Central America Report - Summer 2008

Transcript

Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 1 Central America Report Summer 2008 Food aid or food security? Central American governments fight food inflation with support for small farmers Also in this issue: Community radio in El Salvador, women threatened by EU agreement, Honduran hunger strike against corruption Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 2 Editorial Small-scale farming back in fashion? Contents Tune in to social justice Mark Owens rediscovers the positive power of radio in El Salvador. Women to lose out from EU agreement The Central America Women’s Network warns that the planned EU Association Agreement will hurt women’s rights and livelihoods. Regional update High food prices to impoverish millions more Central American governments bring in emergency measures to curb the impact of soaring food prices on the poorest. Book reviews Fairtrade battles, and who killed Bishop Gerardi? Nicaraguan sugarcane workers file complaint A major company is accused of harming health and water supplies in the rush to produce biofuel. Honduran hunger strike Honduran prosecutors go hungry to protest against corruption. Take action 3 T HE DRAMATIC RISE in the cost of food over the past year – with wheat up 130 percent, soya 87 percent and rice 74 percent – has left 100 million more people in at least 37 countries facing food insecurity. Given the huge scale and urgency of the problem, June’s UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) summit in Rome should have been a logical place to come up with solutions to address the underlying causes of the crisis. In his opening speech, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf appealed for “urgent and coordinated action to combat the negative impacts of soaring food prices on the world's most vulnerable countries and populations”. He pointed out that, in 2006, the world had spent $1.2 trillion on arms, and asked: “Against that backdrop, how can we explain to people of good sense and good faith that it was not possible to find $30 billion a year to enable 862 million hungry people to enjoy the most fundamental of human rights: the right to food and thus the right to life?” Despite this, the vested interests of Northern countries and transnational companies resulted in a final declaration best described as jumble of contradictions. On the one hand, it espoused support for “the world's smallholder farmers and fishers, including indigenous people, particularly in vulnerable areas”. But on the other, it backed “efforts to liberalise trade in agriculture by reducing trade barriers”. The declaration went on to point out that biofuels have contributed to a 30 to 75 percent rise in the cost of food, but stopped short of proposing measures to address the problem. The problem of speculators pouring money into commodity markets to make a quick buck wasn’t even mentioned. Delegates from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Ecuador, Argentina and Bolivia criticised the declaration for its total lack of political will to address the roots of the problem and “put a definitive end to world hunger”. At the same time, peasant organisations held an alternative forum, where they denounced “the corporate industrial and energy-intensive model of production and consumption that is the basis of continuing crises”. In its place, the forum called for support for local farming systems, based on indigenous knowledge, the maintenance of healthy, fertile soil, and use of locally available biodiversity. It is to be hoped that the measures announced this year by Central American governments will contribute to strengthening this kind of small-scale production and reducing the impact of global food inflation on the poorest. 4–5 6–7 8 – 10 11 12 13 14 – 16 Published by Central America Report, 129 Seven Sisters Road, London N7 7QG Email: [email protected] Editorial committee: Patrick Daniels, Lian Harter, Shelagh Kavanagh, Abbie Kempson, Megan Rowling and Helen Yuill. Cover photos: (Top) A World Food Programme school feeding centre in Nicaragua, June 2004 Photo: WFP/Sabrina Quezada (Bottom) Threshing red beans, El Porcal, northern Nicaragua Photo: Karen Lawson Design: Jane Warring Our thanks to all the contributors for helping to produce this issue of CAR. The articles in this magazine should be taken as having been written in a personal capacity, unless otherwise stated. Any views stated in the articles should not be taken to represent the policy of any of the organisations that support the production of Central America Report. Central America Report has set up a website at: www.central-america-report.org.uk For information, magazine subscriptions and article submissions, please contact us at: [email protected] Central America Report: Summer 2008 2 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 3 El Salvador Tune in to the positive power of community radio From child labour to lead poisoning, Salvadoran radio stations talk tough, writes Mark Owens. R ADIO HAS BEEN an important part of my life for as long as I can remember, in the UK and the US. But in recent years, I’ve struggled to find stations that made me want to stay tuned; I no longer felt part of a listening community. It was in this state of mind that I moved to El Salvador – a country that has renewed my faith in the unique intimacy and social power of the medium. In the wealthy parts of the world, where most people have daily domestic access to computers, broadband internet or digital radio, competition for a listening community has become increasingly fierce and fractured. Many listeners have turned to specialist and nonlocal digital stations, or personalise their stations using websites such as Yahoo!’s LAUNCHcast radio and Last.fm. The local has been replaced by the ‘global’, and radio has forfeited its special intimacy and power. Radio Cadena Mi Gente and Radio Maya Vision, broadcast important social messages and are supported by a politically outspoken, socially aware community of listeners. This is no surprise given the important role radio played during the civil war, when the FMLN broadcast their revolutionary message YSUCA opens up space for local people to express themselves. In El Salvador, a country with an estimated average annual income of $2,540 (according to UNICEF) – perhaps just over double the cost of a PC with broadband connection for a UK home – the state of local radio is very different. Here, a small group of stations, including Radio YSUCA, 3 from high in the mountains on Radio Venceremos and Radio Farabundo. These days, there are numerous stations playing U.S. soft rock ballads or aggressively sexist Reggaeton, a proliferating group of extreme evangelical stations, and others with a strong government voice. But even now, despite 20 years of ARENA government, messages calling for social justice still permeate the airwaves. The strength of a station like YSUCA – my favourite – is its ability to connect with communities of people, and to show rather than tell. Broadcast from the University of Central America in San Salvador, its stated mission is to foster a culture of democracy and human dignity, emphasising the voice of ordinary citizens rather than the elite. Some of the most memorable and diverse programmes include live interviews and debate with a community affected by lead poisoning from a local factory; literacy and social criticism from the work of revolutionary writer Roque Dalton; and an interview with a San Salvador-based heavy metal band struggling to get a record deal. Listeners to alternative radio stations expect direct participation as well as hearing opinions from people in the streets and villages. In a recent show on child labour, YSUCA presented a series of fascinating interviews with children, some working in the streets and fields, and some from a school in a wealthier suburb of San Salvador. The contrast between the two sets of voices not only emphasised the growing division between the rich and the poor, but also offered a glimpse of hope. The schoolchildren insisted it was unfair their peers had to work while they had the chance to learn, and should be given support. Many depressing and