LU ol B.C. delegate acclaims World Women’s parley By HELEN 0’SHAUGHNESSY The mounting excitement over the past few months for the World Congress for International Women’s Year culminated when 2,000 delegates from 140 countries met in Berlin, GDR October 20-24 to discuss the United Nations theme for I.W.Y. — equality, development, peace.. The idea of convening this forum was conceived. at the World Congress of Peace Forces held in 1973. Inspired by its broad and open character and the spirit of cooperation, a group of repre- sentatives of women’s organizations met in October, 1973 to discuss the proposal for con- vening the present Congress. From the first declaration of I.W.Y., seminars were held in every continent to discuss the problems of women. The discussions at these meetings céntred around some of the topical | problems of women: women and social development, women’s economic independence, women in - the struggle for peace and against fascism, disarmament and _ its social aspects, the participation of women in the economic life of their countries and in bringing up and educating the future generation and the role played. by young women in society. Similar meetings were also held by youth, religious, peace and trade union organizations. Meetings to draft working papers for the Congress were held in different cities in _ Europe and Africa. They took into account recommendations arising from all these organizations’ - meetings and conferences and presented the papers to the delegates for their commission The opening ceremony of the World Congress for I.W.Y. was held in the bright and spacious _ Werner Seelinbinder Hall. Here we assembled together in our own United Nations from countries just as diverse, . politically, ideologically, culturally and socially as the UN General Assembly with one exception: the number of delegates by sex was reversed. Instead of a _ predominantly male assembly, it “was predominantly female, although the deliberations em- _ Phasized all humankind. Colorful wal dress worn by many of the delegates highlighted the diversity of nations and took one out of the narrow nationalist concept into a broad and rewarding international outlook. In subsequent commission sessions, where delegates had the opportunity to express themselves, they revealed their strength and capability to take full part in their country’s development. There were nine commissions. Mine had 200 delegates and dealt with the family and society..Speakers were to limit their discussion to new proposals, but some felt it necessary to tell of the conditions in their country. Some were: reports of appalling conditions people had to live under while others described how equality was working in their country. A Cypriot woman made an impassioned plea to the delegates to speak out on their behalf. How couldethey think of equality when families are still broken up and 200,000 live in refugee camps and in tents in the forest under inhuman conditions? Foreign. troops have burned their villages, massacred their children, violated their daughters and taken their husbands captive. She called for support of all countries to bring pressure on the foreign forces to heed the UN Security Council resolution 3212 which calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Cyprus, the return of the refugees to their homes under conditions of security, respect for' independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, for democracy in Cyprus. A young woman speaking on behalf of the women of Puerto Rico, reported. One third of the women are forcibly sterilized in that country. The Congress con- demned any kind of action in favor of sterilization which is intended to destroy the characteristics of a feature of a people or minority. Canada raised the question of the battered child and called for the Congress to approach the UN to declare an International Children’s Year in the near future to study the -Status of and discrimination against children. : A Chilean delegate reported the need for rising public opinion to force the junta to allow the UN to investigate the conditions of children and expose the problems AUTOGRAPHING PARTY Ald. Harry Rankin will autograph copies of RANKIN'S LAW: Recollections of a-Radical $7.95 PEOPLE'S CO-OP BOOKSTORE 353 West Pender Street FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 7-10 p.m. novels, of nutrition under the fascist. regime. The junta had already refused admission to UNICEF. Delegates of third world coun- tries spoke of the harsh conditions ; rural women labored under. Long hours in the fields with low pay is their lot. Illiteracy is very high and to these women, running water in their homes, enough ey decent housing would be aff ad- vancement. Palestinian women spoke of the atrocities directed at their people,: blaming Zionism as- an attempt’ to annihilate their race. Delegates condemned racism, fascism, imperialism, colonialism, neo- colonialism, Zionism and apar- theid for holding back develop- ment, equality and world peace. A small minority registered their opposition to the inclusion of the word Zionism because the word held different meanings to dif- ferent people. However, they did support and recognize the rights of the Palestinian women. Another delegate expressed her opposition to the oft-repeated reference to the leading role socialism has played in the ad- vancement of women’s equality, claiming that socialism was not necessary to gain equality. In- answer, a delegate noted that to take that out would not reflect what is happening. Delegates heard documentation and saw with their own eyes the status of women in a socialist state and the many women in responsible positions. Children are given equal educational training and not channelled into traditional male and female roles. There isn’t the subtle class channelling where the rich go to higher education and then poor drop out for lack of 4 Some of the Canadian delegates at the World Congress for Internation Women’s Year in Berlin. L to r, Helen O'Shaughnessy, Mary Crockford, Jean