La Via Campesina struggle against femicide and violence against women
by La Vía Campesina
La Via Campesina struggle against femicide and violence against women
[1]
Published on Wednesday, 25 November 2015 18:40
[2](Harare, November 25, 2015) On the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25th, La Vía Campesina
will be mobilizing to strengthen the struggle and resistance around our
capitalist, patriarchal system. Taking into account how this system
endangers the lives of women, how it treats them as objects, how it
exploits women and removes them from their homes, creates wars and
militarizes civilian territories, it is urgent to build new human
relationships that are founded on gender justice and equal rights.
La Vía Campesina is reaffirming its commitment to the "Global Campaign
to End Violence Against Women" undertaken in 2008 as a tool for debate
and education within the peasant movement. Additionally, it aims to call
out the structural violence in society that threatens women around the
world. This violence manifests itself in every arena, including the
physical, psychological, economic and the political one and it is
reinforced daily as if it were something natural and normal.
This year, standing together as La Vía Campesina, we raise our voice in
opposition to all forms of violence and oppression while bringing
attention to the global increase in femicides. We witness with great
indignation and anger how the current historical conditions created by
the capitalist, patriarchal system promote social practices that permit
attacks on women. This happens both in the city and countryside,
regardless of social class, political beliefs, religion and age.
In addition to a patriarchal, capitalist society where violence is
normalized and women's bodies are objectified, the lack of legal
protections, breach of laws and lack of public policies worsens the
problem. This creates an insecure living situation for women that puts
lives at risk and promotes impunity and silence. We are being murdered!
Therefore, on this day of action we call on our organizations and our
allies to participate in the World March of Women and ask our friends to
collectively make visible all forms of violence and oppression that
women face. Our goal is to strengthen our collective efforts as well as
our hopes to build a new society based on gender justice and dignity for
everyone.
More information:
Photos and audio: Check Out our New Postcard Collection: No More
Violence Against Women! [3]
Primer: No More Violence Against Women! here. [4]
Video: No More Violence Against Women! [5]
Links:
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[1]
http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainme...
[2]
http://viacampesina.org/en/images/2015-11-25-No%20Violence%20against%20wo...
[3] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Cunas-Radiales-Basta-de-Violencia?lang=es
[4]
http://viacampesina.org/downloads/pdf/sp/Cartilla_Basta_de_Violencia_cont...
[5] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Basta-de-violencia-contra-las-72?lang=es
9 years, 1 month
Syngenta convicted in Brazil
by La Vía Campesina
HUMAN RIGHTS
SYNGENTA CONVICTED IN BRAZIL [1]
Published on Thursday, 19 November 2015 23:37
[2]
JUSTICE FINDS COMPANY RESPONSIBLE FOR ARMED ATTACK ON ENCAMPED RURAL
WORKERS.
The court sentence, given by Judge Pedro Ivo Moreiro, of the 1st Civil
Court of Cascavel, was published in the Paraná State Official Gazette
this Tuesday (17). The sentence rules that the company shall pay
compensation to Keno's family and to Isabel for the moral and material
damage it caused. The case was taken to court in 2010, as an attempt to
get a response from the State regarding Syngenta being responsible for
the attack perpetrated by private armed militia.
The sentence has been well received by social movements and human rights
organizations, since making companies accountable for human rights
violations is a challenge of global dimensions. "Transnational companies
currently have considerable freedom to operate on a transnational basis,
but there are no national or international norms or mechanisms
sufficient to oblige companies to respect human rights or to hold them
accountable for cases of human rights violations. In this case, Syngenta
having been found responsible is an exception to the rule", explains
Terra de Direitos' lawyer, Fernando Prioste, who has been accompanying
the case.
ABOUT THE SENTENCE
The judge found that the fact that took place on Syngenta's property
was nothing less than a massacre. In his sentence the judge states that
"to refer to what happened as a confrontation is to close one's eyes to
reality, since […] there is no doubt that, in truth, it was a massacre
disguised as repossession of property". The version put forward by
Syngenta was thus rejected by the Judiciary Branch. The company claimed
that the attack that took place in 2007 was the result of a
confrontation between militiamen and members of Via Campesina.
In its defence, Syngenta acknowledged the illegality of the action of
the private militia, as well as the ideological nature of the action
against Via Campesina and MST. The company stated that "more than
protection of farm properties, it is clear that the militia's objective
was to defend an ideological position contrary to that of the MST
[Landless Rural Workers' Movement], so as to propagate the ideia that
every action results in a reaction." With this statement the
transnational company attempted to avoid its responsibility, claiming
that the attack was not made by the company it hired, but rather by
militia acting on the orders of landowners.
Notwithstanding, in his sentence the judge recognized that the "bad
choice in outsourcing security services, as well as the indirect funding
of illicit activities, is a factor that generates civil liability".
Moreover, the judge vehemently condemned the attack by stating that
"however reproachable and illegitimate the occupation of the property
may have been, nothing justifies taking the law into one's own hands,
imposing the death penalty on the occupants, rather the legal means for
resolving the conflict should have been sought since, after all, the
legal system considers the arbitrary exercising of one's own judgements
to be a crime". As such the court sentence not only reaffirms the
ideological nature of the militia's action, but also links Syngenta with
that action.