apparently inexplicable things happen in El Salvador on a daily basis, but it’s heartening to know there is a well-informed community of people all over the country listening, discussing and searching for explanations. Listening to YSUCA reminds me of what is unique and so powerful about radio: its ability to draw people together, to make people think and, at its very best, to encourage people to take action to create a better world. Listen online at: www.radiocadenamigente.net www.radiomayavision.net www.uca.edu.sv/virtual/ysuca/indice. html Mark is from the UK, and is currently doing voluntary work and studying Spanish in El Salvador. Central America Report: Summer 2008 Photo: Radio YSUCA Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 4 Central America Central American women at risk from EU trade agreement Women’s rights and livelihoods are under threat, reports Julie Porter, advocacy coordinator with the Central America Women’s Network. T HE THIRD ROUND of negotiations for an Association Agreement between Europe and Central America took place in El Salvador in April. To mark the occasion, a broad coalition of women’s movements from across the region joined the widespread protests highlighting the deterioration in gender equality and poverty that the agreement would create. Association Agreements govern bilateral relations between the EU and other countries, and cover several areas of cooperation, including politics, economics and trade. The EU demands that the Agreement with Central America should include a farreaching free trade agreement (FTA) in goods and services, despite the huge difference in development between the two regions. Trade liberalisation would see agricultural smallholders, fishermen and women, craftspeople and small businesses compete “freely” with Europe’s transnational corporations. Even more worrying is that the Agreement embraces issues and areas that developing countries have been successful in excluding from the latest World Trade Organisation round. These include privatisation of services, government procurement and the removal of non-tariff barriers, including labour and environmental regulations. The EU plans to undertake a ‘Sustainability Impact Assessment’, but only after the Agreement is in place. This means its findings will not inform the negotiations but at best help mitigate the Agreement’s worst effects. The Central America Women’s Network (CAWN) commissioned a study (see below for details) – starting from analysis of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) – which found that women’s livelihoods and their struggle to defend and promote their rights would be severely damaged by further liberalisation in trade and services as part of an Association Agreement with Europe. A protest demanding state action against femicide in Honduras Increased unemployment The small businesses that are likely to suffer from trade liberalisation are important employers of women and are often led by women. Their collapse would seriously undermine women’s economic independence. Cutbacks in the public sector due to privatisation would also disproportionately affect women. With increased global competition, the already poor labour conditions in export processing zone (EPZ) factories are likely to worsen, leading to higher production targets, compulsory overtime, lower salaries and more labour rights violations. Rising unemployment is likely to force women out of the formal labour market – a trend already seen in the growing numbers of men employed in EPZ factories. Livelihoods of women in the informal sector are more precarious. Many domestic workers do not have contracts, work extremely long hours and some experience abuse. Women may face danger working in the sex industry to support themselves and their families. Destruction of rural livelihoods DR-CAFTA has already had a devastating impact on agricultural smallholders, and this can only worsen with further liberalisation under an Association Agreement. Many small farmers in Central America engage in sustainable, lowtechnology production. In contrast, technology- and pesticide-intensive European agro-industry receives high subsidies and internal support from the EU, which would enable it to flood Central American markets with produce at below production costs. Meanwhile strict sanitary standards for imports will continue to exclude Central American products from the European market. Increased burden of social reproductive work The free market economic model – which the Association Agreement aims to further – fails to recognise or value the importance of people taking care of each other and the environment. Much of this work is done by women and girls in the home and community, 4 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Photo: Claudia Hasanbegovic Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 5 Central America and is already burdensome enough to damage their health. Lower public budgets and privatisation are likely to result in a transfer of costs and labour in public services such as health, education and water to the domestic economy, adding to women’s responsibilities. At the same time, reduced employment opportunities will increase the pressure to work ever longer hours outside of the home. The cost of essential medicines will rise as intellectual property laws introduced under the Agreement prohibit the production and import of generic drugs. Rising poverty and migration Violence against women is endemic in Central America amid an ingrained culture of machismo. Femicide – murder of women because they are women, often by an unknown attacker – is a growing problem. Poverty and unemployment are recognised as important contributing factors to male violence against women. Greater economic insecurity and unemployment resulting from the Association Agreement can only result in family breakdown and an increase in male violence against women. As people lose their livelihoods, migration within Central American countries and to other regions will rise. When men migrate, pressures increase on women to provide for their families and family cohesion is threatened. When women migrate, they suffer discrimination and abuse as migrant workers and the social reproductive duties they leave behind fall to other women and girls, often damaging their own education and health. There is increasing concern about trafficking of vulnerable girls and women for sexual exploitation. Reduced political participation At a regional meeting of women to discuss the Association Agreement negotiations in April, leaders identified the financial situation of their organisations and members – obliging them to focus primarily on survival – as a constraint in the struggle to challenge gender inequality and rights violations. The increasing burden of women’s economic and social reproductive responsibilities resulting from the Agreement will mean they are less able to organise and participate in public life and demand respect for their rights. As it stands the Association Agreement between Europe and Central America will perpetuate and deepen poverty and inequality in the region. Despite the risks, negotiations – led by the narrow interests of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade – are not subject to significant MEP scrutiny, and have been marked by a lack of transparency and failure to engage in meaningful debate with civil society. Call for moratorium CAWN is calling for a moratorium on the negotiations in order to establish democratic accountability in the agreement of trade relations that will have such a far-reaching impact on the lives of women and men in Central America. There is an urgent need to: • establish greater MEP scrutiny of the negotiations • establish greater transparency and access to information • assess fully the impact of the proposed trade, investment and service liberalisation, including the differential impact on women and men • engage in meaningful multistakeholder discussion to ensure that Europe’s trade and investment agreements promote – and do not undermine – economic justice, ecological sustainability, democratic accountability and the rights of women and girls Visit www.cawn.org to join the call for