Dearing, Jean Leahy, Mary Dennis. Standing is Jeannette Morgan from the Canadian Peace Congress. Not shown is Eunice Parker, another delegate from B.C. fandes When education is com-- pleted, all skills are used and there is no unemployment. The family is ‘still considered the most important unit and is assisted by the state. Creches and .kindergartens and other social services cater to the working family. . All commissions brought to the final plenary definite proposals to eliminate discrimination against women. It was found that the biggest obstacles preventing the majority of women from in- tegrating fully into the economic, political and cultural life of their respective countries were illiteracy (468 million women cannot read or write), im- perialism, ~colonialism, neo- A film to see Probably nowhere in _ this country is there a place that has been of such enduring fascination as the tenement district of Mon- treal-Cartier. Consider. it for a moment: it was there, 30-odd years ago, that the voters, much to the chagrin of Ottawa, elected the Communist Fred Rose to Parliament — and then re-elected him two years later. It has provided the setting for several of Mordecai Richler’s stories and including The Ap- prenticeship of Duddy Kravitz which was later made into a film. Herman Buller’s novel, One Man Alone, was also set there. And now Czech film director Jan Kadar — well known for his Shop on Main Street — has turned his attention to ‘Montreal to produce a film based on anoriginal story and screenplay by Ted Allan. It’s called Lies My Father Told Me, it’s showing at the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver and _ it’s worth putting ‘almost saying aside to go and see it. Don’t be put off by the cbiiesicn warning of censor R. W. McDonald that accompanies the theatre ad — it’s irrelevant and is just an example of what happens when a . censor mechanically reaches into PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 14, 1975—Page 10 collecting ‘‘rags, his stock of stilted catchphrases whenever sex is mentioned regardless of the context. Allan’s script focuses on David, a young Jewish boy growing up in the microcosmic world of the ghetto; his relationship with his grandfather who still trundles his ancient horse. around the city clothes and bottles,’ and his parents. His father is a climber, always hoping to strike it rich with “Herman’s Creaseless Trousers” and various other schemes in order that he can move out to the middle class district of Outremont. Screenwriter Allan himself plays one of several other characters, appearing as the scholarly Marxist Baumgarten who is always ready to lend his copy of the newly- purchased edition of Lenin’s Im- perialism to David’s grandfather. The scenes have an engaging simplicity: David’s endless questions that even confound his grandfather’s sympathetic un- derstanding and his innocent appearances at the wrong places. Director Kadar handles them all with sensitivity to achieve.a warm earthy humor that is sometimes poignant and always universal in its appeal. Beneath the comedy and the subtle jabs at social pretension, there is the firm foundation of human dinity on which the relationship between David and his grandfather rests. Making it all possible is the outstanding performance of Jef- frey Lynas who portrays the boy, David. Nobody going into the theatre could not be struck im- mediately by his first appearance on the screen but there is much more than that. Always he has a clear understanding of his role and he plays it superbly. Together with Yossi Yadin who plays his grand- -father, they make a good film even better. If after you leave the theatre, you find that the simple, two-note melody in the old junkman’s cry, “rags, clothes and bottles,’ sticks -in your head, don’t be surprised. It’s that Kind of a film. —Sean Sine colonialism, fascism, racism an apartheid, war and aggression. It was recognized that althoug the Congress was meeting in a atmosphere of positive changes in the international scene, there were still forces at work, the enemies of detente, peace and independence, which threaten renewed outbreaks of war and continue to violate UN resolutions. The Congress urged. delegates to press their govern- ments to make representation to the UN to convene a conference on worid. disarmament. The Congress adopted the Declaration of Mexico and the World Plan of Action as well as the Congress statement and appeal. These and all other commission papers will be presented to the UN but it was emphasized that nothing: would come of Congress decisions unless delegates took them back to their own countries and made the work. National preparatory committees were urged to continue functioning so as to review progress over the next 10 years, henceforth to be called In- ternational Women’s Decade. _ The Congress was an exciting and tremendous’ experience. Particularly enjoyable and in- formative were the inform discussions held with delegates of other countries between sessions and in the evenings. International Women’s Year secretary-general Helvi Sipilae said that she had noted two failures since the Mexico conference. First, there are only 77 women in the decision-making body of the UN while .there are 1,044 men. Secondly, only eight per cent 0! those in the UN General Assembly are women. She ended her address saying: “We women must feel responsible for the future 0 humankind and. our planet. If we want to avoid wars, if we wa every woman, man and child live in dignity and freedom, then is up to us to do so. Our passivit will prevent this from happening. Our active participation will make” it happen and enable us to achieve the goals of this year — equalit development and peace.”’. B.C. delegates to the World Congress of Women, Hele O’Shaughnessy and Eunice Parke! will give their impressions of th conference at a_report- -back meeting Sunday, November 23 1:30 p.m.’ at the Grandvi Community Centre. The meeting sponsored by the Canadia Congress of Women which initiate Canadian participation in th world meeting.