EQUALPAY OCCUPATION THE ESSEX International plant in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, has beer occupied by 130 workers but 20 of them women - in their ninth weck of strike action. The strike at this clectrical compoemis d tor ue elan ava he ime and motion study. But once women discovered breaches of equal pay laws.
AM DOTan SSTe DuE dispute has beco the agreement by the Engineers Union to pas TOR TICU BUNT TAE 00103lon. Full report nett week, Sead support and dona BEEC2 SI BONE ALEW, 420 Sauchihall Street Glasgow, G2.
WEIR HOSPITAL SIX HUNDRED trade unionists WASCE U • Lhe Closure DI tbC Veir maternity hospital in Sout London barged into the local 6 July — to be mer by twa coach loads of pollee gates.
Forty demonstrators were finally allowed in to present tian signed by over 10.000, ll was gnoced, as were the speeches a he few workers from the occu ITO DOSTIE WAO BOSWELL adress the meeting.
After hearing medical opinion that perenatal death at the Weir was so high as to make it unsafe, clear the AHA voted ID VECTOSE MOOIS LECI sult with interested parties as to Its future use'. change the hospical into office was withdrawn The occupation is continuing C/o LILI SELEC WOLA0S 02 coed jobs, But there is still strong eling amons local campaigne lainst any chanee in use ol t bospital. The health authority makes no artempe to disguise its sore deft the mcin, the aly vaced to close department at Putnes Hospical.
men in pobs, they may think it'sa come-on.
Rape ls a fundamental amsault upon our right to self-determina. tion at many levels. Rape is ato a lT BLencC. ana us TaRd he fight against rape a khott roblem for socialists and fem tniS.5.
Rape as a feminist issue gained publicity in 1975 over tbe woman was consenting to sexual Imercourse, even though the woman was not consenting, was a good defence to a charge of Not surprisingly, this decisior set with a great deal of hostilit nd anger from the Womee's Movement, and from the left of always ready to have a go at judges. The decision led to a public debiate which exposed the sexism of the law and the legal system's apparent double standard of sexual SENTENCING Variations in sentencing minisathrete in arwotte aibrcat to all women controversy over this in 1975 Jed to Jack Ashley's Sexual Offenices (Amenimcnt) AC WhICh (empied to deal with some of the mare obvious aspects of the double standard in the rules of evidence in rape trials and modiFied the effect of the Morgan casc.
But once again, in the Holdsworth case the jadges have shown their true opinion or tae seripusness of rape. That is, they don't tend to think rape is a crime at all. Rape Is an act of physical, mental, and sexual violence against women, all women, It is an ever-present threat which controis our movements - not going out alone after dark; and our behaviour — not talking to strange Holdsworth was a Guardsman with a promising career ahead of him shooting Catholics in Northtn ureano, onc nigat in Tar mouth he got carried away and bad it off a few cimes with this oman he'd picked un in a bar Veil, she asked for the violenc because she wouldn't he stil and timsei wel have to le bip off; his career might be ruined If we put him away.
REACTIONS Reactions to these legal decidans and a host dt ochers, bave come mainty from iwo directions. The lef Labour MPs through They dineat their reforming the legal system - the 1976 Act and cal fora statutory minimum sentence of 5 years.
The reaction of the Women's Movement has been more comFlex, showing an understanding ape is part of everyday life, pa:
our cuiture. For example, I'r AT IS TEIS HESE BCA to the Stones and Midnight The Rape Centre offors support and advic Kape do understand that rape is rape victims; Women Aguins integraily Linked to dependence economically, athera epite thele despite chese au vances, many feminists have not come to terms with what stitude to the State shoolid bre At the national women's laberation conference in April an aucmpi was-maac to pos a seventh densand, calling for an ind to rape, support tor recal CORa OnCOY MOMCI MIR rapists and the citablishment of feminist vigilante squads.
has recaonse Wie mouEE by rightéous anger, is dangerous since it relates directly to rightblack "muggers' (and rapisıs), 1 i essentially an over-simoity the guestion ape and to by-pass the questior if the Scace and its role in th oppression of women.
FIGHT In the fight for ditermination abd ananst al accep ne uns definn iccept the pourts as to what constitules raDc distinct fram intercourse. At the same time we annot norc mc aoac oy dov!
ating that women alone tak: responsibility for the defence of our tiaht to seit-deternanabon -since the State itseif formu part of the atrack on that right.
DEMAND Inscead we must demand that the State make awailnhle the resources necessary for women to exercise our right to self-deter TIOHUON SME HEWIC Har-TC Crisis labour movement supports this However, it is important to indenstand that the fight agains W DICES soci- SDE CANDU DC SIEU0 Is setum in all asped ir lives. Otherwise the strug will remain within the temm down not by our understanding of the oppression of women, but by the bourgcois legal system. #ttempt sexual selfsexual ADACAS that many have had the -FICUAM prevent that rape ning to fight back and indeed must be part by ANN BOND IMAGINE A ROOM full of women kicking their legs into the ir — and scresming Quite an masing seght, sure. Bet any ma Cnne TeCeR CIs LOIH kicked with such force that be'd be wearing his balis as earrings.
And that's the serious side of it.
Because those womicn are lcarnins karate — one response to the clarify increasing number of violent sex SEl-UcICne S'E CNON DONE STDS BEE TO perhaps as brutal us the "Guardsman rape'. And we aiso know WCCIET MACILIIU courage of bis muleu lighting 10 try provision wornen are beginning to discard the age-ald conditioning we have aul gonc mrougn ano are begt of гаре Ususily, the only acceptable way for wothen to light m een to use our highly polished ong fingernails to scratch, or at the most to deliver a sharp slap Now we unde bodies and use them to light with skill and poecision Wamel s Movement debate on rape has quite rightiy been given a lot of atrencion by socinlists. The lett is beeinning k ain a bronder understanding in this context that we have to par ideas on women's We argue, again quite rightly. that rape is a product of sexist decaying capitalist society: such, the social nature of rape is not one of individual men and Thus argue for overall mensures againnt it — the Suf betrer sineet ligh! ing, State funding of Rape Crisis Contres and reloges, and so on However this should not mean that we overlook the mechanics LOC DAHIC D LIE acracks, Now in other situations we bave had no hesita CoR R OTO LER TC MIUEU far exaiople, against racist attacks. But while 1 heleve IH CLE OCa rape must be supported, it would be dangerous to draw a simple SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 14 July 1977 parallel and automarically call for self-defence for women In the blac ghettoes it is relatively scraightforward to call for community defence. Women are not in gheitoes; rape is oot a localised crime. It is understand able that women, especially in the United States, have beer frustrated and angry about polic treatment of victims and have organised against rapiats them selves. But this action is defensivet it is reranlatory and a such bas opened the door to State intervention wolben Secome double victims of the rape atack Our suppori for women's self CELEICC NIOL SUDoNE warnen whto are preparing our selves mencally and physically to SONET BIC MRABEE GATR COT sicuation. It should be a logica canclusion of GUT attitude Tuages ad moc pot wo ow mend that we sboald sabmit "lc avaid injury'. We say 'sack the judges". TeSUUDI HOLIC developing the porential if nec essiry to disarm or disable a would-be rapist.
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he issue and to offer ideas c action against rape atracks. It is
I wonder if it's my turn next?