NEWS FROM THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT

Dear Readers of ISIS,

Some of you have asked us for more regular and updated information on topics we have already covered in our ISIS Bulletins. We ourselves often go through agonies trying to decide what to cut out of Bulletins — there is so much we would like to include amongst the tons of information we receive each week. So for this last Bulletin of 1981 we decided to put together a big mixture. In selecting material for this "News from the Women's Movement", we wanted to present issues which over the past year have been of growing importance in the women's movement. We identified (amongst others) the anti-nuclear struggle, racism, lesbian separatism, prostitution, violence against women and health. As always in ISIS, we wanted to bring a broad geographical mix too, and the result, we feel, is somewhat remarkable

Some of the issues are easily seen as universal : the women's aid movement in Germany is one — fairly successful — response to violence against women. The Sri Lanka statement against thuggery indicates just how many forms violence against women takes. The anti-nuclear struggle becomes more and more international, although perhaps still more a concern of women in industrialised countries (even though it affects everyone everywhere). Other issues like devdasis (forced prostitution) in India or Lesbian separatism in the West, seem at first to be more culture specific. There are people who believe that Lesbianism is not an issue in third world countries. The questions raised by Lesbianism and by separatism, however, are relevant to all women. In addition, both compulsory heterosexuality and the particular practice of dedicating young girls (devdasis) to a goddess, which sanctions their becoming prostitutes, are different manifestations of the wider problem of women's sexual oppression. Whatever the forms, the underlying forces are the same.

We do not want to say that differences are not important What each woman holds to be important or true in her life must be respected. Each different viewpoint in fact raises basic, sometimes crucial, questions which enrich our understanding of our situation as women in its entirety. This can only be achieved by sharing, exploring, challenging and supporting each other. "News from the Women's Movement" is our continuing contribution to this. Happy New Year.

The women of ISIS