Women fight racist laws

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1. Build a mass campaigning socialist youth movement. Build a mass campaigning socialist youth 2. Build the National Union of School Students! We will fight to win support for I1 want a subscription to Class Fighter, and enclose £3 for 1 school students in the unions, YSs, and in the National Union of Studants. 1 I would like more intormation on the National Laft-Wing Youth Movement. | I would like more intormation on the National Laft-Wing ' 3. Turn the Labour Party Young Socialists out to industrial workers' struggles.

4. Fight for democracy in the Labour Party and in the Young Socialists. The National ational Lett-Wing Youth Movement speaker for my LPYS, YCND or Committee should be elected from the YS Conference. No extonded speaking time at YS Conference for National Committee members. Equal spoaking time for differont viewpoints in the YS. 'Socialist Youth' to carry open debate and discussion. 5. Full union rights for the unemployed. Unionise the YOP cheap labour schemes. For full trade union rates and rights on YOPs. Cut the hours, not the jobs. Build an unemployed 6. Fight for the YS to take a lead in the fight for women's and gay liberation. Compaign against sexism in the labour movement and in the YS to make it possible for women and gay discrimination on the basis of sex or sexuality. 7. Unilateral nucleer disarmament and withdrawal from NATO. Build CND. Fight to draw youth from CND into the struggle for socialist policies in the labour movement. Tho war drive comes from imperialisml Defend the Soviet Union. 8. Troops out of Ireland now! Political status for Republican prisoners. Ropezi the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Support the Labour Committee on Ireland. Support all actions in solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggle in the North of Ireland. 9. Fight racism. Purge racists from all positions in the labour movement. Organise to drive facsists off the streets. For united black and white labour movement defence squads.

Build labour movernent support for black self-defence - including against the racism and anti working class brutality of the police.

Party, YS. Fight for a workers' government - baced on and under the control of the labour RETURN TO NLWYM. 214 SICKERT COURT. ESSEX RD.. THE racism of the immigration and nationality laws is being talked about more and more now. But it's easy to forget that even within these racist laws, the sexism of the state still comes through.

There is a need for us, if we are fighting racism, to look at the special ways women are affected.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that -for immigration and nationality purposes - the law doesn't regard • women as individuals, but as 'appendages of men: wives, mothers, daughters. Here are some examples of what this means.

*If a woman comes to Britain in her own right, say she has been granted a work permit, and marries an overseas student, she loses the right to stay her work permit gave her. So when the time comes for her husband to leave, not only does she have no legaltright to keep him here, the fact that he has to go means that she does too!

*Men who have a right to live in Britain generally have Other meeting. I enclose detail Tick as appropriate.

Neme Addre branch...... complete freedom to bring their wives and children to Britain (because they are seen as the men's dependents). The law can't cope with women other than as the dependents of men, so it gives them no right to bring husbands to Britain. At least, women who are British citizens can do this. But because of the history of the nationality laws, very few black women have the right citizenship.

Of course, the law only recognises heterosexuality: there is no possibility for lesbian and gay couples to be united at all.

The sexism in the laws has been brought in a recent anti-deportation campaign, a campaign to keep Halimat Babamba in this country.

Halimat came to Britain to join her husband, from Nigeria. Her husband beat her up, and threatened to kill her.

Eventually Halimat escaped to women's refuge. Her husband has now gone back to Nigeria. So the Ipportt sters, 1 Phone Home Office want to send her and the children back too. This, despite the fact that if they went, Halimat's husband would have the right to take the children, to refuse to support Halimat (so she would have no means of support) and could easily arrange to kill her (which he has threatened to do).

Sharpened

So the problems faced by many women in Britain -leaving a violent husband; and then managing on their own - is sharpened by the racist treatment Halimat suffers under immigration law.

It's not surprising you don't find women with immigration problems in the unions. This is Maria's case:

"I came to England in 1979, when 1. was 20, to work as an au. pair. I was told I would have plenty of time to study to improve my English. But the work with. the house, the children and the cooking took up most of my time - after 12 hours of work I felt exhausted. l could only remain as an au pair for two years, but l could. not afford to return to my country. The only way I could do was as a student, so i have to do washing up and cleaning for £72 a week to pay the fees of a private English school. My bed sitter costs £27 a week; I spend £10 on fares and there is hardly any money left for me to eat...

Most women who come to Britain to work are, like Maria, working in traditional 'women's jobs' in catering and hotel work. Often there are few unions active in these industries, and anyway what's the point of someone going to a union meeting if they have problems following what's going on because their English isn't very good?

No concessions And Labour Parties make no concessions to those who work in these trades, which often means working at the very times when political meetings are held.

So how are migrant women workers, and women affected by immigration and nationality laws to organise and fight?

powerful is the message of the book.

There was a conference in London last October which brought over 300 women together to talk about this problem. Since ing. then, smaller groups of women have been meeting to talk about how to build on that conference - which was a tremendous success.

Campaign because you are black.

in the middle of May, we'll be launching a national Women,. Immigration and Nationality' campaign.

We'll have plenty of litera- say - But I don't like it." ture on the areas whre sexism and racism. come together, which we'll be looking for people to help should wear shorts. distribute, and activity to mobilise for. If you write to Class Fighter at 13 Buxton Road, London N19, saying you're interested in the WIN' campaign, we'll send sexual." you the details of the launch Well worth reading. meeting. workers' movement Labiour Government like the last onet

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