A message from the chairperson.

During the past two months we have been witnessing and accompanying the struggle of the single-mothers that began with the widely publicized protest march of Vicky Knafo from Mitzpe Ramon to Jerusalem, on foot. The march, in protest of the cut backs in supplementary benefits and child support as part of the economic "recovery" plan, raised public awareness to a difficult phenomenon: Women's poverty. Women find it hard to support their children and are forced to confront the lack of food and the continued challenge of meeting basic needs.

Single-mothers marched from around the country to join Knafo in Jerusalem, and erected a tent encampment opposite the Finance Ministry and near the Knesset where women and children crowded together in the heat of the summer. In September Vicky Knafo started a hunger strike and as we went to press on the eve of the New Year she packed up and went back to Mizpe Ramon where she will now run for a seat on the local council.

In response the Finance Ministry and government ministers chose to deal with the struggle by trying to de-legitimize it. The media quoted the finance minister pointing an accusing finger at the single-mothers, presenting them as a group of parasites not interested in working, and as women who chose to live alone and raise their children without a partner. Organizations of social change including the Israel Women's Network came to the assistance of the single-mothers in their struggle, disproving the information published by the finance ministry. Thus for instance, based on information from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the rate of working single-mothers- 76.4%- is slightly higher than the rate of working women who are married. Only 11% of single-parent families headed by a woman chose their way of life. The question is therefore, where did all the fathers, men, go ...

IWN joined other NGOs in assisting the single mothers. Our representatives helped the women in defining their needs and drafting their claims and accompanied the single-mothers in meetings with the finance, employment and welfare ministers. In addition, IWN's representatives supplied individual legal advice to those in the encampment.

The struggle did cause the finance, employment and welfare ministers to make some decisions aimed at easing the distress of the single-mothers. The Government announced in the media various offers, including grants for mothers who manage to expand their jobs, opening a central information line on jobs and initiating work places. Sadly, the few jobs that are on offer are temporary, and the reality is that unemployment figures released in the middle of September show yet a further increase in the numbers of unemployed.

As this newsletter goes to press a new round of cutbacks is being drawn up for the 2004 budget and the economic horizon holds little hope of improvement in the short term.

These are, indeed, difficult times, and IWN hopes that our friends and supporters will continue to enable us to educate and advocate for the rights of women in Israel and to empower and represent women in all aspects of their lives until we attain full equality.

May we take this opportunity to wish you all Shana Tova and an ongoing hope for peace.