World Congress of Women, Copenhagen (Indonesian delegates)

=== [PDF page 1] === THE WORKER, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 1953 Page 12 Women's Rights and Peace Were on the Agenda COPENHAGEN is a beautiful city — a blending of the old and the new. As you [walk along] to avoid being knocked down by one of the thousands of cyclists, you see the good-looking Danish people. And then the scene changes. You are nearing the Sports Palace. The vivid flags of the nations are waving in the wind, the street is full of passionate, excited talk in many languages. The eye is dazzled by gorgeous Indian women in even more gorgeous saris, by exquisite Indonesians, by handsome South Americans, by serene Soviet and Chinese women, by vivacious French and Italian women. Yes, it is the World Congress of Women. The lobby is teeming with life. Old friends are greeting each other in many languages, women are exchanging experiences. ALTHOUGH it was a congress of women there were quite a lot of men there helping to see that things went as smoothly as possible for everybody. Bringing with him a beautiful basket of flowers, a delegate from the 1,100 Copenhagen Shipyard workers greeted the congress with these words: "We have followed the discussions at the congress and the struggles of women [Unreadable]. We promise the support of your male colleagues. In the name of our members, of their wives and children, we congratulate you for [the] congress. Long live peace, long live the working class!" As he finished, Madame Eugénie Cotton, president of the Women's International Democratic Federation, took off her blue, gaily patterned silk scarf (specially prepared for delegates by the Chinese delegation from a French design) and tied it round his neck. WOMEN were there from practically every corner of the earth, from 67 lands. Some who had travelled for months through terrible dangers were prevented at the last moment from coming by the Danish Government's refusal to grant visas. Such was the case with the women from Korea, Malaya and Vietnam. But every obstacle was overcome. Their voices were heard and, to tumultuous applause, it was agreed to include them among those regarded as having been present. The voice of countries where women barely have the right to breathe was heard. Among the hundreds of messages of greetings received was one from the Sudanese women. They explained they could not be present because of the tradition forbidding them to travel alone abroad. "We support your struggles, we have deep confidence that, thanks to your help and the peace movements of the world, ultimately we shall see the end of imperialism, of oppression and war," their message said. One day an Egyptian peasant, dressed in the traditional black, spoke. She said only a few words. "This is the first time I have ever been out of my country and I am a little frightened [by so many] people." But, she told the congress, she wanted to come and tell the women of other lands that her sisters in Egypt desired peace for their children and their rights as passionately as women of other lands. UNITY, the unity of women the world over, in their desire to have peace, ran like a thread through the congress. A peasant from Hérault in France expressed it simply when she said: "When I find myself among women of all colors from so many parts of the world, I feel that all women love their children in the same way. That is our force." This was demonstrated a hundred times. Imperialist governments send their soldiers to invade, burn and plunder, but the peoples do not hate each other. They know that in the hearts of people everywhere is the desire for peace. A BOUQUET was handed to a Dutch mother whose son is serving a seven-year prison sentence [Unreadable]. His mother proudly held up his photograph for the delegates to see. As she did so, a fellow Dutch delegate declared that her people were fighting for liberty everywhere, for peace and for the ending of all wars. There was prolonged cheering as the Indonesian and Dutch women embraced each other. It symbolized that unity. Similar scenes occurred between the French and Algerian delegations. There were meetings between the French and German delegations and between the Chinese [and Unreadable]. THE FLAG of Korea was held by two British women — Mrs. Baldwin and Mrs. Burton — who have an especial interest in that war-torn country. Mrs. Baldwin's son is a repatriated Korean prisoner of war and Mrs. Burton's husband has been in a Korean prisoner of war camp for the past two years and eight months. Earlier the congress had listened intently to messages from these two British women. Mrs. Baldwin said that when her son was first sent to Korea she "felt like dying." She had sat down and cried for weeks on end. Then one day somebody had knocked at her door — a representative from the Women's Assembly, and told her: "Come with us, you are not the only mother." Delegates stood and cheered when she said: "I want to do everything I can to help all the other mothers throughout the world to stop the wicked war in Korea. My son has returned, but I want to work and fight to ensure that other mothers' sons [are not sent to this war]." CHEERS came when it was announced that final agreement had been reached over the exchange of prisoners in Korea! [Unreadable] two British delegates and [Unreadable] the Vietnam [Unreadable] by two French women, one whose son and [the other whose] husband had been killed there. [Unreadable] A DANISH SOLDIER came to the rostrum. The delegates were silenced. And they cheered when they heard his message. He had brought with him a greeting from 46 out of 54 members of his company thanking the women for their work for peace. These soldiers, he said, had no desire to fight the peoples of the world, neither the Soviet, Chinese, American, French nor the British people. Madame Chang Yun, deputy leader of the Chinese delegation and vice-president of the All-China Federation of Women, gave a graphic description of the transformation of her country, and of women's position since liberation. She told the congress: "We Chinese women ardently love peace. The more so because we have endured sufferings of long years of aggressive wars against us." [Unreadable: the Chinese delegate Teh-chuan, Minister of Health, ... Chinese women have been able to win tremendous success, unheard of in China's history.] She declared: "This is because we have won our national independence by expelling from our country the foreign aggressors and hurling from power the forces of feudalism." In terrible contrast was the picture of Greece, where 380 out of 1,000 babies die within a month of their birth. And where nobody bothers about it, the state having only one thought — war. THE VOICE of the other America was heard. Mrs. Lillian Levina said: "In the name of humanity and all that is sacred in American life, the Rosenbergs must be saved." She explained: "The American people do not like what is happening in their country, to their Constitution. They see that their way of life, their country, is being destroyed and that for this the Soviet Union cannot be held responsible. They are beginning to resist this [Unreadable]." ON THE LAST night the Danish women gave a farewell surprise. As it was explained, since the Danish government had forbidden the torchlight procession through the town, the women had decided to make their own procession in the hall. Then all the lights went out and they came in bearing candles, and from the ceiling came a shower of roses and sweet peas. For everybody the congress proved that women's hearts beat strongly and resolutely and in unison for their rights, for the right of their children to live in peace. [Caption:] A view of the Women's Congress in session in Copenhagen. American Negro Woman Tells Meeting "Negro-White Unity Can Defend Our Rights" By PHYLLIS ROSNER COPENHAGEN. THE SPEECH of a young American Negro woman to the World Congress of Women was interrupted many times by warm applause. She began: "To us, from the United States, this Congress and the warmth of our welcome here have a very special meaning.... We too want to defend our homes, our rights and our dignity as women, and we cannot do it unless we take our place in the ranks of the millions of women on the march toward their rightful place in the world." She pointed out that under the drive for war many of the American people's hard-won gains are threatened and "we can no longer take for granted even our basic democratic right to speak and act for peace." Discrimination is practiced against women in the United States, and especially against Negro women. Of the 57½ million women over 14 years of age in the United States, 37½ million are housewives, and about 19 million are in the labor force. In every industry women are automatically paid less because they are women; they are not given equal opportunities for job training. Negro women, in all spheres of life, carry additional burdens. Out of 451 job classifications, three-quarters of all women were concentrated in the 23 lowest paid job categories. And almost four-fifths of Negro women workers were employed in five of the lowest paid categories. In 1850 [sic] the average earnings of Negro women were one-fifth the salary of white men and a half the salary of white women. In the last presidential election, the pressure from American women was largely responsible for both major parties taking a position on peace. "The large number of women who voted," she declared, "and their overwhelming support for President Eisenhower, is generally recognized as an expression of their desire for peace and their determination to make their will [felt]." [Unreadable] white women, growing out of joint struggles, and the growing unity of women's organizations around specific issues affecting women's rights, are the continuance of our cherished heritage and tradition. "And this splendid Congress will give us the vision and inspiration to find the avenues to greater unity and to take [Unreadable] one overwhelming women's movement, embracing all sections and strata of our national womanhood. We pledge ourselves to this task." [Caption:] MME. EUGÉNIE COTTON, president of the Women's International Democratic Federation, holds the baby of one of the delegates to the World Congress of Women.