The Women's Delegation to Chiapas, Mexico was composed of seventeen women from across the United States and Mexico, and welcomed the special participation of Cecelia Rodriguez, director of the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico and U.S. representative of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). The purpose of the delegation was threefold:
1) to investigate the impact of the protracted military presence and the activities of paramilitary groups in the zones of conflict in indigenous communities,
2) to discuss with indigenous women how the conflict has impacted their lives and
3) to report on living conditions in the communities as they relate to women. Members of the Delegation participated in the Special Forum for Democratic Reform and visited indigenous communities, hospitals, and various human rights organizations throughout Chiapas.
The Delegation arrived in Chiapas on June 30, two weeks before peace talks between the EZLN and the Mexican Government were scheduled to resume, having been suspended in mid-May due to the sentencing of two alleged Zapatistas for sedition and rebellion. In preparation for the next round of peace talks, two organizations mediating the peace process, the National Commission of Mediation (CONAI) and the Commission of Concordance and Pacification (COCOPA) convened a Special Forum for Democratic Reform together with the EZLN. The Forum was held in San Cristobal de las Casas between June 30 and July 6.
Monday, July 1: Attend Special Forum about Democratic Reform in Mexico Meeting with Women Commandantes of the Zapatista National Liberation Army
The Special Forum About Democratic Reform was designed to supplement the next round of peace talks scheduled to begin July 15 at San Andres Larrainzar on the topic of democracy and justice in Mexico. The forum was specifically intended to provide a space where "everyone could participate in the process of dialogue to build a civilian and peaceful transition to democracy in Mexico, against the party system of the state and the neo-liberal economic model." The forum was divided into eight working tables that met in separate locations for the first five days to discuss different topics of concern. The tables consisted of the following:
1] Making a New Type of Political Organization
2] Alternative Economic Projects and 16 Fundamental Demands of
the
Mexican People
3] Transition to Democracy in Mexico
4] The New Constituent and the New Constitution
5] For Humanity and Against Neo-liberalism
6] The New Social Pact
7] Culture and Media in the Transition to Democracy
8] Justice and Human Rights in the Transition to Democracy
Members of the Clandestine Indigenous Revolutionary Committee-The General Command of the EZLN, members of CONAI, including Bishop Samuel Ruiz, members of COCOPA, civilian members of the Zapatista National Liberation Front (FZLN,) attended the Forum, in addition to various non-governmental organizations, social and political organizations, and various members of the national and the international civil society. Participants in the forum met in various working tables throughout the week, and after five days of deliberation all ideas presented in the different working tables were consolidated in the final plenary session of the forum. Information from the forum would then be relayed to EZLN asesores at the next round of peace talks scheduled to begin July 15.
The Women's Delegation met with a group of women commanders of the EZLN on July 1. We met with seven women commanders; Commandante Susana, Commandante Flora, Commandante Trinidad, Commandante Ortensia, Commandante Marisela, Commandante Silvia, and Commandante Concepcion. The commandantas explained to the Delegation that they felt they did not have rights nor value in the eyes of the Mexican government. They explained that they were organizing with men to achieve rights for all indigenous people. They also explained that the Mexican government has responded to their struggle by sending people to their communities to intimidate them, and that they believed they must unite to achieve freedom. The women commanders also informed the delegation about how the EZLN formulated its Revolutionary Law of Women. The law was designed by all of the women in the movement to assert that women have rights to participate in the decision making processes of their communities. The delegation asked the commanders what women in the United States could do to support the indigenous struggle in Chiapas, and they responded that women are exploited everywhere and that members of the delegation should return to their own communities to organize the women there.
Tuesday, July 2 - Wednesday, July 3: Meeting with Women of La Realidad, Visit to Guadelupe Tepeyac
On Tuesday, July 2 the Women's Delegation traveled to La Realidad, one of five centers of resistance-indigenous communities that have openly declared their allegiance to the EZLN.
On Wednesday, July 3 around 10:00 A.M., a Mexican army convoy drove directly through the community, with seventeen U.S.-made HMV vehicles, containing 150-170 fully armed soldiers. There were at least seven soldiers using video and still shot cameras to photograph community members and international observers and perform surveillance. Community representatives and civilian encampment volunteers informed the delegation that similar convoys patrol the community twice per day, four times a week.
