264

p Women’s democratic organisations in Syria, the Lebanon, Iraq and other Arab countries of the Middle East mainly direct their activities towards rallying the female population to the general struggle of the working people for fundamental socio-economic changes in the interests of the people, and for the democratisation of the government machinery and the whole system of state administration. Speaking of the general features of the women’s democratic movement in these countries, stress should be made on its anti-imperialist trend. The women’s democratic organisations in the countries of the Middle East do their share in the struggle of the progressive forces for the restoration of peace in this region and the elimination of the consequences of Israel’s aggression against the Arab peoples.

p The Middle East continues to be a dangerous hotbed of tension, and the Arab people with the support of the USSR and other socialist countries, with the help of all the progressive forces of the world, are waging a stubborn and intense struggle against the aggressive policy of Israel, for their national independence, progress and a just peace.

p Arab women play a worthy part in this struggle. Much of the credit for drawing them into this patriotic movement of the whole people goes to the various women’s organisations in Syria, Iraq, the Lebanon, and other Arab countries. Palestinian women are actively involved in the resistance movement. They continue to fight shoulder to shoulder with the men in defence of the lawful rights of the Arab people of Palestine.

265

p The women’s movement in Syria, Iraq, the Lebanon and other countries of the Middle East is gaining in strength with the years, becoming better organised and more active and the level of political awareness of its members is rising.

p The General Union of Syrian Arab Women, for example, working under the guidance of the Party of Arab Socialist Renaissance (Baath), speaks in support of solving the more important problems of women’s participation in the sociopolitical life of the country.

p The Union is setting up vocational training centres, handicraft workshops and artels in order to extend women’s participation in the national construction. The Syrian Government, to aid the Union, has passed a law stipulating that the nationalised enterprises must supply these centres with the necessary raw and other materials at cost price. What is more, the Union has received permission from the government to import textiles from abroad duty free. The women who have completed their course of training may go on working at the centres for a modest salary.

p Alongside providing women with jobs the work of raising the cultural level of the working women, of providing them with facilities to improve their production skills or acquire new trades, is also undertaken by the Union. In 1968, courses for the elimination of illiteracy were set up throughout the country on the Union’s initiative. Nine hundred women graduated in 1970 and the Union handed them certificates entitling them to further education.

p On the Union’s proposal and with the support of the government, industrial enterprises let their women workers off three hours earlier than 266 the men so that they might attend the courses. In tackling the problem of eliminating illiteracy among the adult population, the Union has many difficulties to surmount. The percentage of illiteracy among women continues to remain very high and, in spite of the fact that compulsory primary education has been introduced in Syria, many problems concerning the teaching of young girls still want solving.

p A network of nursery schools is being opened in the towns and villages, according to a programme drafted by the Union in its endeavour to draw more women into useful social and production activity.

p The Union is soliciting for a legislative improvement of the conditions for working women with newlyborn babies. Functionaries of the Union investigated the situation and, on the basis of data received, submitted their recommendations, some of which were taken into account when the law on the labour protection of working mothers was drawn up. Women are now given two halfhour breaks a day for feeding their baby during the first six months of its life, while receiving their full pay. Also on recommendation of the Union, the law has extended childbirth leave with full pay to two months, whereas formerly women were given 50 days leave and paid only 70 per cent of their wage.

p The efforts of the Union are bent on getting the law on equal pay for equal work done by men and women carried into effect, and on organising a medical service for women before and after childbirth.

p The League of Syrian Women for the Protection of Mother and Child is another authoritative body. One of the oldest democratic women’s 267 organisations in Syria uniting broad masses of women, the League was founded in 1948. It carries out its organisational and politicaleducational work under the guidance of the Communist Party of Syria. Members of the League are in the front ranks of fighters against the exploitation and oppression of the working people, of fighters for freedom and democracy in Syria. They took part in one of the largest demonstrations of working people in Damask, organised in January 1965 on the initiative of the General Federation of Labour Unions. The workers demanded the nationalisation of major industrial enterprises, better labour conditions, and the suppression of the reactionary forces in the country.

p The League activists engage in daily work aimed at improving the position of women and helping them to eliminate their illiteracy.

p The Union and the League are members of the Women’s International Democratic Federation in the framework of which they come out for a stronger solidarity of women throughout the world with the struggle of the Arab peoples for liquidating the consequences of Israel’s aggression.

p In Iraq, too, the women have made their substantial contribution to the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle. In the first years of republican rule in Iraq, important transformations were carried through to strengthen the national independence, consolidate democracy, and provide favourable conditions for the activities of the numerous democratic public organisations, among them the League of Iraq Women. The League has been doing a great deal of work in defence of the rights of women and children, in eliminating illiteracy among women, in raising their social 268 self-awareness, and rallying them to the struggle for strengthening national independence and consolidating the national front of the country’s democratic forces.

p Another women’s organisation—the General Federation of Iraq Women—was set up in 1968 with an extensive programme aimed at the defence of women’s rights, at consolidating their unity in the struggle against imperialism, and for national independence, democracy, peace and social progress.

p Within the framework of the national-democratic front, these two organisations are promoting cooperation in defending women’s rights and raising their political awareness and cultural level.

The movement of Palestinian women led by the General Union of Palestinian Women forms a component of the Arab women’s democratic movement. Working under the guidance of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the Union mobilises women for the struggle against imperialism and Zionism, for guaranteeing the Arab people of Palestine their lawful national rights.