Submitted for discussion by Texas State Convention

There are several important campaigns concerning crucial women’s issues.

Currently most prominent is the struggle to get equal pay for equal work. Under Federal law, employers cannot discriminate against employee compensation on the basis of sex, (The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964).  However, after half a century the laws are still not being adequately enforced as evidenced by the 77¢ paid to women per $1 to men.  So the battle is for new stronger legislation.

Another important issue is women’s health.  Most important is access to medical checkups, consultation and provision of contraceptive methods and devices, and access to abortion services, all without harassment, assault or intrusion into private personal decision making between a woman, her doctor and her family.

There are widespread extremely violent and brutal attacks on women and girls worldwide and the U.S. has not escaped.   

“Trafficking in Persons” for sex and labor is the modern term for human slavery.

According to the ILO, 20.9 million people globally are trapped in jobs into which they were coerced or deceived and which they cannot leave. 1.5 million of these are in the “civilized” Developed Economies and European Union of which the United States is a part. Worldwide 11.4 million are women and girls, who make up 98% of victims trafficked for forced sexual exploitation. In the U.S.as many as 50,000 women and children are brought in illegally every year for these purposes. An estimated 300,000 children and adolescents in the U.S. are prostituted every year, many of them girls.

Another concern is assaults on women. In the U.S. one in five women are sexually assaulted in college and there were 26,000 sexual assaults in the military in 2012. One in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetime.  

It is ironic that one of the leaders in the struggles around women’s issues is a former President of the world’s largest and arguably most developed capitalist country, Jimmy Carter who has stated that violence against women is the “worst human rights violation on Earth”.  We must also be a major force in the struggle to eradicate this epidemic.

The views and opinions expressed in the Convention Discussion are those of the author alone. The Communist Party is publishing these views as a service to encourage discussion and debate. Those views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Communist Party, its leading bodies or staff members. The CPUSA Constitution, Program, and all its existing policies remain in effect during the Convention discussion period and during the Convention.

For details about the convention, visit the Convention homepage
To contribute to the discussion, visit the Convention Discussion webpage

CONVENTION DISCUSSION 
30th National Convention, Communist Party USA
Chicago | June 13-15, 2014

Comments