The delegation visited the New Aguascalientes in the community. The facilities were inaugurated on January 1, 1996 to enable direct exchanges between the community and national and international visitors. The New Aguascalientes contains a clinic, kitchen, several posadas or dorms, latrines and a large ampithheater. During the delegation's visit, over 100 indigenous men were busy building structures to accommodate the future guests of the Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism. The delegation learned that the original Aguascalientes convention, was a constitutional convention held by the original Zapatistas after the triumph of the Mexican revolution. The inauguration of the New Aguascalientes is symbolic of different points of view coming together in dialogue.
The delegation met with the women of La Realidad later in the day to learn how their lives have been impacted by the protracted military presence in their community. The women would not give their names and declined to have their photos taken. They asserted that the military was responsible for stealing stacks of wood that was chopped by community members and stacked along the side of the road to be collected by the women. Women in the community are now too afraid to use the main road in La Realidad for fear of encountering soldiers, so instead they use paths that are difficult to travel on. They also stated that the children in the community are so frightened by the soldiers with machine guns who routinely pass through that they become physically ill. The women also told the delegation that they felt the government doesn't want them to participate in any dialogue for change, but they believe they have a right to talk about their necessities. They informed the delegation that their children are dying of diarrhea and worms, but there is no medicine in the community. They also said that as women they feel the need to fight, not just in their community, but all over Mexico, and all over the world. They believe that all women are struggling against the same system.
As the meeting came to a close, members of the delegation presented the women of La Realidad with gifts of cooking oil, sugar, salt, posters, and monetary donations. A delegation member asked how women in the U.S. could help their community. They told the delegation that they urgently needed medical supplies and food.
On the way back to San Cristobal, the delegation stopped in Guadelupe Tepeyac, an indigenous community that was abandoned during the February 1995 military offensive against the indigenous civilian population in Chiapas. Although over 20,000 indigenous people fled their communities in fear of army oppression during the offensive, every community has returned except the people of Guadelupe Tepeyac. The fully staffed government hospital in the center of the community was abandoned after the Zapatista uprising and re-staffed after the offensive. In addition, there are two military camps on both sides of the community. During the delegation's visit to the community, there were apparently no patients at the hospital. Two members of the delegation interviewed a staff member of the hospital who explained that the hospital sees patients very quickly so they usually don't need to stay long.
Thursday, July 4: Visit to Oventik and Fray Bartolome Center for Human Rights
Oventik, another center of resistance, is surrounded by four military camps. The first military camp was built during the February 1995 offensive, and the other three were built after the inauguration of Oventik as a center of resistance. Two community representatives asserted that the military provokes people in their community by taking their wood, using their lanterns, and intimidating their women. They told the delegation that the military patrols their community twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening, and that sometimes the military dresses in civilian clothing to infiltrate the community. The representatives said that the military is always looking for a pretext to enter the community, often under the guise of providing social services or investigating drug trafficking. However, the representatives asserted that the military is not providing social services, and that the only marijuana seeds found in the community have been planted by the military themselves. At the end of the meeting, delegation members asked the community members about living conditions in the communities. One man responded with urgency, "We have a lot of necessities! We need things. We are building. I don't know how to tell you. "
That evening we visited the Fray Bartolome Center for Human Rights in San Cristobal de las Casas. The center was founded in 1989 by Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia. The center coordinates civilian encampments for peace and does extensive human rights education in indigenous communities. In addition, the center reports internationally on human rights abuses that occur within the zone of conflict. Civilian Encampments currently exist in 25 communities, although over 200 more communities have requested the presence of a civilian encampment in their community. The center only establishes civilian encampments in communities that request and recruits both international and Mexican volunteers to reside in the encampments. The goal of civilian encampments is to provide a national and international presence in indigenous communities in the zone of conflict. Encampment volunteers survey military activity withing and around the community. The center also gives workshops on human rights and electoral rights. After discussion the Delegation viewed an empowering documentary entitled The Counterinsurgency. It documented one community's encounter with the military. Indigenous men, women, and children yelled at the military to get out of their community. They shouted, "You are of the same blood as us . . . You are our brothers!" The military evacuated the community as a result of the protest.
Friday, July 5: Visit to Hospital San Carlos in Altamirano and Meeting with Grupo Mujeres in San Cristobal de las Casas
Hospital San Carlos is run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The hospital has four regular doctors on staff and treats 80-90 people a day. The hospital has accommodation for thirty children, thirty adults, and seventeen recovery patients. When all of the beds are filled, they pull out cots to accommodate additional patients. Fees for services are according to the patient's income. The delegation met with the administrative director of the hospital, Sr. Maria Josefa Florencia Vargas and other nuns who staff the facility. The sisters informed the delegation that most of the patients have no money, but they do not turn people away. In return for services rendered, often family members of patients will sweep or clean a part of the hospital. The hospital also tries to provide funds for the family to return to their community because families usually only have enough money for one-way transportation.
