Feminist Ofenzyva

Feminist Ofenzyva (Ukrainian: Феміністична Офензива) is an independent feminist group, which was founded in autumn 2010 in Kiev. According to the group's principle of female separatism only those who have an experience of being a woman in society can become a member of the initiative and can make decisions during group's meetings. Feminist Ofenzyva's first activities were march-demonstration, film festival and feminist conference dedicated to 100th anniversary of the International Women's Day celebrated on March 8, 2011. Group consists of more than twenty members from different fields. Feminist Ofenzyva acts to overcome discriminatory social order and legal system as well as patriarchal forms of power which include sexism, ageism and chauvinism.^[1]

Mission

Feminist Ofenzyva stands for creating a space for critical gender discussions and independent political activism, space for solidarity and mutual support between women. Members of Feminist Ofenzyva tend to spread emancipatory feminist knowledge and non-sexist language; support initiatives and introduce sexual education in schools and other educational institutions; create gender sensitive education on all levels. Group members also act to overcome compulsory heterosexuality, heteronormativity, and heterocentrism; to criticize patriarchal family institution; to promote equality of different types of voluntary private relationship.

Feminist group aims to change public attitudes and legal assessment of all forms of domestic and sexual violence (sexual harassment, rape, including rape and abuse between spousal partners, trafficking). Ofenzyva wants to reach full retribution for these crimes in all due jurisprudence.

Members of Feminist Ofenzyva act against forced sterilization and forced sex reassignment surgeries of transsexual and intersex people.

Group fights against violation of women's reproductive rights. It wants to overcome pressure on women to give birth, stands for the right and free access to artificial insemination, safe abortion and available contraception, for the right to choose the place and conditions of childbirth.

Supporting women economic rights is also the goal of Feminist Ofenzyva. Group's participants emphasize on the need to overcome legal and customary barriers that form gender-segregated labor market. They aim to guarantee equal wages regardless of one’s sex or gender; to achieve gender equitable redistribution of paid and unpaid (domestic) work in partnerships; to provide reproductive labor with the same symbolic and economic status as productive.

Feminist Ofenzyva cooperate with and support all feminist groups and initiatives.^[2]

Forms of activism

The main group's activities are:

• street actions, marches, protests;
• publication of articles participation in disputes and discussions;
• organization of conferences, discussions, seminars;
• organization exhibitions, movie clubs and other cultural events;
• initiation of wpmen's groups of raising awareness etc.

International Conference "Feminism: Assemblage point"

"Feminism: Assemblage point" is an annual feminist conference which is held in Kiev. It aims to combine knowledge, policies and practices of feminism. The first two conferences took place on March 7–13, 2011 and March 5–7, 2012 at the Center of Visual Culture at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.^[3][4] The goal of the conference is to radicalize the female narrative and create a public space for struggle against gender inequality. Among the participants of the conference were researchers, activists, teachers, artists from Belarus, Poland, Russia, Serbia, United States, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, Sweden and other countries.^[5][6]

Feminist march

On March 8, 2011, Feminist Ofenzyva organized the first march-demonstration "March 8th is a political holiday!". This march was dedicated to 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.^[7] More than 250 march participants asked to fight against patriarchal forms of inequality, including sexism, discrimination, "kitchen slavery", and domestic violence.

The second feminist march "The Church and the State, it's time to live apart!" was organized on March 8, 2012.^[8] Over 200 participants protested against patriarchal and discriminatory joint activities of the church and the state, which include childlessness taxation, banning women from doing artificial insemination after the age of 49, banning abortion and many other threats.^[9]

"A woman with a camera"

"A woman with a camera" is a film festival, which was organized by Feminist Ofenzyva at "Zhovten" cinema in Kiev on March 2–8, 2011. The festival program included participants of Créteil International Women's Film Festival. Films toughed upon the topics of feminist movement history, women's right to their own body and to life choices etc.^[10]

"Women Workshop"

On March 1–2, 2012 Feminist Ofenzyva organized "Women Workshop" in the Center of Visual Culture at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The goal of this event was to organize joint work of artists in order to create art objects, video installations, bodily performances, photo projects, work with text etc. Workshop participants were artists and feminists from Ukraine, Poland and Russia.^{[11][12][13][14]}

References

External links

• Feminist Ofenzyva blog
• Feminist Ofenzyva Facebook page
• Photos from Feminist Ofenzyva march, March 8th 2011
• New Feminist Offensive aims to lift women
• Feminist Ofenzyva protest against prohibition of abortion