In Costa Rica, we have identified a general setback in the women’s movement in the country as a result of a decrease in the international movement to fight for women’s rights, but also due to the defeat of the PAC and progressivism in general in the previous electoral process. , which can be mixed with a general segregation of the country’s women’s movement, since the left-wing organizations and feminist collectives that were strengthened in the previous period have been reduced.
By PT – Costa Rica
With the rise of Rodrigo Chaves to power, the women’s movement in general is on the defensive, as a result of Chaves’ agreement with the churches and conservative sectors to attack the technical standard for therapeutic abortion, as well as the legitimization of sexist violence. in the very figure of the president, which he specified in a speech defending his actions at the World Bank, even putting the INAMU presidency to defend him before public accusations.
The government not only does not have any specific policy to guarantee access to decent jobs for women, but also promotes laws such as the Law of 4-3 days (increase to 13-hour days for 4 days a week) that places in a situation of vulnerability and possible loss of jobs for women workers with care obligations, but it also puts into force the public employment law with a regulation that affects public workers, who also have their wages frozen.
The government also denies access to land to peasant and indigenous women, while the migrants who arrive in the country to seek refuge fleeing poverty and dictatorships in the region are attacking.
The launch of tens of thousands of women into poverty and unemployment has also generated a very significant increase in cases of violence against women and femicides, with a general increase in domestic violence and sexual assaults.
For their part, there has been a greater component of women murdered in the confrontations of the drug gangs, who have used them as cannon fodder in the drug retail and territorial dispute fronts.
The slow recovery of the economy places working-class women in a desperate situation of unemployment, suffering a huge setback in their participation in the labor market, being forced to retreat to care work and unemployment, or failing that, hundreds of Thousands must endure conditions of informality and job insecurity.
Meanwhile, the increase in inflation during the previous year affected women much more, who on average receive much lower salaries than men, a situation that is accentuated when they are young women or foreigners.
Young women have also seen their living conditions greatly affected, not only facing a high degree of violence in public and private spaces, but also at an economic level, capitalism places them as part of the sectors that suffer the most unemployment and job insecurity. , while the educational system suffers from underfunding that prevents them from accessing public universities and in many cases not even finishing secondary education.
In January 2023, unemployment in people under 25 years of age affected 25.2% of men and 39.6% of women.
For its part, the legislative assembly has proposed bills that go against the right of women to decide over their own bodies, and rather placing legal barriers to the possibility of even accessing therapeutic abortion, as is the project 21,239, Law on the rights of the human being in gestation that at the end of January 35 deputies gave him a 4-year bond to have it on the agenda, a project promoted by the churches and sectors of anti-abortion doctors, or the case of the project of deputy Johana Obando, from the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) on the possibility of adopting from the womb, which even opens the door to the legalization of surrogate bellies.
Despite the fact that the Government of Rodrigo Chaves has enormous popular support this 8M, we must make an effort to explain the reasons why the government of Rodrigo Chaves is an enemy of poor and working women, and that we have many reasons to leave to confront the government.
But also be forceful in discussing the need to organize working class women and men to confront the government that attacks the living conditions of our class to guarantee the wealth of big businessmen, but also the very system that guarantees the exploitation and misery for the majority.
We must place the need to organize the struggle in the companies as the women of Dos Pinos and those of Selime do, but in addition to organizing the struggle for land and housing as the peasant women of the Alianza and the indigenous recuperations do, but that These efforts are just the beginning. The revolutionary party needs to be organized to organize the fight for the socialist revolution as the only alternative to guarantee respect for the dignity of working class women and end poverty, unemployment and violence.