a moratorium or to obtain a copy of the report, “The Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America: its potential impact on women’s lives in Central America” by Martha Yllescas Altamarino & Guadalupe Salinas, in English and Spanish. Economic Partnership Agreements ignore trade justice Global trade talks in the Doha “development” round at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have failed to deliver any meaningful progress on trade justice. Yet the WTO is not the only set of negotiations where trade justice is being blocked by rich country governments. The UK, with its partners in Europe, is pushing profoundly unfair trade deals on 76 former colonies and regions of Latin America – some of the poorest countries in the world. The deals, called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), were meant to herald a new era of cooperation between the EU and Asian, Caribbean, Pacific and Latin American countries. The lives of 750 million of the world's poorest people are in the balance as poor farmers and vulnerable producers will be forced into direct competition with rich nations. The EU’s aggressive trade agenda, negotiating tactics and desperate desire to reach agreements in late 2007 have sown the seeds for economic chaos in the long term. The main concerns surrounding EPAs are that they will threaten small industries and agriculture, reduce spending on essential services like health and education, undermine national plans for development, and increase environmental destruction in a bid to force countries to open their markets. In response, campaigning organisations in the North, such as the Trade Justice Movement, are calling for a moratorium on EPAs. For more information: www.tjm.org.uk 5 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 6 Central America Regional update CENTRAL AMERICA Latin America rejects EU law on illegal immigrants Latin American countries have criticised a new EU immigration law that stipulates indiscriminate deportation of illegal immigrants. The European Parliament has approved the so-called “Return Directive”, which is due to come into force in 2010. Under the law, all illegal immigrants living in EU member states will have to leave within a period of seven to 30 days. If they fail to do so they will be subject to up to six months of detention, which can be prolonged for another 12 months in exceptional cases. The governments of Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala and Colombia all issued statements rejecting the law on the grounds that it violates human rights. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez threatened to cut off oil supplies to Europe should it be enacted. Climate change study launched In late May, the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) announced plans for a study on “The Economics of Climate Change in Central America” to analyse the challenges, benefits and costs of mitigating and adapting to a warmer world. The study seeks to prompt discussion over climate change, integrating economic and social decisionmakers with scientists and environmental experts, and to alert the public. It also hopes to stimulate debate over sustainable actions at a national and regional level that must be taken urgently. It is expected to take around 15 months at a cost of around $1.8 million. expressing their concerns and encourage participation by first-time voters. The government claims the US is targeting 17 key cities with FSLN-controlled councils. Government advisor Orlando Núñez argues the US agreement will “finance Sandinista adversaries”, using media tactics to create “ideological harassment”. But civil society organisations – while acknowledging that some NGOs are political fronts to further US interests – accuse the government of trying to discredit widely respected groups such as the Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights (CENIDH) and the Institute for Democracy and Development (IPADE), which have done extensive voter education and election monitoring since 1990. Political leader goes on hunger strike Dora María Téllez, a former Sandinista guerrilla commander and leader of the Sandinista Renewal Movement (MRS), went on hunger strike from June 3–16 outside the offices of the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) in protest at its decision to cancel the legal status of MRS as a political party, as well as the government’s handling of the economy. On June 6, three of the nine original members of the FSLN National Directorate visited Téllez and demanded that the government “immediately instigate a national dialogue to agree policies to combat hunger and unemployment and to strengthen democracy”. The CSE alleges that the MRS failed to present sufficient documentation on internal structural changes, which the MRS denies. Kerry Max, on behalf of donor countries, expressed concern about the politicisation of the CSE and called for the electoral law to be applied fairly. Noam Chomsky, Ariel Dorfman, Salman Rushdie, Eduardo Galeano, Bianca Jagger and others issued a statement on June 16 urging dialogue and arguing that Dora María “represents a broad spectrum of civil society that must be heard”. With her health deteriorating, Dora María gave up her hunger strike in order to lead further protests. NICARAGUA Call to end ban on therapeutic abortion The Strategic Group for the Legalisation of Therapeutic Abortion, representing women’s rights organisations and medical associations, presented a second appeal to the Nicaraguan Supreme Court for the ban on abortion to be declared unconstitutional. If the court fails to rule, the group will take the case to international tribunals. Organisations in Nicaragua have maintained pressure on the government through national and local actions to raise awareness. On March 8, European parliament members, including Michael Cashman, Glenys Kinnock and Jean Lambert, appealed to the FSLN’s National Assembly bench to repeal the law. US accused of interfering in municipal elections The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide $320,000 to 16 Nicaraguan NGOs for training in citizen participation in the run-up to November’s municipal elections. According to outgoing ambassador Paul Trivelli, the funding is to help reduce voter abstention, support young people in EL SALVADOR FMLN presidential candidate leads in polls FMLN candidate Mauricio Funes is the favourite to win El Salvador’s 2009 presidential elections, according to recent opinion polls. A survey conducted by CIG-Gallup gives Funes a 21 percent lead over ARENA presidential rival Rodrigo Avila. The recent economic crisis faced by the majority of El Salvador’s population has led to a swing towards Funes. The poll results were released as the incumbent president and leader of the right-wing ARENA party commemorated his fourth year in office on June 1. President Elías Antonio Saca marked the anniversary by highlighting his commitment to social justice in speeches. However, according to opinion polls, 80 percent of Central America Report: Summer 2008 6 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 7 Central America Salvadorans believe the country is economically worse off under Saca, and 63 percent believe ARENA is no longer capable of governing. ARENA held to electoral reform Faced with increasing popular support for the opposition FLMN party, ARENA has made an embarrassing climbdown in its attempts to derail a previous electoral reform agreement. The agreement, made in 2007 between El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) delegated responsibilities for strengthening the integrity of El Salvador’s electoral process to the OAS. In a stunning move, the TSE – whose president is an ARENA representative – announced on May 22 it would limit the role of OAS to an advisory capacity, reducing its ability to promote transparency and fairness in the 2009 elections. A week later, amid widespread denunciations and growing pressure from opposition politicians and social organisations, TSE president Walter Arujo reversed the decision, saying he would honour the 2007 OAS agreement. Community groups stop landfill scheme A proposed landfill construction scheme approved by