Silence is Not an Option, End Police Repression!
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Since 1997, every year on the 15th March, activists from various parts of the world call for protests and direct action against police repression or brutality. At the moment, it is difficult to gather together because of the pandemic but this does not mean that we will remain silent. Violence of authorities destroys local communities and creates a situation where any initiative is punishable not only by fines and days of imprisonment, but also by beatings and torture! While violence against political activists has to some extent fallen compared to the 20th century, today, violence against ordinary people is only increasing. This may be due to indifference, lack of solidarity or discrimination based on age or ethnical group.
On the International Day against Police Repression, the International Young Christian Workers is joining the working class, the civil society and social movements to condemn police violence and state repression.
International Women's Day, March 8, 2021 – For the IYCW, “Young Women Are at the Forefront of Change”
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There is nothing very different in celebrating International Women's Day this year, except that the situation is even more precarious today and impacts a lot of young workers. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, young women workers were already suffering. With the conditions in their workplaces, many rights were neglected and not respected. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, young women workers in particular are being more affected, not only in terms of health risks, but also in terms of economic impact.
“From crisis to conversion” - 11 international Cardijn-inspired movements call to use the crisis for holistic change
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The International Specialised Catholic Action Movements (Miacs) represent more than 500 movements around the world with a great diversity of countries and backgrounds. One year of exchanges about the impacts of the Covid on the respective members resulted in the common conviction that “a system that cannot solve these problems […] must change”. The pandemic brutally aggravates pre-existing problems such as unemployment, inequalities between genders, between rich and poor within and between countries as shown by various surveys carried out by Midade, Fimarc and the IYCW.
Relocation of the IYCW Archives in the KADOC Catholic Documentation Centre of the University of Leuven
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On February 23th, 2021, the archives of the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) were moved from the International Secretariat in Brussels to KADOC Documentation and Research Centre on Religion, Culture and Society connected to the Catholic University of Leuven.
The IYCW has a rich history and pre-history. From its origins in the Young Christian Workers (YCW) (1925) movement, to its official recognition as an international movement in 1957 and beyond, it envisaged the emancipation and education of young workers all over the world. Through the years, the IYCW has produced vast archives containing written correspondence with the national branches and local (Church) authorities, documents on daily governance and activities, information on personnel and finances,… It really reflects the history of more than seventy years of IYCW.
To Meet Post Covid-19 Challenges, the IYCW Calls To Work With and For Young Workers
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Young workers have been particularly affected by the pandemic that hit all continents in 2020. Governments and actors of society have to unite to support them, as requested by the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) based in Brussels and active on all continents.
With the title “The impact of Covid-19 on young workers,” the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) has published, in about twenty pages, an analysis based on the See-Judge-Act method of the movement. It was presented at the beginning of a webinar that brought together over a hundred participants from more than 30 different countries on Saturday, December 12, despite the time differences. They included current and former YCW leaders, but also partners and supporters from all over the world, from Australia and Venezuela to Belgium, from Gabon to Argentina, from Sri Lanka and Canada to Tanzania, including members of other movements and organizations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO).
An In-Depth Study
Quoting testimonies of YCW members from Egypt, Peru, Haiti, Germany, Japan, Brazil and the Philippines, this analysis first shows that due to the spread of Covid-19, young workers were among the first victims and they lost their sources of income, but also that the digitization of the (working) world has accelerated with both positive and negative consequences. The survey goes on to indicate that gender inequalities and injustices are even more pronounced and that migrants are particularly impacted, especially in refugee camps where it is, to say the least, difficult to respect social distancing! The lack of social protection is even more blatant, health is endangered as it is not being guaranteed at work, and reactions within the society vary greatly, with on the one hand many actions of solidarity and, on the other hand, many questions as to the real societal priorities.
