rights ARE human rights. To this end, we will demand laws at every level of society which will protect and defend equal rights of all women.

The end to all violence begins in our hearts, our homes, and our communities. We can never win our struggle until we focus our anger and indignation and will to create a new society on the systems and institutions which use violence to control and repress human beings for their own selfish needs, not against women who hold up half the earth!

Ending violence will require education and a new awareness that violence steals the vitality of the individual, the family, and the larger community by preventing true equality and participation of women who can and do use their intelligence, talents, strength and courage to grow communities and a world with justice for all.

Until we commit to ending violence against women, we will never build the model of a just society to which the principles of Via Campesina speak. Please join us in ending violence by supporting this campaign.

• Call to join the Campaign
• What is the campaign?
• The patriarchal capitalist culture is held up by four pillars of violence
• Objectives of the campaign