Beginning of the march in Plaza de La Resistencia. Photo@SIPAZ
November 25 is International Day to Combat Violence against Women. In Chiapas, many activities were organized in this framework. From the 21st to 24th of the month the First National Feminist Congress was held in San Cristobal de Las Casas. At a press conference on the first day, activists and organizations questioned the Declaration of a Gender Violence Alert (GVA) issued on November 18 by the federal government for seven municipalities in the state (San Cristobal de Las Casas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Comitan de Dominguez, Villaflores, Tonala, Chiapa de Corzo and Tapachula), calling it “incomplete, discriminatory and insufficient.” For this reason, the Popular Campaign against Violence against Women and Femicide in Chiapas declared itself “in a permanent and civic alert to continue to carry out short, medium and long-term actions to prevent femicidal violence.” It should be remembered that women’s organizations in the state have been requesting a GVA for three years.
On November 23 and 24, the Third Assembly of the Movement for Defense of the Earth, Territory and for the Participation of Women in Decision-making was also held in San Cristobal de Las Casas in order to “share information and denunciations, but also proposals and alternatives to defend our lands, territories and organize as women, as we face the same neoliberal and patriarchal system.”
In a statement, participants in the Assembly demanded, among other things, from the government, the ejido and community authorities, and society in general:
– “To respect women’s rights fully, to live free of violence, to really have land, to be sure that we will not be deprived of our territories, and to participate in decision-making in our communities.”
– “Cessation of femicide, femicidal violence; to release indigenous and non-indigenous women who have been unjustly imprisoned “
– That the government respects and enforces the self-determination and autonomy of the people, and stops nourishing community division, co-opting and buying leaders.”
-“The government and transnational corporations stop persecuting, intimidating, and murdering those who defend our lands and territories.”
– “To the government and the private media, stop criminalizing social protest. We are not criminals, we are women and men defending our rights, our lands and territories, which is where we live and want to continue living with respect for Mother Earth. “
On November 25, both groups met to march, coinciding also with the pilgrimage of thousands of indigenous people from the Movement in Defense of Life and Territory (MODEVITE). In a joint communiqué, they reaffirmed: “We are firmly hopeful that with our struggles the situation of violence will not be prolonged or intensified. That is why, women and men, we raise our voices calling to all the peoples of Mexico and the World to defeat the capitalist, neoliberal, heterosexual, racist state and to build another world of PEACE WITH JUSTICE AND DIGNITY where there is room for EVERYONE.”
For more information in Spanish:
Declaratoria de AVG en Chiapas es “discriminatoria e insuficiente”: activistas (Revista Proceso, 21 de noviembre de 2016)
Declaración conjunta en el Día Internacional de Lucha Contra la Violencia Hacia la Mujer (Video, a 25 de noviembre de 2016)
Declaración conjunta en el Día Internacional de lucha Contra la Violencia Hacia las Mujeres (25 de noviembre de 2016)
Comunicado del Movimiento de Mujeres, Pueblos y Organizaciones en Defensa del Territorio (Movimiento en defensa de la Tierra, el Territorio y por la participación y el reconocimiento de las mujeres en las decisiones, a 26 de noviembre de 2016)
For more inforation from Sipaz:
Chiapas: Mujeres marchan contra las feminicidios
Chiapas: Encuentro “Corazones Unidos por la defensa de la Vida y el Territorio”
Chiapas: Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas denuncia amenazas
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