local government in Santa Ana has been halted thanks to the efforts of more than 20 community groups. On May 27, after six months of peaceful protest activities, their efforts were rewarded with an agreement to remove site machinery. The scheme, which threatens the affected communities’ only clean water supply, was widely seen as a political favour by Santa Ana’s mayor, whose Christian Democrat Party is headed by the majority shareholder of PRESYS, the firm awarded the construction contract. A company representative denied it had been forced to pull out of the scheme, insisting it was awaiting an evaluation by El Salvador’s environment ministry. The aircraft went down in a wooded area in the north, killing all four people on board. The cause of the accident is not known, but the area had been blanketed in fog and heavy rain. Gunmen kill former govt adviser Gunmen killed a former top government security adviser in April while driving through Guatemala City, a week after he was fired by President Alvaro Colom amid complaints he had become too powerful. A Venezuelan citizen, Victor Rivera was hired by the government in the 1990s to help authorities confront a wave of kidnappings. Human rights officials allege that police under Rivera’s direction were killing suspected gang members, although he denied any wrongdoing. Five sentenced for Río Negro massacre After three years of bureaucratic suspension and six months of hearings, five ex-civil patrollers were sentenced to 780 years in prison by the Sentencing Tribunal in the highland county of Salamá on May 28. The killing of 177 Río Negro women and children is one of 626 documented massacres perpetrated during the bloodiest of Latin America’s civil wars, in which 250,000 people were killed or disappeared. GUATEMALA Guatemalan official dies in helicopter crash Guatemala's interior minister, Vinicio Gomez, died in a helicopter crash on June 27. Americas Social Forum The third Americas Social Forum will be held in Guatemala from October 7–12. The event aims to strengthen connections between struggles, experiences and critical perspectives across the Americas, among those who are resisting the neoliberal order and bringing about change. The main themes include: • • • • Scope and challenges for change in the hemisphere from different ideological perspectives Defending a decent standard of living in the face of capitalism The challenges of diversity and equality Indigenous, Afro-descendant peoples and nationalities: wellbeing and living together for the future The deadline to register organisations and delegates online is September 22. The deadline to register events is July 31. More information: http://www.forosocialamericas.org/fsa-guatemala 7 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 8 Central America Food price rises threaten poverty for millions more Leaders have come up with a package of measures to boost food production. S OARING GLOBAL food prices have made it harder for Central Americans to provide their families with a decent diet. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says the rises have been particularly harsh in Central America. The price of maize – the staple food crop – nearly doubled in the year to May. The price of beans has also reached unprecedented levels, partly due to poor weather, and international rice prices have nearly tripled since the beginning of the year. In rural El Salvador, the same amount of money buys 50 percent less food than 18 months ago, according to the WFP. In principle, that means people’s nutritional intake – already inadequate – has been cut by half. Even small farmers who are able to grow “Globally, we have estimated that this crisis could push 100 million people into poverty… This is not a natural catastrophe. It is manmade and can be fixed by us… We just need action and resources in real-time.” World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick enough to sell on local markets aren’t benefiting from higher prices because of rising fertiliser and transportation costs. In May, Central American, Caribbean and Andean leaders gathered in Managua for a “Food for Life” summit hosted by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. They issued a declaration promising joint action to reduce the devastating effects of the global food crisis across the region. What’s causing the rise in prices? The WFP says several factors have combined in a “perfect storm” that has pushed food prices up 54 percent over the last year on international commodity markets. Cereal prices have soared 92 percent. The causes include: • • • • • • • • increased energy costs rising demand from economic growth in emerging economies growth of biofuels, some of which use food crops like maize increasing climatic shocks such as droughts and floods decline in food reserves to their lowest level for 25 years extreme volatility in commodity markets, which are subject to sudden spikes and speculation falling value of the dollar, the currency in which all major commodities are traded migration of food-producing peasant farmers to cities in recent decades In a bid to protect their populations, many countries have imposed export bans or restrictions on certain food types. The UN argues such measures should be minimised because they can drive prices up further as food becomes less available. A $660 million plan aims to stimulate production of grains, meat, dairy products and other basic foods, and to guarantee food supply in the region. It includes credit and technical support for small and medium producers, and the creation of seed production centres and a regional food-distribution network. According to Reuters news agency, Guatemala – where one in every two children is already malnourished – is giving emergency money to thousands of women in the poorest areas to buy food for their families. Over the next year, 190,000 households in Guatemala’s 45 poorest areas will receive between $40 and $80 a month. El Salvador is distributing hybrid corn seeds to increase production, and Nicaragua is buying crops and selling them cheaply to consumers. The government is also providing small farmers with zero-interest loans (see page 10). A recent UN study warned that, if food prices continue to rise by doubledigit percentages and wages stay the same, over 30 million more people will be pushed into poverty in Latin America – half of those into extreme poverty. The WFP has set up a commission to monitor the impact of rising food prices on the poorest Central Americans, and plans to support government efforts to help people cope. Oil-rich Venezuela has called on Latin American energy-producing countries to set up a fund for food aid using windfall oil profits that could give poor nations some relief from soaring prices. Nonetheless, aid agencies are concerned that Central America’s emergency measures may not be enough to save millions more from going hungry. Megan Rowling 8 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 9 Central America World food summit: wrong diagnosis, wrong solutions By Karla Jacobs I N JUNE, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) held a summit in Rome entitled “Food security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy”. Its aim was to address the severe problems faced by the poorest countries as a result of soaring food prices. The summit declaration, signed by 43 world leaders, called for urgent measures to avoid further increases and guarantee food availability. However, six Latin American countries rejected the declaration, saying it failed to address the causes of the problem or come up with real measures to end hunger. World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned that, “without fast action, this crisis will steal the potential of a generation”. However, the summit stopped far short of the drastic solutions needed to address the immense scale of the problem. Top UN officials, including the SecretaryGeneral, insisted that doubling global food production over the next few decades would help guarantee global food security. However, according to the FAO, the world already produces enough food to feed itself twice over. Leaders also ignored the fact that the three-fold increase in