CPI On International Womens Day

Statement by the Communist Party of Ireland
7 March 2013

On International Women’s Day, 2013, the Communist Party of Ireland sends greetings of solidarity to women throughout the world.       The CPI expresses its solidarity with the women of the Middle East and of Venezuela and especially with Cuban women, who feel the brunt of American imperialism. We call upon the US government to release the Cuban Five so that they can return to their families.       Hunger, war and poverty are some of the terrible weapons of imperialism. In particular, we condemn the social, political and economic system that places many women in conditions similar to that of slaves. In some countries women and men work in horrific conditions, for example in the textile sweatshops in India and Pakistan, where fires have killed many workers.       The working conditions that women face differ from country to country, but one thing is clear: while many working women receive less pay than men, there are also women who are of a privileged class and position.       Austerity and “welfare reform” are the policies that are being used by the Irish and British governments to make the people pay for capitalist economics.       Among the policies that the CPI wishes to reiterate are the need for a change in legislation regarding women’s right to choose and the need to immediately publish guidance on the question of abortion in Ireland. With regard to the violation of human rights, the CPI also calls for the immediate release of Marion Price.