MAGDA ENRIQUEZ is a founder member of the National Women's Organisation (AMNLAE) and their representative on the Nicaraguan Council of State. This is an extract of a speech she made while on a recent London visit. She described the birth of , AMNLAE, the participation of women in the armed struggle to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship and the central role of women in the Sandinista revolution.
THE revolutionary will Nicaraguan people led to the vietory of 19 July 1979. It was a major victory, and it was also beginning. It opened possibility of real changes; the chance to transform society, to educate, to implement political will which made revolution possible. Integral to this is implementing the of women.
To explain how we are doing this we must understand the background.
brought a complete power vacuum. Who took over on this day? A bunch of young guerrillas — men and women. We had to organise a power structure in a bankrupt country - we had an external debt equal to our GNP of three consecutive years. We depended on raw materials from the United States. Somoza had taken money out of the National Bank and left us with the equivalent of just £3 million.
It was a society which had been severely intured There had 50,000 deaths (1.5 per cent of the •ovulanon. couvaenl lo '4 muon deaths in Britain); we had 40,000 orphans, 100,000 wounded and handicapped. Families had destroyed and were without housing and jobs.
We also had to organise to defend ouse ves detend which we had not even begun build, from the threat of invasion. We faced economic, political and military attacks.
In spite of all this we have institutionalised the government, legislature and judiciary. The basis of the revolution is ponucar bruransı. mixed economy and non-alignment.
What is our view of women within our struggle? Women are not a class in themselves. They are part of the development of society as a whole. We have a wonderful political and ideological forum in the Council of State. The changing rights of women, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, started opening doors for other changes. One of our first decrees was the banning of the sexist use of women in advertising. We carried through laws giving equal rights to children regardless of birth, removing the concept of legitimacy. We made adoption laws so mal couoles. marned or not. and single people could adopt children.
We abolished the patriarchal laws - instead we introduced equal rights for all members of the family. draft of this followed the normal prowe discussed it grassroots — it went from the Council down through the delegates, community and back again. uH e people anemse ves legislators.
The law is not an end in itself, it is an instrument of justice. All our laws are being made and learned by our peoble. Ihat is democracy. been much debate on the Law of Nurture. in which we sav that child care Is not just a question of economic support but also of love and caring to be shown by both parents. housework was socially necessary and should be recognised support to the family. people discussed this idea. It has now the the emancipation been been something couvlily.
The been approved.
with the everyone over to the before the revolution This way children were unpaid •elone chens in women as cooks.
There has institutions, the We said that Over 225,000 law, unions and so on.
We now have equal wages for equal jobs. In farming, we now have 14 on tne payroll; WUlllcil — olily Пcl a. heads of families received a wage on the farms. We now have collective kitmen and As well as participating in the state society.
AMNLAE Vi cllse
Eg assi ools ever ywncie Women are organised as an integra art of whatever sector they are par of, not as a'separate body. As an ex ample, a working committeee (basic unit) of AMNLAE would be set up in a lactory to encourage women to be more militant, learning about labour Men women leaders will represent the interests of all women.
is not for AMNLAE to decide whether to open up a child centre in any patricular factory. Child care is the labour union's problem. But we will get the women in the union to raise this demand. We work with cooperatives, Sandinista farmers, students, each SCCtOI questions specific to each sector. The interests of peasant women are not the same as a woman city worker, farm worker or a student. Each sector takes up its own issues.
What we have done is to change the fundamental status of women by the changes in the family laws, the participation of women in formal education, the integration of women in the workforce. for us is this: how are all these things linked to the interests of revolution, of the nation as a whole? We have found out that there are things as 'womens issues'. reform. This is important for the Sandinista revolution. Economic survival of will come ouloaoreromn. enak for us is that we have said that there will be no land titles to men only — we want family land titles.
co-vocrauves. Now become part of the management of these. Incredible progress has been made since 1979, from mass illiteracy, to planning and .runnning co-ops.
every portunity SOCC airforce.
Torce DIOls cent front ment's budget, foreign policy. the Nicaragua Two presented solidarity the CST associalion, . mixed economy the AMNLAE What is important in 1961. no such Take land lo oe set al 10 After Members We want women to participate in Socialist women nave forums making the leap Compton Socialist The priority for us is defence of London NI. the revolution - the guarantee for further change. Let's take increasin We found that mos women. This was because they had to and late workers WCIC take the children to school, stay at home and look after sick children take them to the doctor etc discussed it with ane unions. Now this became issue, child care has to be shared with men For every time a wife takes the child to the doctor, so must her husband There is a constant linkage between these problems and the national in AMNLAE also pressure group. We had to do this Patriotic Military Service Law. We were at first excluded from active military service, so we called on the councils at all levels and the issue went right to the National Assembly of AMNLAE. We demanded a scientific explanation of the omission. There wasn't one Then a new article was brought in: women's military service should be on a voluntary basis. We voted against, the only people to do so, although we recognised it was an advance.
It's true that we have made mistakes and that we have not solved problem. But have the courage and honesty to admit our mistakes openly to the people. The Sandinista revolution is the only opwe have to build a new where we are all free anc equal. This means constant vigilance against the threat of US invasion.
Women form 48 per cent of the people's militias. We are making a special effort to get into the army and We have four women airwe had five but one was killed last week. We are 45 per : of the police. We are in the regular army and the reserves.
During the armed struggle we pro. ved ourselves capable of leading in battle and on the front. The Western front, one of the most important, was led by a woman, Dora Maria Tellez, one of the three women comman dantes. Women's participation at the changed the image Nicaraguan women and projected a new image of society as a whole We call on women to work solidarity with us, by drawing the between your govern. military budget aid between domestic allu We look forward to the day when international solidarity will no longer be an act of charity, but one of mutual responsibility.
• FORTY BRITISH supporters of the Nicaraguan revolution have just returned from a two week tour of the Solidarity Campaign included ' many trade unionists and Labour Party members.
AUEW-TASS members technical equipment donated officially by their union. The party saw direct results. of British when they visited a new housing area, built after floods with solidarity donations from around the They talked with leading members union reaeranion agricultural workers , the ATC, who exoones the role of unions in the Nicaraguan A large number of the group were women, who had many meetings with organisation, Highpoints of the trip were the mass rallies commemorating the 50th of sanaino s aealn anc the death of Lopez, who fought with Sandino and helped found the FSLN At the first of these e rallies around 100,000 people heard the plans for elections and that the voting age wa this rally members of the trin met leaders of the revolution in cluding Borge, Ortega and Wheelock Not thi trip, including Action supporters, have slides and are prepared to speak at movement meetings. For speakers contact the Terrace London Action, .328 Upper Street.