Tibet: Why this is an issue for those of us who define ourselves as feminist anti militarists,
In the past, when I've brought up the issue of women in black actively campaigning about the situation inside Chinese Communist Party occupied Tibet, one of the most prominent things I've been asked, is why is this an issue for us as feminist anti militarists? First answer that springs to mind, is why would we consider any occupied country an issue for us? Because women in occupied Tibet, suffer the same abuses that women in other similarly troubled parts of the world suffer. Why not ask why is Palestine an issue for women in black? There are many parallels between the two situations, which are clear to see when we take the time to look. Then, it's time to think of the issues specifically related to Tibet. The eugenics programme, as implemented by the Chinese government. Where women in many area's have their menstrual cycles policed. where forced abortions and sterilisations are the norm. This is gender specific abuse, that's in dire need of the international support of our women in black network. Given the current situation, the time has well and truly come for us to take these issues on board and encompass them into our campaigns. My question is, why hasn't this happened yet? what's holding women in black back?, as an international network, why haven't we already built bridges and made connections to campaign with the TWA on these issues? (TWA is the Tibetan Women's Association) Why aren't we holding regular vigils to highlight the issues being faced by women in occupied Tibet? For that matter, why isn't Tibet seen more often on the lists of campaigns endorsed by many peace movement activists in the western world? (I'm referring to this from the point of campaigning in the west, simply because that's where I am)
I've been meaning to write this for a while now. Recent developments in Tibet, have made it very much more pressing that I get on and bring this subject up in the wider women in black community (I say wider, as I've already brought the subject up on numerous occasions within my local, London based network) I'm pretty certain all who are reading this, must be aware of recent developments in Tibet. In the past year alone, over 30 Tibetans have taken the awful and desperate act of self immolating. Five of those being women, one of those women being a mother of four, another being a nineteen year old student. Not forgetting the young Tibetan who self immolated back in 2009. The reason so many Tibetans have taken this drastic, desperate measure, is to try to bring to the worlds attention the absolute, all encompassing oppression, faced by all Tibetans in occupied Tibet. I recently read a report stating that one act of self immolation sparked the Arab spring uprise in Egypt. So why, after so many tragic deaths of this nature in occupied Tibet, is the situation and the appalling human rights violations there being ignored.
A worrying development, is that in these very difficult times for Tibet, articles and blogs have started to emerge, questioning the feminist movement's position in relation to these issues re: occupied Tibet, as it seems some in the struggle for Tibetan autonomy, have met with some pretty unhelpful attitudes from some so called feminists. I find this very worrying, and really hope that if there are some out there who call themselves feminists, and yet deny the plight, and abuses experienced by women in occupied Tibet, and communist China, that this way of thinking comes from being badly misinformed, and such women in the feminist movement are very thin on the ground. I'm including here some quotes from one such article:
"During activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day much focus was rightly given to a range of human rights themes, unfortunately absent from the orchestrated championing of women’s human rights was any prominent exposure concerning communist China’s treatment of women, and in particular its coercive population-control program. Which as is now well known grossly violates the principle of freedom of choice and a woman’s right to control over her own body. In occupied Tibet, East Turkestan, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and communist China women are denied these freedoms and subject to the dictate of a male-dominated regime that inflicts a series of draconian penalties; including financial/mental/physical coercion, forced sterilizations and forced abortions.
“Local officials aim to sterilise 9, 559 people by 26 April, some against their will, in a drive to meet family planning targets in Puning City, Guangdong Province, southern China…The local authorities claim that by the end of 11 April, the 20-day campaign had already met 50 per cent of its target. A local doctor, quoted in the Chinese media, said that his team was working from 8am until 4am the next day performing surgeries for sterilisation. Local reports suggest at least some people are not freely consenting to being sterilised“
The extent of these state-engineered abuses is staggering, yet the collective apathy from women’s NGOs and activists is puzzling and alarming. Imagine the response if just one woman was dragged from her home in Washington DC, Paris or London, beaten, tied to a medical slab and forcibly sterilised. There would be riots on the streets and rightly so! Such barbarity is a central element in China’s population program and has traumatised countless women across the communist Chinese Empire, and yet all we have from the concerned sisterhood is evasion and silence! How can any feminist claim to be genuinely concerned about human rights, yet ignore or deny the plight of women subject to this brutality?"