In addition to medical services, the hospital provides training for indigenous health promoters. Health promoters trained at Hospital San Carlos provide services in over 300 communities throughout Chiapas. Hospital San Carlos then integrates elements of indigenous healing knowledge into their procedures by asking community health promoters advice on herbs. Also, the practitioners at the hospital dress in traditional clothing to further integrate tradition with modernity.
Sr. Vargas explained that although the climate is calm, the military continues their maneuvers within indigenous communities. The psychological impact of the military presence has increased the occurrence of formerly nonexistent ailments such as hysteria, high blood pressure, and depression. The number of patients has doubled since the military occupation. Communities are unable to harvest or plant their crops because of the military presence, thus resulting in extreme malnutrition. The sisters informed the delegation that there is more prostitution within communities because of the military presence. When asked about the incidence of rape in relation to the presence of the military, the sisters responded that incidents of rape have increased since the February 1995 offensive. They also asserted that most women will not seek treatment after being raped. If a woman gets pregnant as a result of being raped, she will usually abort, sell the child, or give the child up for adoption. Rape within the community is extremely rare, and usually committed by police officers or soldiers explained the nuns.
Sisters at the Hospital asserted that two serious problems within indigenous communities were domestic abuse and alcoholism. The nuns also said that they have noticed a change in indigenous women since the uprising, and that women generally seem more confident and are more outspoken than before.
The Hospital San Carlos administers birth control in cases where the woman is 35 years or older and has eight or more children. Also, if the woman is medically in danger they would tie her tubes. In both cases, the procedure is discussed with the woman and her husband. Both must concede for the woman to receive the treatment. In contrast, the nuns informed the delegation that sometimes at government hospitals indigenous women who receive cesarean sections during child birth will be sterilized without consent. During normal child birth, there have been incidences when doctors from government hospitals administer internal uterine devices without consent.
Medically, the nuns explained to the Delegation that malnutrition and tuberculosis are on the rise. Hospital San Carlos' procedure is to give a list documenting the number of cases to the government, and in turn the government will generally provide only half of the treatments needed. When asked what they needed, the nuns responded that they need specialist doctors to volunteer at the Hospital, most urgently they need a surgeon.
Later in the evening the delegation visited Grupo Mujeres, located in San Cristobal de las Casas. Grupo Mujeres was established in 1989 with the objective of struggling against domestic and sexual violence against women. It is the only center of its kind in the state of Chiapas. Grupo Mujeres is staffed by eleven people with a range of experience in varied fields, including a lawyer, a psychologist, a social worker, a doctor, a teacher, an anthropologist, and health promoters. The organization has three areas of focus. The first is the support of women and minors emotionally, medically, and legally. The second is the education of women about their rights under the law. To this end women's rights workshops are held to promote information and awareness. The third area of focus is investigating women's health issues such as violence and reproductive health and death caused by childbirth. Grupo Mujeres is funded by international funding agencies according to individual projects. Members of the organization asserted that local support for their work is almost nonexistent, and that the women who run the center are often accused of being crazy, troublemakers and lesbians.
Regarding the reports of forced sterilization that we had discussed at San Carlos, the women from Grupo Mujeres explained to us that when women have complained to public officials about forced sterilization, there is no action taken. Also, in certain government hospitals, women will be forced to agree to the sterilization before they are given treatment.
The delegation also learned that there are no services for women in brothels. Prostitutes are often minors, often indigenous, or Central American women trying to get to the United States. Wherever there are military bases, there is a sharp rise in prostitution. Members of Grupo Mujeres informed the delegation that the government declared certain areas "zones of tolerance" of prostitution with the attitude that it was the least they could do for the military.
Members of the Delegation then asked the women of Grupo Mujeres if there was a contradiction between indigenous culture and the Revolutionary Law of Women. They responded that Article 4 of the Mexican Constitution has two contradictory points; women are equal before the law and that indigenous culture and tradition must be respected. Encompassed in the second point is the refusal to allow women ownership of land as well as the refusal to allow women to choose their partner. Grupo Mujeres conducted a workshop that involved 54 women from 11 indigenous municipalities. The results showed that most of the women acknowledged that traditional laws violated their human rights as women. They also acknowledged that there were contradictions between the Revolutionary Law of Women and their traditional customs.
