A call to an international strike on December 18, 2011!

STATEMENT APPROVED BY THE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS ASSEMBLY AT THE IV WORLD SOCIAL FORUM ON MIGRATIONS

Quito, Ecuador, October 12, 2010

Toward a December 18, 2011 with mobilizations and strike worldwide against racism and for the rights and dignity of migrants, refugees and displaced people!

For us migrants, refugees, and displaced people of all countries of the world time has run out!

The time of limited visions, of fears, of selfish divisions is no longer.

It is the time however of seizing control over our lives, of dignified lives, such as any human being deserves.

It is time to assert not only a global vision of the problem we confront, but above all a global vision of the movement we represent.

Based on the experience of transnational mobilizations on May 1, 2010 in the United States and Mexico, and of March 1, 2010 in Europe -- defined as "A day without us", we believe that this is the moment to think about a period of mobilization and strikes around the world. All the local actions we carry out around the world should become a single, unified one.

A single struggle that reclaims our right to migrate and also not to migrate, the right to stay and not to be displaced forcefully. A single struggle that would allow us to get to know each other and recognize we are one. A right to assume a shared identity among those of us who come from a tradition of solidarity that accept different cultures and different beings. A right to send a joint message to all government and international institutions, but also a message to a civil society that mistrusts us because we are migrants, refugees or displaced people; mistrust that many time is transformed in racism and xenophobia.

This is why we propose that the IV World Social Forum on Migrations launch and encourage a social mobilization and strike on December 18, 2011, which marks the anniversary of the day when the United Nations passed the Convention for the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Family. Likewise we propose that this action be also endorsed by the World Social Forum that will take place in Dakar in 2011.

This mobilization and strike will take different forms, because our methods of struggle and our demands have specificities that are different from place to place, according to the places where we live and struggle. Nonetheless it is imperative that we become a single global movement.

We know this action requires an enormous effort. This is why we call on not only anti-racist and migrant organizations, but all social movements, all labor unions, all organizations of civil society, religious and non-religious to join the struggle. Because this much we know: unity is a fundamental factor to achieve our objectives.

We believe that today more than ever it is necessary to unite our struggles, to share tactics and strategies, and become a global movement that will not stop until we achieve each one of our demands.

We propose that the actions of December 18, 2010 and May 1, 2011 are transformed into a preamble in preparation for the great strike and mobilization of December 18, 2011. In the same spirit, we propose that we all convene again at the next World Social Forum in Dakar.

Quito, October 12, 2010