Fisherwomen Form Human Chain Thiruvananthapuram: Fisherwomen under the leadership of the women's wing of the Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, Theeradesa Mahilavedi, formed a human chain around the Secretariat on 8th March, the International Women's Day.
The women formed the human chain around the Secretariat to raise demands like, giving up the move to evacuate women fish vendors from wayside markets, preventing cases of harassment against women, arresting those behind the murder of Soosy of Punnanpra, giving membership to all eligible fisherwomen in the Welfare Fund, introducing new 'ladies-only' buses under the Matsyafed and providing drinking water to fishing villages. The women have vowed to continue protests till their demands are met. The attempt of the police to route vehicles while the demonstration was on, led to confrontations. The timely intervention by the leaders of the fishworkers helped to avoid conflict. The attempt by the police to break the human chain also failed. The dharna that followed the human chain was inaugurated by Ms.Maglin Peter. Ms.Elizabeth Antony read out the lines for oath taking. Shri.Friska Kurisippan, Ms.Violet Cyril, Ms.Pushpam Antony, Ms.Santhamma Divakaran, Ms.Shiny Xavier, Ms.Mable Nasiance, Ms.Soosy, Shri.John.J.P and Shri.Anto Elias spoke on the occasion. More than a thousand brave and energetic women walked in a procession from the 'Rakthasakshi' Mandapam at Palayam to the Secretariat. The demonstration and dharna was led by Ms.Jona Benjamin, Ms.Janshila, Ms.Everesta, Ms.Mariam Francis, Ms.Celine and Ms.Rajamma Cleetus. To raise awareness on Women's Day, there were held vehicle awareness rallies, under Theeradesa Mahilavedi, in fish markets and coastal villages on 6th and 7th March 2006. -- The great moral question of the twenty-first century is: If all knowledge, all culture, all art, all useful information, can be costlessly given to everyone at the same price that it is given to anyone -- if everyone can have everything, everywhere, all the time, why is it ever moral to exclude anyone from anything? - Eben Moglen --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ greenyouth mailinglist is the activist support mailinglist for kerala run by Global Alternate Information Applications (GAIA) To post to this group, send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
