Chiapas: During International Women’s Day on 8 March, a meeting, march, and rally

In observance of 8 March, International Women’s Day, the Center for Women’s Rights Chiapas, together with women’s organizations, collectives, and groups, organized a meeting to launch a Movement in Defense of the Land, the Territory, and In Favor of the Participation and Recognition of Women in Decision-Making, which will be held on 6 and 7 March in CIDECI Unitierra.  Furthermore, on 8 March itself, there will be held a march from the administrative building in San Cristóbal de Las Casas to the Cathedral Plaza, where a rally will be held.

For more information (in Spanish):

[CONVOCATORIA] Hacia la constitución de un Movimiento en Defensa de la Tierra y el Territorio y por la participación y el reconocimiento de las Mujeres en las decisiones (Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

National: Multiple activities for International Women’s Day (16 March 2014)

Oaxaca: Request of activation of Gender Alert amidst increase in number of femicides (2 March 2014)

Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero: Activities to observe International Day of Non-Violence toward Women (8 December 2013)

Chiapas/Oaxaca: Conmemoration of femicides during Day of the Dead (13 November 2013)

Oaxaca: Network of women’s rights defenders fears for female members of Radio Nahndiá

On 9 September, the Network of Female Activists and Human-Rights Defenders of Oaxaca, which brings together 98 activists and defenders from the state, published an open letter expressing its concern for the risks faced by members of Radio Nahndiá.

In the letter, the Network recalls that “Radio Nahndiá is a Mazateca communal radio located in Mazatlán Villa de Flores which for 13 years has been doing crucial work in favor of information and education of the community, including the diffusion of information regarding the rights of women and indigenous peoples.”  It noted that “since 2013, Radio Nahndiá has released information of special importance regarding the electoral process in the Mazatlán Villa de Flores municipality and its irregularities […].  Since this time, a wave of violence has plagued the community, as directed by former mayor Mario Carrera López.”

For this reason, the Network expressed its concern for the risk of revenge attacks and the security of the 6 female radio operators affiliated with Radio Nahndiá who have been threatened with death.  Lastly, the Network called on the state government “to immediately implement the necessary actions to guarantee the exercise of the right to freedom of expresion in the state, and that it adopt urgent and adequate measures to prevent and punish the attacks against communal radios, including specific measures to protect female human-rights defenders.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Carta pública de la Red de Mujeres Activistas y Defensoras de Derechos Humanos de Oaxaca (Adnsureste, 9 de septiembre de 2014)

Radio Nahndiá

Definirán en consulta, elección en Mazatlán (Noticias.net.mx, 5 de septiembre de 2014)

Mazatlán Villa de Flores desea elecciones;  trabajan conjuntamente(Boletín del gobierno del estado de Oaxaca, 4 de septiembre de 2014)

Chiapas: South-Southeast Forum on analysis and construction of alternatives: Land Tenancy, Use, and Usufruct of land for women in San Cristóbal de Las Casas

From 24 to 26 July there was held the “South-Southeast Forum for analysis and construction of alternatives: Land tenancy, use, and usufruct of land for women in Chiapas,” which counted with the participation of approximately 300 indigenous and campesina women from Chiapas and other states, as well as researchers and female human-rights defenders.  Upon conclusion of the event, participants expressed their opposition to policies that seek to deprive them of their natural resources by means of oil, mining, eco-tourist, wind-energy, hydroelectric, highway, and airport-seaport construction projects and by denying their traditional knowledges.  Participants denounced that these projects are being carried out without any sort of consultation or authorization from indigenous peoples themselves, but are instead blessed by governmental institutions.

Participants demanded, among other things, that the political and agrarian policies at the federal, state, and community levels respect their rights to land tenancy, use, and usufruct, as well as to their right to participate in decisions regarding land use and territory, without the denial of such using the argument of traditional uses and customs.

Lastly, they reported that they would seek to organize a broad movement of women to unite their strength with the people in resistance to demand their rights as women to land.  They affirmed that “we also call on the populace at large to also affirm our demands, to organize, and unite forces to arrest the offensive being waged by neoliberal patriarchal capitalism which, with the support of the government, threatens to remove campesino peoples from our natural and cultural goods to benefit national and transnational corporations, which threaten all forms of life.”

For more information (in Spanish):

Mujeres en Chiapas y otros estados, reivindican su derecho al uso y usufructo de la tierra (Chiapas Paralelo, 29 de julio de 2014)

Realizan foro por derechos de mujeres indígenas y campesinas (CIMAC Noticias, 28 de julio de 2014)

Pronunciamiento final (28 de julio de 2014)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Chiapas: Pronouncement  from the women’s gathering “Saving Our Mother Earth” (20 June 2014)

National: Activists denounce increase in violence against women

Photo (@Sipaz)

Between 9 and 10 July, there was held a meeting in Mexico City among civil-society organizations seeking to relieve the situation of violence and discrimination experienced by women in Mexico, analyze the work that these organizations have carried out in recent years, and above all examine the challenges faced by the State still in advancing toward the guarantee of the full recognition and exercise of women’s rights.

Participants in the event included the UN Expert of the Work Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice, Alda Facio, and Rashida Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur for Violence against Women, the latter operating in a non-official capacity.  Eight years since the publication of their report “Integration of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Perspectives: Violence against Women, Mexico Mission,” the representatives of the Associates for Justice (JASS) stressed that, “If some reforms have been adopted in law, these have not resulted in structural changes, both in terms of prevention through investigation and sanctioning as well as access to a life free of violence.”  In effect, on this occasion it was recalled that Mexico has ratified the “Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women” (CEDAW), an international instrument to recognize the human rights of women, while there remain “many practices and policies that in effect favor and even deepen discrimination,” noted the JASS activists.