global food production between 1961 and 2007 has not reduced malnutrition significantly in the poorest countries. The summit’s pledge “to eliminate hunger and to secure food for all today and tomorrow” rang hollow given its failure to call on rich countries to eliminate or even reduce multi-million dollar agricultural subsidies for export crops. Nor did it contain concrete steps towards mitigating the effects of climate change for which rich nations are mainly responsible. Nor did those countries undertake to suspend or limit biofuel production. Jean Ziegler, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, described the outcome as a “true scandal”, saying “private interests have been imposed over the [global] common interest. The decisions taken in Rome may even provoke an increase in levels of hunger around the world,” he said. NGO representatives at a parallel forum,“Terra Preta” (fertile earth), concluded that the Rome declaration “will not fill even one empty plate”. The loudest objections came from Latin American countries. During the final plenary session, the Argentinian delegate criticised the lack of concrete measures, stating: “if one diagnoses a problem incorrectly, one will not prescribe a suitable remedy, which is what has happened at this summit”. Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Bolivia backed this view. For Cuba, the declaration represented the “lack of political will from the North to put a definitive end to hunger in the world”. This is an edited version of an article originally published on www.tortillaconsal.com In June, WFP organised marches around the world to raise awareness and funds to “end hunger”. In Guatemala, more than 20,000 people participated, highlighting the fact that almost half of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition. Nicaraguan families go without meat and dairy products Shopping at a market in Managua, sewing machine operator Maria Concepcion Ramos says she hopes relief will come soon. She and her husband, a house painter, earn a combined $220 a month. Rising food prices are making finances tight for them and their three children. Maria crosses out a list of products the family can no longer afford to eat: meat (including chicken), butter, coffee and the thick cream Nicaraguans eat with plantains. “It’s nothing but gallo pinto (beans and rice) for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she sighs. She describes what’s happening in her neighbourhood: “Families are serving up half-empty plates or skipping meals altogether. Hard lives have become even harder.” With two incomes and three meals a day, the Ramos family is more fortunate than many. Over at La Chureca rubbish dump, hunger is the constant companion of families that scavenge a living among Managua’s rubbish. Milton Baquedano, five, has grown up next to this smouldering mountain of waste. He was hospitalised last year for complications stemming from severe malnutrition. He’s better now, thanks to a feeding programme at a community clinic. But his body still bears telltale signs of his ordeal: many of his teeth are missing or rotted. Source: www.nicanet.org 9 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Photo: WFP/Oscar Rodas Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 10 Nicaragua Credit and livestock for Nicaraguan producers A CCORDING TO the FAO, 27 percent of Nicaraguans suffer some degree of malnutrition, which is particularly damaging for children’s health. This is not caused by scarcity of basic food, but by unemployment and lack of opportunities. People simply can’t afford to buy food. World Bank figures show that 45 percent of Nicaragua’s population survives on less than $2 a day and nearly 15 percent on just $1 or less. The combination of long-standing malnutrition, food price rises and general inflation (over 15 percent last year) are making it impossible for a growing number of people to eat three times a day. Besides global factors, successive governments have left peasant farmers, the countryside and agricultural production to their fate. While no land dedicated to maize or other grains is being converted to biofuel production in Nicaragua, there has been a notable rise in the price of bread – as much a part of poor Nicaraguans’ diet as tortillas. This is because Nicaragua doesn’t produce wheat, and wheat farmers in the US and other countries have switched to biofuel crops. The Sandinista government came to office in January 2007 with a commitment to implementing reforms in education, health, infrastructure and rural development to address acute poverty, particularly in rural areas. Here are some of the main programmes: production. The government has also reduced or eliminated import tariffs on a number of basic food products, including beans, oats, barley and cooking oil. Nicaragua has a large amount of land and rural labour, and a traditional agrarian culture. President Daniel Ortega said that, if it exploits these opportunities, the country could increase production, ensure national food sovereignty and even supply food to the whole of Central America. Maize field, El Porcal, northern Nicaragua “Food for the People” The government has reactivated ENABAS (National Basic Food Company) warehouses as part of its “Food for the People” programme. In November, it was reported that ENABAS had signed agreements with over 50,000 farmers and 72 agricultural cooperatives to buy basic grains and other food products at fixed rates. ENABAS then distributes the produce directly to points of sale in impoverished neighbourhoods and communities across the country. Here, the food is sold at affordable prices. “Zero Hunger” programme A third government food security initiative is the “Zero Hunger” programme, coordinated by MAGFOR and based on a model pioneered by the Nicaraguan NGO CIPRES over the last decade. It constitutes an environmentally friendly, integrated way of reviving the productive capacity of impoverished campesino families, so they can become selfsufficient in food and sell the surplus locally. The model is adjusted to the economic, social and environmental realities of rural Nicaragua and focuses on women producers. Participating families receive a package including a pregnant cow, a pregnant sow, chickens, a cockerel, seeds, fruit trees, a grey water filter (which recycles soapy or dirty water for irrigation), a bio-digestor (for Credit for small producers In 2008, the government promised to provide zero-interest loans for seeds and fertilisers for over 177,000 smallholder farmers to produce basic grains. These will be repayable with produce at harvest time. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR), this is part of a package worth $230 million in government and private funds to provide incentives for food Central America Report: Summer 2008 making cooking gas from animal dung, eliminating the damaging health and environmental effects of firewood usage). Low-interest credit, technical support and training are also provided. The immediate aim is to dramatically improve family nutrition, while regenerating rural economies in the medium term. The government aims to integrate 75,000 smallholder families into this programme before 2012. In 2007, it provided 13,000 packages, and plans another 14,500 during 2008. According to Minister Ariel Bucardo, 19,300 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs have been created in the first 15 months. The programme was inaugurated in May 2007 in Raiti in northwest Nicaragua, an area of Miskitu, Mayangna and Mestizo communities living in extreme poverty. The main desire of the local people is to “save the Río Coco”, on whose shores they have historically built their communities, but which is now shrinking due to deforestation. What contribution will these initiatives make to reversing poverty and malnutrition in Nicaragua? Critics point out that the programmes only benefit those who already have property, not the two-in-five landless families who are trapped in deepest poverty. The majority of these can’t become producers – not only because they have no land but also because they are often single mothers who will find it harder to buy food as prices rise. Others argue that