SUS organization in Bagladesh against WTO Agreements Fire/sept.11/2003 Dear FIRE, I on behalf of our organisation SUS , requesting you to help us bybroadcast our programme(by interviewing over telephone) regarding the position of women voice agianst the 5th ministerial meeting in CANCUN. Our platform for action didnot pa r ticipate physically in CANCUN but on14th of September we are going to have our panel meeting " Our standson cancun" following issues ; * We want democratic and transperant decision in WTO * We want all kinds of agreement, loan, relief free from politics. * No patent on life * Stop double standered policy under the name of Green Box and SpecialSafeguard Provision in agriculture. * No privatization and monopoly of knowledge and technologies. Please inform us if it is possible to broadcast our voice through anyone of you. Regards. Begum Rokeya Self-relience Development Society (SUS) Bangladesh Why is the impact of WTO policies on women in your country? Why it it impossible fro WTO to solve those issues? Reply : First :Bangladesh is a overpopulated country with 140 millionpeople where 49% are female. The impact of globalisation is very negative.Specially for the female Garments workers and Agricul t ure workers.Thiswas the opportunity for the women to access them in income and decisionmaker in the family.Infact women are very much deprived by our patriarchle society. So in thebegining of the 1980 's women started slowly to come out as a cheap laboura n d as an obedient worker. So under the globalisation these women are nownot in the small mill or cottage industry but in the hand of exportoriented multinational free zone with fifty percent less wages. Evenmultinational companies are arguing with the gove r nment to impose theirtrade rules and wanted to abandoned their rights from trade union.The trade union for women in Bangladesh though working for their electoral right, inheritance right and equal wages. But what made me astonished thatthe issue of women l abour movement is less emphasised by the main womenmovement stream . Even last international women's day in Dhaka has beenobserved by the Squire, ponds and dandy company. They occupied the day forselling their commodities.Even Lux ( cosmetic company) phot o genic competionis chaired by famous woman leader.Women trafficking has increased by the name of trade. Women are using ascommodityof multinationals. Second :It is a fact that women in Bangladesh are the main role player inagriculture. 66% family are still d irectly involved with agriculture.Recently multinational companies are trying to completly damaged.Even they are demanding to the government to take over the wholeagriculture system intheir hand.They are destrying our local seedvarieties and the biodivers i ty. So modernisation is taking away theagricultural power from the women. They are becoming more and morepowerless and valueless in the society and family.Seed companies are (Monsanto, Syngenta, Eventis etc.)against the Bangladeshi farmers topreserve thei r local seed. They are using NGOs to use their hybreed seedthrough their micro credit activities.Even at the time of providing creditmoney they are imposing their role( 75% cash+25% kind)like seed, chemicalfertilizer and pesticides.Poor women are now becom e the main security of the multinational companies. Third:Potentialities in Bangladeshi rural women are wellknown. Women usedtheir biodiversity knowledge for medicine. Now this knowledge is patentingby the name of the big pharmacutical companies. TRIPS is n o w waiting toimp[lement in Bangladesh. It is one of the biggest threat for women.The bad impact of chemical fertilizer and pesticidesd women are loosing their reproductive fertality and creating double oppression on them. Why it is imposssible for WTO to solve those issues? I think globalisation is so big that it cannot see anything from that place. The king of globalisation is America and the ministers WTO, WorldBank , IMF and big multinational companies. The Government is underpressure of these powers. Als o the political power gambling playingnegative role to solve those problem.3.How are you fighting for the WTO politics?Our organisation for women called "Self-reliance" working for women ,children, adolescent girls and handicapped. We are organising meetin g withworkers ( trade and agriculture) informing and awareing them about the evolution of WTO , its policies and interest against women.Disseminating information through training, workshop to raise their voice against WTO policies.For save our biodiversity and local . We have women group who are practicing organic farmining, introducing traditional method, preservingand collecting the local seed in a group to avoid hybrid through seedstroage .For creating awareness in the regional level we are organising di alogue,campaign, workshop with the Government agriculture deptt., Governmentcontrolling authority. Internet press conference.Thank you very very much.Rokeya Netrakona, Bangladesh |