The court sentence is not definitive. Syngenta, through its defence
lawyer René Ariel Dotti, can appeal to the Paraná State Court of
Appeals. In the view of Terra de Direitos' lawyer, Fernando Prioste, the
Appeal Court is expected to maintain the sentence in order to
re-establish the truth about what happened in October 2007. "There is
strong evidence against the company", he notes. "If Syngenta were to be
absolved this would be tantamount to the justice system acquiescing to
massacres like the one that occurred in this case".
EXCEPTION TO THE RULE
[3]When asked about the sentence, Isabel Nascimento dos Santos said she
was pleased, much more than merely because of the financial
compensation. Seriously injured during the attacked idealized by
Syngenta in 2007, the rural worker highlighted the court's recognition
of the company's guilt in the case.
"Now I can hold my head up, and try to forget a little of the suffering
we've faced. Is the battle over? Never! We shall carry on, continuing
Keno's work as well".
Eduardo Rodrigues, MST representative in the Cascavel region, stresses
the importance of the sentence. According to him, the impunity of large
companies that violate rights is common, and at the same time the
movement's members are frequently criminalized for their struggle in
opposition to the agribusiness model. "The attack did not take place
unbeknown to the multinational company", the farm worker denounces.
"They not only provided institutional support, but financial and
logistic support as well."
Eduardo hopes that this sentence will be extended to other cases in
which companies will be held accountable for the attacks they commit. "I
hope this sentence will strengthen our struggle, giving visibility to
our companions".
The many obstacles existing to ensure that companies respect human
rights and are held accountable for the violations they commit, have
lead the United Nations Organization (UN) to discuss the establishment
of a binding international treaty creating prevention, redress and
accountability mechanisms with regard to the issue of companies and
human rights.
The UN working group on the establishment of an international treaty
regarding companies and human rights will visit Brazil in December. It
is expected that the UN representatives will use case convicting
Syngenta as a reference for holding accountable large companies that
commit human rights violations through outsourced companies.
ABOUT THE CASE
On October 21st 2007 around 40 gunmen from the "NF Segurança" company
attacked the Via Campesina encampment located at Syngenta's genetically
modified food experiment site at Santa Tereza do Oeste (PR). The site
had been occupied once more that morning by around 150 members of Via
Campesina and the Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST).
The occupants were denouncing illegal experiments on genetically
modified corn in a protective boundary zone of the Iguaçu National Park.
Via Campesina members were also seeking to denounce biotechnology
companies that work so as to impose a farming model that causes
environmental harm through the use of genetically modified crops and
pesticides, making it infeasible for self-employed rural workers,
indigenous peoples and traditional communities to produce healthy
foodstuffs.
Heavily armed NF Segurança militiamen invaded the site firing their guns
towards the people who were occupying it. According to information
provided by Via Campesina, the attack had been arranged by Syngenta
which used NF Segurança's services, together with the Western Region
Rural Society (SRO), and the Rural Producers' Movement (MPR), which has
links with agribusiness. There are signs that the security company was
going to be closed down and that it hired security guards illegally to
perform attack operations. In addition to Keno, the gunmen shot and beat
up Isabel and injured a further three farm workers.
With a 19% share of the agrochemical market and the third highest
profits from seed sales worldwide, coming only after Monsanto and
Dupont, Syngenta, along with other transnational companies, exacerbates
the scenario of rural violence by imposing a farming model based on
monoculture, gross exploitation of farm workers, environmental
degradation, use of pesticides and private appropriate of natural and
genetic resources.
The Valmir Mota de Oliveira ("Keno") Agroecology Research Centre has
been set up in the area where the facts occurred.
>> Find out more about the case [4]
>> Terra de Direitos has developed guide [5] on the issue of making companies accountable for human rights violations, to assist with assessing possibilities of taking legal action against companies on the international level.
Links:
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[1]
http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights...
[2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Syngenta%20Condenada.png
[3] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Keno.jpg
[4] http://terradedireitos.org.br/2013/03/02/syngenta-parana/
[5]
http://terradedireitos.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Guia-transnacion...
9 years, 1 month
“Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences of La Via Campesina”. Now available!
by La Vía Campesina
“PEASANT AGROECOLOGY FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND MOTHER EARTH, EXPERIENCES
OF LA VIA CAMPESINA”. NOW AVAILABLE! [1]
Published on Monday, 09 November 2015 23:47 Our Solutions to the COP21
- New Notebook La Via Campesina
[2]TITLE: "Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth,
experiences of La Via Campesina"
SUMMARY: La Via Campesina is pleased to present study booklet number 7:
"Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences
of La Via Campesina", which is the result of the collective efforts of
various organizations from diverse regions including Africa, America,
Europe and Asia. These groups make up part of our worldwide movement.
>From their distinct territories they shaped their experiences in
agroecology training, organizing, production and marketing of healthy
foods into 10 articles. This set of experiences represents a dynamic
range of practices and knowledge, both for training within our movement
and as a mechanism for additional knowledge exchange and rural-city
dialogue.
This book also seeks to provide visibility of advocacy for Food
Sovereignty which creates space for reflection, with examples from
academic institutions, political allies and friends. We propose Peasant
Agroecology as a way of production for rural communities, where Food
Sovereignty constitutes a principle of life.
DATE: November 2015
LANGUAGE: English (Also available in Spanish and French)
EDITING: La Vía Campesina
DOWNLOAD HERE. [3]
Links:
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[1]
http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/publications-mainmenu-30/1899-peasan...
[2]
http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Afiche%20Pub%20Agroecologa%20English.jpg
[3]
http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/pdf/CUADERNO%207%20LA%20VIA%20C...
9 years, 2 months
