25th of November 2005, Day of Non-violence against Women As rural women, we live under the shadow of multiple expressions of capitalist and patriarchal violence, which relegate us to the harshest of living conditions, entailing various situations of exclusion. They also come in the form of sexist practices in daily life, in the home, in society, in personal and political relations, in the denial of the value of our knowledge and economic contribution, and in many other aspects. Under the offensive of territorial control and expansion of the agro- exporting model, hand-in -hand with the militarization of the rural areas, we women face war on a daily basis: that of survival in the countryside, and for the maintenance of these areas as a social entity and living space; that of the direct and indirect repercussions of military violence; that of repression and even the criminalization of our struggles. Moreover, we confront the forms of violence that are inflicted on us simply for being women: domestic and sexual violence, so-called honour crimes (of passion), genital mutilations, sex trafficking, harassment, and even feminicide. In the case of rural girl-children, in addition to the permanent harassment of urban-centrism that invalidates their life projects, aggressions such as incest, sexual abuse and different forms of violence are part of a daily threat against dignity. For these reasons, Via Campesina International launches a call for world- wide mobilization to eradicate violence against rural women, as an indispensable aspect of the creation of a just world, respectful of human rights. We are convinced that gender equality will only become concrete when women can fully participate in all aspects of society. This expectation will be feasible in a context free of violence and repression. For a solidary rural world, freed from violence against women Globalize the struggle, globalize hope VIA CAMPESINA INTERNATIONAL