We see all over the world that the reality of women in the workplace and in society is worrying. Young women are a majority in workplaces, for example factory workers, domestic workers, migrant workers, informal workers, mall workers, service sector workers and others.

“I applied for many jobs in different factories but in vain. I ended up deciding to work as a domestic worker for a housing society. Getting a job as a domestic worker is easy compared to factory jobs. But domestic workers are not paid well.” -  Pakistan

Women are victims of the world of work and low wages, victims of discrimination in terms of the salary and benefits they receive compared to their male counterparts. They did not escape the wave of work flexibilization, such as the contract system, piece rates, per quota, per day and others. The exploitation of women’s time and labor has become an unchanging reality in the workplace.

Demonstrators display a banner in the colours of the Ukrainian flag reading "Stop [Russian President] Putin, Stop war" during a protest at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on January 30, 2022. - Demonstrators criticised Putin's massing of troops near the Ukrainian border and called on Germany to play a more active role in defending Ukraine's interests. John MACDOUGALL-AFP

It is a crucial moment for all of us who believe in democracy to defend it in our society today. Putin’s invasion is not just an attack on Ukraine. It is an attack on freedom. An attack on democracy. An attack on truth. 

“Today, I have contacted Martha, the delegate of the IYCW International Council 2016. Her family and herself are fine and have left Lviv to move to Ivano-Frankivsk, while Ana, the former leader of YCW Ukraine fled to Poland but her family is in the Chernigov region where the war is taking place,” said Leizyl, the IYCW international treasurer in Brussels.

Leizyl said that she keeps trying to contact Ana by phone, hoping she will read her message.

The Australian Cardijn Institute launched the Joseph Cardijn Digital Library (JCDL) (www.josephcardijn.com)  in August 2020. The site already hosts more than 500 original documents written by Cardijn in French from every period of his life from 1907 until shortly before his death in 1967. Over 100 of these articles have been translated into English.

The site also hosts a wide variety of other biographical resources on Cardijn’s life, including photos and videos. So far, the JCDL has received nearly 16,000 unique visitors, averaging 40 people per day over the course of this year (2021) with nearly 106,000 document views.