So, coming back to the specifics of women in black, and the focus of our own vigils and campaigns, after reading what's written above, I really don't think we need to ask, why specifically it would be helpful/useful for women in black to hold regular vigils to highlight and campaign for an end to the dire situation women are facing inside occupied Tibet. Regular vigils are held outside the Chinese Embassy in London, and worldwide, to make for public awareness of, and protest about, the situation and human rights abuses happening inside occupied Tibet. They are mixed vigils, and the gender specific issues affecting women are seldom prominent. I could, organise another vigil, say on another evening, around the Edith Cavell statue (for wibs outside London, who aren't familiar with London wib, that's the statue in central London that London wibs vigil around, and very apt it is to vigil there too) However, as I'm not myself Tibetan, it would, I think, be inappropriate for me to start specifying who could and who couldn't attend, i.e.: my saying the vigil needed to be women only, in order to make prominent the gender issues. So, as you can imagine, it wouldn't take long before we simply had another Tibet vigil happening. And the women's issues would once again, be brushed under the carpet so to speak. Now, in comparison to that, if women in black networks took up the issue, and held regular vigils to highlight Tibet, and in particular, gender specific issues affecting women in Tibet. Well, the answer is obvious, we're already an established feminist network. We'd be appreciated for the support being given, without the feminist slant becoming an issue. Wib London held one vigil with Tibet as the focus, during the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, and I've since had it reported back to me, that it was really appreciated, that another peace network had taken up the issue of Tibet. After that, I was asked to speak at the London branch of the TWA's fiftieth commemorative anniversary of the Tibetan Women's Uprising. Which was great, because I got the opportunity to spend a lot of time answering questions from those who attended, about non violent activism in the peace movement, and questions specifically about women in black. People were very interested in how we work, without hierarchies or elected leaders. To say It would be so good to build on this, and make better connections with the Tibetan community, at this historical point in time in the campaign for freedom and autonomy in Tibet, is an enormous understatement. To coin a phrase from the rave community that one of my friends daughters hung out around as a teenager, the time is now, the place is here (or whatever bit of the world you do your wib vigil in) and we could be the ones…… (or some of the ones) To build those bridges, lobby and campaign, do our bit to put that pressure onto the powers that be, to in turn put pressure on the Chinese government, to listen to the voice of reason, and work towards a free Tibet.
Here are some short videos and press releases, do please take the time to have a look:
This is a clip from a documentary, called undercover in Tibet, so called as it was made undercover in Tibet. I challenge anyone who watches this, to tell me logically, how these issues aren't relevant to us as feminists, and given that the women who are suffering here aren't exactly in a position to set up their own campaigns, to protest what's happening,(remember, this was filmed undercover, and the film makers took a considerable risk to make this film) then how, as active campaigners, can we ignore these issues once we're in receipt of the knowledge that this is happening? Here's the clip:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xp5o6z_forced-sterilization-in-occupied-tibet_news
recent news report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfWxdzxzlGk
Short film, highlighting the issues with self immolations, and pressing the point for international support for the Tibetan cause
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4KYy3vqPRU
Recent TWA press release:
A KEY WITNESS OF FORCED ABORTIONS AND STERILISATIONS IN THE LEGAL CASE OF THE TIBETAN GENOCIDE WILL TESTIFY IN THE SPANISH NATIONAL COURT
American M.D. Dr. Blake Kerr was a direct and indirect witness of forced abortions, sterilizations, infanticides and torture during several stays in Tibet between 1988 and 1991. Besides these aberrations he saw deaths and aggressions in the course of street shootouts by the security forces, against peaceful protesters and passers-by, in Lhasa (Tibet’s capital). These crimes committed by Chinese forces against women and children will be part of his testimony, before Judge Ismael Moreno, as they are part of the facts that have been denounced in the case, currently being investigated for genocide, torture and war crimes.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dhardon-sharling/dec-12-spanish-national-court-american-doctor-to-testify-re-forced-abortions-and/10150507155201007
News report from the Nobel Women's Initiative,
A group of 12 Nobel Peace Laureates – including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, Lech Walesa, Leymah Gbowee and Shirin Ebadi – released an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao. The letter is a response to the recent spate of self-immolations within the Tibetan community and urges Jintao to resolve the ongoing conflict.
http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/2012/04/nobel-laureates-jintao-must-open-dialogue-with-tibet/?ref=18
And here's the link to Canyon Sam's web site: Canyon Sam is the author of Sky Train: Tibetan Women On the Edge of History, this groundbreaking book provides the missing narrative of women in modern Tibetan history through an interweaving of memoir, oral history and travel reportage. Canyon Sam is an American lesbian activist, her site is well worth a look
http://www.canyonsam.com/blog/
Ngawang Sangdrol, Tibetan nun and former prisoner of conscience speaks at the Global Summit against Discrimination and Persecution: "Jailed for Singing Songs of Freedom" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vQAiSgRV04