Finally, those at the event denounced the increase in violence against women in all their manifestations: impunity, the gravity of forced disappearance, sexual crimes, attacks against female human-rights defenders and journalists, the generalized increase in gender discrimination and inequality, particularly for poor, indigenous, and migrant women.  In this way, conference-goers called on the Mexican State forthrightly to adopt comprehensive policies to arrest the structural violence experienced by women.

In light of this context, the Special Rapporteur declared that gender violence is “the most generalized violation of human rights that we confront today,” explaining that “the lack of comprehension of gender violence is a barrier to the exercise of all human rights by women themselves.”

For more information (in Spanish):

A 8 años de publicado informe sobre derechos humanos de las mujeres en México, regresa Relatora Especial sobre la Violencia contra la Mujer de la ONU (PRODESC, 8 de julio de 2014)

Responsabilidad del Estado Mexicano ante la CEDAW (JASS, 7 de julio de 2014)

La violencia hacia las mujeres “es la violación a DH más generalizada”: Relatora ONU (Sididh, 10 de julio de 2014)

Integración de los Derechos Humanos de la Mujer y la Perspectiva de Género: la violencia contra la mujer. Misión a México (CINU, 13 de enero de 2006)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

National: the Mexican government does not comply with the recommendations of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (23 June 2014)

Oaxaca: Every other day a woman is killed in the state (12 June 2014)

Oaxaca: the Mexican state with the highest number of attacks on women human rights defenders and journalists (10 June 2014)

Guerrero: Harassment and attacks on individuals and organizations in favor of the decriminalization of abortion and the right to decide (12 June 2014)

Guerrero: Harassment and attacks on individuals and organizations in favor of the decriminalization of abortion and the right to decide

Women’s Rights are also Human Rights

Organizations and human rights organizations have denounced the harassment, insults, and aggressions suffered by feminist groups, activists, and government agencies that have positioned themselves in favor of the proposed initiative to decriminalize abortion in the state of Guerrero. This initiative was sent by Governor Angel Aguirre to the local Congress in May.

The director of the Guerrero Institute of Human Rights, Silvia Castillo, explained that women who defend their right to decide have been physically and verbally attacked by conservative groups. For example, at a recent forum, one female member of the Institute was beaten for expressing her support to the initiative.

Moreover, Rosario Herrera Ascencio, Secretary for the Women in Guerrero (Semujer), reported having been threatened by local members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the National Action Party (PAN), who have also disqualified the Secretariat: “There is a struggle against the secretariat both by Congress members and people of Provida (…) They can not silence our voices with their threats; I will be very respectful of the decisions of the Congress, but I will defend the initiative that aims to ensure equality, life, and safety for all the women of the entity whom I represent. “

Finally, local media reported that workers at the service of PRI and PAN deputies have impeded interviews with activists and experts who attended the forums in the framework of the Congress debates, so as to prevent the spreading of information about the importance of decriminalizing abortion.

For more information (in Spanish)

Amenazan a promotores de la despenalización del aborto en Guerrero (Proceso, 4 de junio de 2014)

Hostigan PRI y PAN a quienes apoyan despenalización de aborto (CIMAC Noticias, 4 de junio de 2014)

For more information from SIPAZ (in English)

Guerrero: State government presents initiative to legalize abortion (May 18, 2014)

Chiapas: Amidst increase in femicide and impunity, civil organization proclaims permanent Gender Alert

March on 8 March in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Photo (@Sipaz)

Due to the increase in femicides and the impunity that prevails in the state of Chiapas, the Center for Women’s Rights Chiapas, a civil organization based in San Cristóbal de las Casas, has proclaimed a permanent Gender Alert.

In November 2013, the Center started a petition to the National System to Prevent, Attend, Sanction, and Eradicate Violence against Women (SNPASEVM) calling on it to declare a gender alert in the state.  However, in January of this year, SNPASEVM rejected the petition, claiming that the murders of women does not threaten the social peace in the state, and adding that many of these deaths have not been recognized as femicides.

“How many women must die before the State considers there to exist a pattern of violence against women in Chiapas?” asks the Center for Women’s Rights Chiapas.

According to Alma Padilla, director of the Center, “the Mexican State is not willing to declare a gender alert because it has instituted programs to prevent femicide and violence against women.  However, these [programs] have had no result.  On the contrary, both the numbers of femicides and cases of violence against women are on the rise.”

Official information presented by the Center shows that between January and October of last year, 84 murders of women were documented, 52 of which have been categorized as femicides.  An investigation has been requested to determine if those remaining also qualify as such.

In parallel terms to the proclamation of the permanent Gender Alert, the Center for Women’s Rights Chiapas has indicated that it will continue to demand that the authorities declare an alert and combat the crime of femicide.

For more information (in Spanish):

Aumentan feminicidios en Chiapas asegura ONG (Milenio, 14 de marzo de 2014)

Mujeres de Chiapas deciden levantar su propia alerta de género por feminicidios (Animal Político, 14 de marzo de 2014)

Web del Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

National: Multiple activities for International Women’s Day (16 March 2014)

Oaxaca: Request of activation of Gender Alert amidst increase in number of femicides (2 March 2014)

Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero: Activities to observe International Day of Non-Violence toward Women (8 December 2013)

Chiapas/Oaxaca: Conmemoration of femicides during Day of the Dead (13 November 2013)

Chiapas: Women declare alert over gender violence (20 July 2013)