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WFUWO NEWS W O R L D F E D E R A T IO N O F U K R A IN IA N W O M E N ’S O R G A N IZ A T IO N S July, 1965 No. 4 Human Rights “Religion — opium of th e peo ple” w as th e call of th e R ussian C om m unist p a rty in 1920, w hen it in itiated a system atic policy of destruction of both th e C hurch and religion in its con quered territo rie s. Especially ru th less was th e liquidation of th e U krainian A utocephalic Or thodox C hurch. The Com m unists em ployed every m eans to anni hilate all signs of C hurch influ ence. B ishops and p riests w ere deported, churches and m onas teries w ere closed or converted into stables and granaries, old churches and relics datin g back to th e X I and X II centuries w ere destroyed, and th e priests, m onks and nuns, who m anaged to rem ain alive a fte r th e “pu rg es” and th e fam ine of 1933, w ere persecuted. These w ere th e m ethods em ployed by th e C om m unists in C entral and E a ste rn U kraine in th e years 1920-1939. In Kiev alone, out of 140 churches, only 2 w ere p er m itted to rem ain open, w hereas 14 churches w ere destroyed in Poltava, and 19 in Odessa.* The fa ith fu l did not escape persecution. A practicing C hris tia n w as excluded from m em ber ship in th e CP, w hich also m eant exclusion from governm ent posts. The children of C hristian p aren ts w ere not accepted into th e secondary schools and uni versities, and th e baptism of a child m eant im prisonm ent for th e p riest, th e p arents, and even close relatives. F o rty years of religious per- D r. L ev W. M ydlow sky “B olshe v ist P ersecu tio n of R eligion and C h u rch in U k ra in e ” — R u s s i a n O p p r e s s i o n i n U k r a i n e . L ondon, 1962, pg. 111. secution in U kraine failed to brin g th e C om m unist regim e th e expected results. A lthough all outw ard m anifestations of reli gious practices w ere forbidden, th e people continued to w orship God, if only in th e ir h earts. To counteract th is tendency, ath eistic propaganda w ent into full swing. M arkets w ere flooded w ith anti-religious publications, and m eetings, lectures, courses, and ath eistic clubs followed ra pidly one upon th e other. B rig ades of C om m unist ag itato rs, m em bers of th e young Commu n ist League, terrorized th e popu lation. B ut even these extrem e m easures failed to uproot reli gious feelings. S earching fo r “th e root of evil” th e Com m unist P a rty found it — in th e U krainian wom an. The U krainian w ife and m other w as th a t opposing force of th e struggle fo r religious fa ith in U kraine, who k ep t a constant vigil over th e souls of h er children, and th e u n ity of h er fam ily. This discovery led th e C om m unists to focus spe cial atten tio n on th is “danger ous opponent.” Special “W om en’s Clubs” w ere form ed to fo ster anti-religious propaganda. A th eistic lectures w ere delivered a t special “uni versities fo r m others,” and a t w om en’s m eetings, especially those of th e W om en’s Council, w ith th e purpose of “uncover ing religious su p erstitio n s.” A m agazine “The Soviet W om an ” frequently rep o rts on th e activities of p a rty m em bers who m aintain a close w atch on m others in th e factories, in of fices, and even on trolleys and buses. These p a rty w orkers m ake unexpected visits to p ri vate hom es to investigate v ari ous fam ily activities, and th ey in stru c t school children to re p o rt to th e au th o rities all signs of religious activ ity in th e home. The C om m unist jo u rn al “Social ist C ulture” (1964, No. 9) re p o rts th a t “files of believers” are k ept in local libraries. These files give th e local au th o rities an accurate picture of all those people who have m anaged to es cape com plete indoctrination. However, despite all th e en deavors of th e godless Commu n ist regim e, despite genocide, slave labor cam ps, to rtu re , ex ecutions, and th e new est w eapon — R ussification and th e political m erging of all th e distinct n a tional groups in th e Soviet Union, th e C om m unists have not been wholly successful in th e ir fig h t ag ain st religion. T heir chief opponent continues to be th e U krainian woman, who alone continues to stan d up in th e defense of hum an rig h ts and m an’s self-determ ination. R ESEA RC H ON W OM EN’S W ORK W e have recently received in form ation from th e W orld Move m ent of M others (WMM) th a t th e In tern atio n al L abor O rgani zation (ILO) is conducting large scale inquiries into th e profes sional w ork of women, and its influence on th e ir health. Sev eral Study D ays have been planned to discuss th is docum en tation. A lthough we are espe cially concerned w ith th e effect of heavy w ork on th e h ealth of women in th e USSR, official sources show little inclination to shed m ore lig h t on th is question. НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ — ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ, 1965 17
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