Women's Antifascist Front of Macedonia
Encyclopedia
The Women's Antifascist Front of Macedonia abbreviated AFŽ (АФЖ)) was a World War II-era feminist movement
in Macedonia
and the predecessor to several present-day feminist organisations in the Republic of Macedonia
. It was formed by volunteers in 1942, along with other Women's Antifascist Front
s in Yugoslavia
and was one of only four to also become an organised resistance movement
.
The most prominent figure in the movement was Veselinka Malinska, a decorated National Liberation War of Macedonia veteran and ASNOM participant whose father partook in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903. The movement was closely affiliated to the Greek Civil War
organisation, the National Liberation Front which had a substantial amount of female partisans
.
The AFŽ's dominant goal was to improve schooling for females and increase their literacy rate, as a majority of illiterates at the time were women. The organisation, much like their allies, the National Liberation Front and the National Liberation Youth Association in Greek Macedonia, were labelled 'bandits' by the Greek government following World War II.
Feminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
in Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and the predecessor to several present-day feminist organisations in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. It was formed by volunteers in 1942, along with other Women's Antifascist Front
Women's Antifascist Front
Women's Antifascist Front may apply to any of the following feminist movements associated with Yugoslav partisans during World War II:*Women's Antifascist Front of Bosnia and Herzegovina*Women's Antifascist Front of Croatia...
s in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and was one of only four to also become an organised resistance movement
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
.
The most prominent figure in the movement was Veselinka Malinska, a decorated National Liberation War of Macedonia veteran and ASNOM participant whose father partook in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903. The movement was closely affiliated to the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
organisation, the National Liberation Front which had a substantial amount of female partisans
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
.
The AFŽ's dominant goal was to improve schooling for females and increase their literacy rate, as a majority of illiterates at the time were women. The organisation, much like their allies, the National Liberation Front and the National Liberation Youth Association in Greek Macedonia, were labelled 'bandits' by the Greek government following World War II.