national and regional initiatives must be backed up by much stronger political will on the part of rich countries and transnational corporations if the world is to prevent the global food crisis harming the prospects of a generation. Sources: www.nicanet.org and www.tortillaconsal.com 10 Photo: Karen Lawson Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 11 Reviews Book reviews Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles By Harriet Lamb Ebury, February 2008, £10.99 the eventual trial and prosecution of a number of army officers. This is a gripping and disturbing look at Guatemala’s justice system and the lives of people who paid the price for telling the truth. Shelagh Kavanagh literary prize. In London to launch the publication of the English translation in May this year, he recounted the story of how he had met Monteforte Toledo at the prize-giving ceremony, stuck out his hand and received a puzzled look in response. “I thought you were older,” explained Monteforte Toledo. “Maybe you were thinking of my main character?” suggested Flores in response. Final Silence follows a Guatemalan psychologist’s return to his homeland as he rediscovers the psychological fallout from years of conflict. It offers an intimate look at the Guatemalan civil war one step removed. Flores succeeds in offering readers the counterpoise of distance to catch their breath, as they discover the all-consuming drama of a life and death conflict in Guatemala played out time and again. Patrick Daniels www.fairtrade.org.uk This book does not do what it says on the label. It is a cheery story in a readable, clear style about the human faces of Fairtrade production and consumption, and their inspiring small-scale successes. It is also a welldeserved testament to the soaring numbers of consumers choosing Fairtrade. Yet there is almost nothing about how Fairtrade could play a role in addressing trading inequalities by redistributing profits from big business to producers. So unfortunately the book is not about “how we took on the corporate giants to change the world”. Every time the issue looms, the author swerves away from analysing it more deeply. Harriet Lamb, director of the Fairtrade Foundation, writes entertainingly, informatively and passionately about the vision for Fairtrade and the mechanics of implementing it. The big gap is the absence of big-picture politics and strategies for placing Fairtrade within the wider Trade Justice Movement (which gets mentioned only twice). As Harriet points out, “Fairtrade cannot change world trade… on its own – it is just one small part of the many solutions needed.” Gay Lee Final Silence By Ronald Flores, translated by Gavin O’Toole 108 pp, Aflame Books, £7.50 Ronald Flores shot to prominence as a writer in Guatemala in 2001 at the age of 28, when Final Silence, his first novel, won the prestigious Mario Monteforte Toledo The Art of Political Murder – Who Killed Bishop Gerardi? By Francisco Goldman 396 pp, Atlantic, £16.99 In his first non-fiction book, Guatemalan-American author Francisco Goldman reveals the complex story behind the brutal murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi. The human rights defender was killed two days after making public the findings of a report documenting thousands of testimonies of murders carried out, mostly by the military, during the country’s 30-year civil war. A number of bizarre leads followed in what was described as Guatemala’s “crime of the century”. Was it a gay crime of passion? Was he mauled by a dog? Was it a robbery gone wrong? Despite official mishandling, a courageous and committed team from the bishop’s own organisation pursued the case in parallel, leading to Ronald Flores in Housman’s bookshop, London, May 2008 Aflame Books is a UK-based independent publisher which publishes, in English translation, works from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. In 2007 it also published From the Darkness by Guatemalan novelist Oswaldo Salazar. Photo: Stephanie Falla www.aflamebooks.com 11 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 12 Nicaragua Bitter aftertaste for sugarcane workers A major Nicaraguan biofuel company is blamed for ill-health and water contamination. M ORE THAN 700 community members and ex-sugarcane workers filed a complaint in April with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for injuries to their health and the environment which they say are caused by the operations of Nicaragua Sugar Estates Limited. Photo: Mike Elliott the environment and people. The Nicaraguan complaint highlights the need to consider the wider impacts. Communities report respiratory problems caused by clouds of smoke and ash created when the sugarcane fields are burned before harvesting. And many believe the chemicals used on the sugarcane are the cause of widespread chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) – particularly prevalent among workers in NSEL fields. Up to January 8, 2,677 people had died of renal failure resulting from pesticide poisoning, according to an association for those affected. Communities and sugar workers have also complained of contaminated water and threats to their water supply because of the large quantities needed to process the sugarcane. They accuse NSEL of harassing those who have attempted to establish a trade union or raised concerns about the company’s operations. NSEL received a $55 million loan from the IFC in 2006 to increase its sugarcane production and to fund the construction of an ethanol plant. The community complaint was submitted to the Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, the mechanism established to hold the IFC accountable for violations of environmental and social standards. The documents present evidence that NSEL activities have violated these standards. “The IFC must ensure that it does not trade one environmental problem for another,” said Kris Genovese, attorney for the Center for International Environmental Law, which helped with the preparation of the complaint. “These communities represent the thousands of unseen victims of biofuel projects that fail to account for their impact on human health and natural resources.” Sources: www.ciel.org www.nicanet.org about it. They never gave us protective equipment, only a useless facemask. I also had to get into the artificial ponds of black, extremely contaminated water (a by-product of the industrial process), in order to release this foul smelling water onto the fields. I would get totally soaked and had an intense itch all over my body. Once I came out and realized I was bleeding from my penis. In 2002, my blood pressure shot up and my whole body was aching, but specially the nape of my neck. I was not working on the sugarcane fields then, I had been transferred to the liquor-making plants. I had medical tests done with very bad results, my creatinine* was 5.2. Now it is 16, but at times my values were 24.” Worker cuts cane in a burned field in western Nicaragua. NSEL is a subsidiary of Grupo Pellas, one of the largest and most diversified corporations in Central America, with stakes in energy, sugar, Flor de Caña rum, ethanol, cars, banking and credit card companies. The towns of Chichigalpa, Goyena and Abangasca in northwest Nicaragua are surrounded by thousands of hectares of NSEL sugarcane. The company has brought much needed employment to the region, but this has come at a cost to the workers’ health. Much of the sugarcane produced here will be used for biofuels – as with a growing percentage of the 145 million tons of sugar produced each year worldwide. While biofuels have been touted as an alternative to fossil fuels, some large-scale projects are producing negative consequences for Rufino Benito Somarriba, 53, worked at the San Antonio sugarcane fields from 1975 to 1984. “I worked as a temporary labourer, spraying herbicide for several years before I was hired as a permanent worker. I used to carry a knap sack sprayer on my back. Poison would leak all over my body. I had to work from 9 in the morning till 3 to 4 in the afternoon, with no breaks. I used to sweat a lot and the water I took with me did not last long, so I had to drink from the river or from the water used for