The members of Grupo Mujeres also explained the differences and similarities between the problems experienced by urban women versus the problems experienced by rural women in Chiapas. The women of Grupo Mujeres explained that they work with all women, and that their problems are ultimately the same. However, urban women inevitably have more access to services than rural women. They stated that rural women's problems often seem more severe, but they are the same problems urban women face manifested differently. Whether urban or rural, if the women do not have money, services are simply not accessible. Poverty is the link between the two.
Grupo Mujeres provides a support center for victims of rape. The women are interviewed and then given the services they request. We learned that the majority of women who are victims of rape at first want to press charges against the offender. However, after encountering the indifference of police authorities and the justice system, they decide not to continue the case. If legally pursued, the identity of the rape victim becomes public knowledge. Single women are then subjected to marginalization, while married women also risk losing their marriage if they prosecute. Women also fear revenge because the perpetrator is often released from jail 2-3 days after arrest. Punishment for sexual abuse is less severe than punishment for stealing from ranchers.
The women at Grupo Mujeres explained that from 1989-1993 the majority of rape victims knew the perpetrator; however, from 1994-present, the statistics are opposite. There has been a huge rise in unknown assailants due to the prevalence of gang rapes. The women explained that it is difficult to know the exact situation in the communities because the communities are completely militarized. However, all members of the organization agreed that rape is prevalent throughout the zone of conflict.
Members of Grupo Mujeres also discussed the culture of silence surrounding rape. Most women who are raped in Chiapas do not receive any psychological treatment and the majority do not seek any medical treatment. The women agreed that overwhelming majority of rapes are never reported, leaving victims of rape to face the recurring memory of their horrifying violation alone. "Part of the wound is the shame, and the culture of silence increases the shame," explained Cecilia Rodriguez, who was raped by masked gunmen in Chiapas last October. Cecelia also stated that with sympathetic intentions, most people refrain from asking women about their rape. However, to refrain from talking about the violation is to subconsciously invalidate the existence of the violation. No one would invalidate a gun shot wound, and they would not remain silent about it. Members of Grupo Mujeres asserted that one of the most powerful tools of sexism is the power to invalidate and silence the physical, psychological, and spiritual pain a woman is left with after being raped, and that together we must acknowledge and overcome this culture of silence.
Saturday, July 6: Closing Session of the Special Forum for Democratic Reform
On July 6, the Women's Delegation attended the closing session of the Special Forum for Democratic Reform. During the closing session, a synthesis of proposals presented at each of the eight working tables in the Forum was read by the facilitator of each topic. At the end of the session, Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia, head of CONAI, stated, "Sometimes you try to accomplish things and they fail, other times you try to accomplish something and it is a success, and you feel like everything you do will be a success. This forum has been like that . . . it has been extremely encouraging to the peace process." Commandante David and Sub-Commandante Marcos of the EZLN also addressed the audience at the closing session.
The Women's Delegation to Chiapas, Mexico heard extensive testimony of the negative impact the protracted presence of the Mexican army has had on indigenous women. Increased incidents of rape and sexual assault, the introduction of prostitution and widespread fear and anxiety among women in these communities are directly caused by the establishment of military camps either within or nearby indigenous communities. The presence of the military clearly impedes the ability of communities to perform activities necessary for their survival, such as gathering wood and traveling outside their communities without inhibition. The severe food shortage throughout the zone of conflict is also causing widespread malnutrition among women and their children.
Interviews with non-governmental organizations in Chiapas also explain the effects of the military presence on the well-being of indigenous communities. Acts of intimidation by army soldiers, ranging from the patrolling of communities with cameras and weapons aimed at community members to the increasing practice of raping indigenous women, have created a tense atmosphere permeated by fear and anxiety in many communities.
The importance of international and national participation in the peace process between the EZLN and the Mexican government was evidenced by the Special Forum for Democratic Reform. The Forum was attended by over 500 people from throughout Mexico, who contributed their ideas on how the peace process can accomplish true democratic reform in Mexico. The significant presence of international observers, including approximately 50 from different parts of the United States, proved the breadth of support that exists for the peace process throughout the world.
IFCO/Pastors for Peace organizes humanitarian aid caravans, human
rights observer delegations and participation in civilian encampments
to support the indigenous struggle in Chiapas. For more information
please contact:
IFCO/Pastors for Peace
610 W. 28th St. Minneapolis, MN 55408
tel: 612-870-7121 fax: 612-870-7109 email: p4p@igc.apc.org