A Day Off for All- Dancing with Women Factory Workers

A short slide-presentation highlighting the issues facing women factory workers in Cambodia’s Garment Industry. MP Mu Sochua, advocate for women’s rights spent the day with them on October 31st, 2010.

Song performed by the Messenger Band.

“Seven” – MEPs perform play about human rights activists

“Seven” a play about the true stories of people who have risked their lives to defend human rights. It featured 7 MEPs and was performed on 9 December. By Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith and Susan Yankowitz it is based on interviews with seven women’s rights activists made in 2007.

Slide Show can be viewed on the European Parliament’s website.

Mu Sochua addressed the working group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe during her visit to the European Parliament and appeared on stage with the seven women Members of the European Parliament after the performance of SEVEN. Mu Sochua appealed for ACTION on the EU Resolution on Cambodia. Mu Sochua called for a stop to sugar imported by Ly Yong Phat company to the U.K. are produced on agricultural land taken by force from 12,000 villagers.

On violence against women Mu Sochua reiterated her view that victims must be empowered to become survivors in order to have the inner strength to restart their lives in dignity. A clean justice system-accessible to women must be enforced and support to countries with the political will to reform their judiciary should be increased.

Interview at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting 2010

The Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society was founded in 2005 by Aude Zieseniss de Thuin to promote women’s vision on the economic and social issues of our time. We aim to become a hub of debate, sharing, brainstorming and action where women and men from around the world and from all horizons speak and exchange on all major societal and economic issues.

From the Women’s Forum website.

AmmazingSeries.com- Mu Sochua Video

Posted on December 08, 2010 on http://www.ammazingseries.com

Mu Sochua met with Amma from Ammazingseries.com to speak about her recent talk at The World in 2011 Forum hosted by The Economist. It was a three day event that focuses on different global issues, as well as solutions to those issues. 

Sochua explains why she became a politician and the many issues that face women in Cambodia today including: land grabbing, poverty, gender-based violence, and lack of education. 

Women must be empowered. The entire society must want change. 

“Everyday is a challenge. The women workers must be with me. The victims of domestic violence must be with me. In all the movements for change, are the women with me? We must not be the voice FOR the women but the voice WITH the women.”

Seven MPs Take the Stage

Amanda Figueroa | Madrid | posted to http://www.elmundo.es

Original version in Spanish here.

Mu Sochua (Cambodia), Mukhtar Mai (Pakistan), Farida Azizi (Afghanistan), Inez McCormack (Northern Ireland), Hafsat Abiola(Nigeria), Anabella de Leon (Guatemala), Marina Pisklakova Parker(Russia). These seven women are examples of female fighters. Each from its place, have faced huge challenges in realizing that sometimes the individual is able to change the course of history.

To remember their efforts and encourage others, seven MPs will take the stage and perform ‘Seven’, a play that brings the viewer to the battlefield.

“It is a very exciting and moving. These are the stories and experiences of these women,” says MP Cecilia Wikström (Alde). The Swedish politician has been the promoter of the project in the European Parliament. The play is in charge of giving body and voice to Cambodian Sochua, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against human trafficking and sexual abuse.

“These stories communicate values that cross political groups. This is demonstrated by the willingness of my colleagues from different political groups to participate,” adds Wikström.

The Romanian Renate Weber (Alde) notes that the stories told in the book are of women who “had the courage to defy their own destiny, their societies and the long tradition of abuse. In this way, they have positively influenced the lives of thousands and thousands of other women. ” She plays the Russian Pisklakova Parker, who founded the first hotline for victims of domestic violence.

The other actresses are politicians: Tanja Fajon (Eslovenia. S & D),Marielle Gallo (France. EPP), Eva Lichtenberger (Greens Austria.)Sargentini Judith (Netherlands. Verdes), Eleni Theocharous (Chipre. PPE)

The artistic director of ‘Seven’ is Hedda Krausz Sjögren, of the Swedish National Theater Company ( Riksteatern ). “‘Seven’ is a theater project that involves many people. Now that the politicians of the European Parliament are on stage to give voice to these activists for women’s rights, human rights issues are placed in the spotlight “she explains.

The work shall be shown on the 8 and 9 December in Brussels. The text was written by Ruth Margraff, Anna Deveare-Smith, Susan Yankowitz, Carol K.Mack, Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux and Gail Kriegel, based on interviews with activists. Two of them, Sochua and Hafsat Abiola, will participate in a debate after the event.