spraying. I never thought the water would be contaminated and the fluid wetting my body would lead to my present condition. Maybe it was because we are not educated, but they took advantage and didn’t say a word *Creatinine is tested to determine kidney function and its normal level is below 1. Interview by Giorgio Trucchi, republished from: www.rel-uita.org Central America Report: Summer 2008 12 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 13 Honduras Honduran prosecutors go hungry in corruption protest F OR 38 DAYS from April 7, the large square outside the congress building in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa became a campsite and the scene of constant protests as supporters backed eight public prosecutors on hunger strike against corruption. According to international watchdog Transparency International, Honduras is level with countries such as Liberia and Burundi in terms of corruption – which costs the country $894 million annually. A coalition of humanitarian organisations, trade unions, church groups and human rights organisations supported the strike as part of the fight for democracy and the rights of the poor. They also called for an independent press to replace the government-owned media, which is subject to manipulation and censorship. The prosecutors had been threatened with the sack by the Attorney General because of an investigation they were carrying out into 16 corruption cases involving high-ranking politicians and businessmen. The main demands of the hunger strikers were the dismissal of the Attorney General and his deputy, as well the creation of a commission to investigate and tackle corruption in general. The well-known Honduran singer Karla Lara and other artists were among the 50 people who joined the strike for shorter periods. “Corruption destroys our country. This strike is a historic opportunity to fight corruption and make a change,” Lara said. “It’s tough. My children call me up and ask me why I’m not coming home, why it’s taking so long… However each one of the hunger strikers is willing to give their all, so that the situation in Honduras changes regarding impunity about corruption, because we feel that, if we win the struggle, 13 it will create a legal precedent that will stop corruption in the way these cases are taken to court.” The head of the Catholic and Protestant churches also declared their support. Evelio Reyes, leader of the Evangelical church Vida Abundante, said: “This struggle is not just social and political, it is religious too. If we believe in God, we must oppose any injustice and help weak and the oppressed.” The hunger strike ended on May 15, and was described by the prosecutors as the first phase of “peaceful and civic resistance struggle”. They issued a statement emphasising the involvement of thousands of people who “have individually made theirs the fight that we have started – the social organisations, the popular and indigenous organisations, the Evangelical and Catholic churches and NGOs that have generously opened themselves to the call of dignity and justice for all Honduras”. Despite commitments to investigate and suspend the Attorney General and his deputy, they vowed to continue their struggle “until Honduras is free from the corrupt political class and all those who protect and bless them”. Sources: www.danchurchaid.org www.alboan.org www.hondurasthisweek.com Corruption Perceptions Index 2007 The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published by Transparency International, ranks 180 countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. The 2007 CPI score ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt). 1 Denmark: 9.4 Finland New Zealand UK: 8.4 US: 7.2 Costa Rica: 5.0 El Salvador: 4.0 Guatemala 2.8 Nicaragua 2.6 Honduras: 2.5 Burundi Honduras Iran Libya Nepal Philippines Yemen 12 20 46 67 111 123 131 Juan Carlos Griffin Raminez sits in a white plastic chair at the edge of the square. He was one of the first prosecutors to go on hunger strike. On the 34th day, he can talk only for a few minutes before he has to rest. His body is worn out by lack of food. “We started the hunger strike because our constitution states that all are equal before the law. But in the current state, this doesn’t hold true for people without wealth or power,” he says. He explains there is a doctor on 24-hour watch and that four prosecutors have already been admitted to hospital. “We risk our lives for justice,” he says, gazing at his seven-year-old son, sitting quietly beside him. “I continue the strike for the children. We must win our demands if we want them to grow up in a fair and just society.” Central America Report: Summer 2008 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 14 Take action Solidarity and campaign news NICARAGUA ■ Bristol footballers raise funds for women’s shrimp co-operative Following on from the hotly contested COPA Sandino football tournament in May, Bristol Link with Nicaragua (BLINC) held a women’s football tournament that raised £571 for the Lucrecia Lindo women’s co-operative in Bristol’s twin town of Puerto Morazan. According to twinning officer Alix Hughes, “the women had a great time apart from the goalie who had her nose broken by a Spanish striker”. The Pink Panthers emerged victorious, and received a bottle of Flor de Caña rum as well as a trophy. ■ From oil dependency to renewable energy The Leicester-Masaya Link group has been involved in a multi-disciplinary project funded by the EU and British government aimed at increasing renewable energy in Central America by developing networks of local authorities, universities, businesses, national institutions, NGOs and community groups. A delegation from Leicester, including the council leader, will travel to Nicaragua and Guatemala to participate in an international symposium to disseminate and take forward the findings of the project. www.leicestermasayalink.org ■ Meeting of towns with twinning links On April 26, representatives of some of the 12 towns and communities with twinning links in Nicaragua met in Bristol to discuss the wealth of ideas and initiatives across the UK. In particular, the meeting discussed how NSC could develop ways to share information relating to its education campaign. ■ Support for Education Forum NSC supports the Nicaraguan Education Forum (FEDH) and training Central America Report: Summer 2008 for teachers of children with special needs. FEDH brings together ANDEN (the teachers’ union), universities, social movements such as the Nicaraguan Community Movement, and about 20 NGOs working with children, women, education and disabled people. Before the 2006 elections, FEDH agreed a New Agenda for Education, which was endorsed by all parties and is now being integrated into government education policy. NSC is providing financial support to FEDH to publish internal newsletters and technical support to set up a website: www.fedh-ipn.org. NSC also received a grant from the AMICUS Foundation to produce a leaflet on education in Nicaragua and for a series of workshops to train teachers of children with special needs. ■ Visit by Nicaraguan women’s rights activists The Central America Women’s Network (CAWN) organised a speaker tour in March by Sandra Ramos and Gladys Urtecho from the Maria Elena Cuadra Working and Unemployed Women's Movement (MEC), taking in the UK, Brussels and Ireland. The aim was to share experiences with civil society in Europe and to influence policy makers whose decisions impact on the lives of Nicaraguan women. The MEC representatives met MPs, the European Commission, civil society organisations and the public to highlight attacks on women’s sexual and reproductive rights and the potential impact on women of the Association Agreement currently being negotiated between Central America and the European Union. www.cawn.org Tel: 020 7833 4175 ■ Solar panels bring electricity to farming communities ‘Proyecto Sol’ in Masaya installs solar panel electricity kits in farming communities where power supplies are unreliable or non-existent. The project is run by the Association for Integrated Rural Development (ADIC) with funding from Network for Social Change, Appletree Fund, Places for People and