Women and Voting of International Womens day
March 8th, International Womens Day, is a red-letter day for women - and men - worldwide. This is the first time that so many organisations [unite] in pursuit of a shared goal. « The womens movement [not disappear], despite what some people say », says Dominique Decaux. « Many organisations [work] on womens issues. If their voice is rarely heard, its because they [not always work] together and because they [not always have] the same demands. March also [mark] the 50th anniversary of women having the right to vote in national elections. The March Committee will demand that voting rights be automatically granted to everyone who [live] in Belgium for at least 5 years. « This is important to me » says Fatiha Yousfi, « I [be] here for 36 years but [keep] my Moroccan nationality. I [consider] applying for naturalisation when Belgium [wake up] politically, meaning that [soon have] the right to vote whatever my nationality ». The next local elections in which non Belgian European citizens [have] a vote, are in 2000. « It is awful for immigrants to feel as if they [not exist] », adds Yousfi. If they vote, burgomasters [have to] tackle issues like violence in socially deprived neighbourhoods ». |