individual donations. Following the successful installation of 20 kits in 2005, the plan is to equip 22 more houses, with a final target of around 150 installations. The project was set up with a ‘revolving fund’ and repayments from families should enable 20 new kits to be installed per year. The kits can power two to three special light bulbs, as well as providing one socket outlets to run a radio or TV for up to three hours at a cost of £400 per household. Families repay the money over a maximum of seven years at £5 per month, which is a similar cost to mains electricity. Many hope to pay sooner, allowing the money to be recycled more quickly. www.adicmasaya.org ■ Environmental expeditions for young people Between 2000 and 2006, Somerset-based K2 Adventures organised expeditions to Nicaragua for 400 young people and 70 adults. Most were hosted and linked with communities in Ocotal and Puerto Morazan through the Swindon and Bristol twinning links. All the trips focused on supporting local community and environmental projects. K2 is planning more trips in late 2008-09, and is interested in working through schools, twinning links and youth services. Further information: Matt Cambridge – 0845 612 2005 ■ NSC raises £29,000 for Hurricane Felix survivors Part of the £29,000 raised has gone to a project led by the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (URACCAN) to restore the production of beans and maize to guarantee food supplies for the inhabitants of the communities of 14 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 15 Take action Young trade unionists inspired by Nicaraguan visit In February, five young “It was really inspiring to see members from CWU, the excellent work Nicaraguan UNISON, UNITE/Amicus trade unions are carrying out in and UNITE/TGWU visited extremely difficult circumstances Nicaragua with the Nicaragua and with very limited resources. Solidarity Campaign Action We met activists from a wide Group (NSCAG). They were range of backgrounds and I'm hosted by the National Workers looking forward to sharing these Front (FNT), as part of the experiences with British trade NSCAG Linking Young Trade unionists and to maintaining Unionists project, which solidarity links of mutual cobuilds links between young operation with our Nicaraguan trade union members in the brothers and sisters,” said UK and Nicaragua. The aim UNISON member Heenal Rajani. UNISON and UNITE delegates with local government was to learn about how workers in Jinotepe NSCAG is supporting the unions in Nicaragua are delegates to strengthen their involving young people, to in health, education, communication, solidarity links. An International exchange experiences and develop law, industry, manufacturing and the Youth Solidarity Seminar will ideas for solidarity projects. informal sector. The group also met take place in London on July 12. The delegates met with young civil society and women’s rights For project details: members from five of the FNT’s organisations to learn more about http://www.nicaraguasc.org.uk/NSC affiliated union federations, the political and social situation. AG/youth_unionists.htm representing a wide range of workers Photo: Anna Cooper Breñas Central and Ombila in the northern part of the Atlantic Coast. Funds are also supporting another URACCAN project to improve the quality of life for agricultural producers in the Wasakin community. The rest of the money has been allocated to rebuild the Maureen Courtney special needs school. A recent message from the school read: “Thank you so much to everyone in NSC for helping us in this difficult time in the life of the school and its 309 pupils.” Volunteers will receive observation training, local orientation and information on the situation in the country from human rights officials, as well as representatives of civil society and political parties. Spanish is not a requirement as interpreters will accompany the observers. There are also opportunities for longer-term voluntary positions of between three and six months to help organise the observer mission. www.cis-elsalvador.org ■ Scholarship scheme benefits community Young people from Dimas Rodriguez (a small village north of San Salvador, created at the end of the war by a group of FMLN guerillas and their families) are being offered the chance to go to university through a scholarship scheme. Work prospects are limited and a lack of funds has prevented many young people from accessing higher education – one of the main reasons why so many migrate to the United EL SALVADOR ■ Electoral observers wanted The Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS) is organising two election observer missions in 2009. The first will be from January 12-20 to observe the mayoral and legislative elections, and the second from March 9-17 for the presidential elections. CIS is looking for volunteers to help contribute to free and fair elections and generate a safe environment for democratic participation. States. Every penny donated goes directly to the community leaders in Dimas Rodriguez who select young people to receive the support. In return, the students agree to undertake regular community work, ensuring that the whole community benefits from the scholarship fund. Details of past and current beneficiaries are available at: www.educationforthefuture.blogspot. com If you are able to pay £40 a month (or any other amount) to support a young person to go to university, please set up a standing order: Account name: Education for the Future / Account number: 20162520 / Sort code: 08 60 01 GUATEMALA ■ Workers’ Beer Company fundraising There were many more volunteers than places, with 17 volunteers scheduled to work at five different events, including Glastonbury. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered and helped raised much needed funds for GSN. 15 Central America Report: Summer 2008 Summer 08 artwork x16pp 15/7/08 11:54 Page 16 Take action ■ GSN ‘Women and Violence’ Speaker Tour Women throughout the Americas are calling for an end to rising violence against them. In Guatemala alone, more than 3,000 women have been murdered since 2000. Family members, witnesses and leaders of women’s rights organisations continue to work under threat to halt the violence and seek justice for the victims. The Guatemalan government has done next to nothing to stem the violence. The low priority it gives the issue of femicide is reflected in the scant resources it allocates to investigations and the almost complete absence of prosecution. There have been rulings in only 20 femicide cases since 2000. The state has also failed in its efforts to prevent these murders, and few cases of domestic violence or sexual assault are taken seriously. While the government attributes the murders to gang violence, the Organization of American States has noted that their aim may be to terrorise Guatemala’s women, reversing the gains they have made in the last 10 years and forcing them out of the public sphere and back into their homes. In the face of violence and discrimination, women have formed survivors’ associations, mental health groups, and regional coalitions. Others have worked tirelessly to improve access to land, comprehensive health care, and education, particularly for women living in rural indigenous communities. Some have spoken out against discriminatory laws and a justice system plagued by impunity. Guatemala Solidarity Network is preparing for a speaker tour in November, to coincide with the November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The goal is to raise awareness of women and violence in Guatemala, including domestic violence, gang violence and impunity. If you are interested in hosting or getting involved in meetings with GSN regional and other solidarity groups, please contact: [email protected] GET IN TOUCH Wales NSC: Betws, Fford Haern Bach, Pen Y Groes LL54 6NY Tel: 01286 882359 Email: [email protected] www.walesnsc.wordpress.com NSC, local links and ENCA: 129 Seven Sisters Rd, London N7 7QG Tel: 020 7272 9619 www.nicaraguasc.org.uk GSN: Flat 9, 71 Hornsey Lane, London, N6 5LE. Tel: 020 8340 3731 Email: [email protected] www.guatemalasolidarity.org.uk Central America Report: Summer 2008 16