Communiqué of the Movement of Women in Defense of the Land and Territory and For the Right of Women to Decide

San Cristóbal de las Casas

November 24, 2015

To the Civil Organization and the Base,

To the National and International Civil Society

To the Free Media,

Movimiento de Mujeres en Defensa de la Tierra, el Territorio y por el Derecho de las Mujeres a decedir in its first assembly announced itself in favor of social property, against all forms of privatization of land and territory, as well as the energy reforms and continuing reform strategies in the rural areas.

Novmber 23^rd and 24^th of 2015, we gathered in the first assembly convened by the Movimiento de Mujeres en Defensa de la Tierra, el Territorio y por el Derecho de las Mujeres a decedir. This event took place in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. Nearly 100 men and women attended from diverse municipalities of Chiapas, Puebla, Quintan Roo, and the State of Mexico, as well as countries like Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Ecuador, United States, and Switzerland in order to analyze the structural reforms proposed by the government of Enrique Peña Nieto, adding to the package of structural reforms already undertaken in 2012 by the same administration.

The assembly marked the commemoration of the resistance against gender violence carried out by the three Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic against the Dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who assassinated them on the November 25^th, 1960.

In this assembly we agreed to struggle against all forms of violence against women and the original people, especially with the campesinos against the displacement of the land and territory that is being pursued by the government. We denounce and reject the intention to break up social property (ejidos and communities) as expressed in the proposal of the structural reforms for the rural areas that threaten the autonomy of the communities as well as their forms of community organization, life, and culture. Furthermore, we denounce the government programs (ProAgro, Concafé, Propersa, 65, and others) that have introduced to the capitalist dynamic of debt, that has generated great dependency on exterior forces.

In the assembly we strongly agreed to work in the ejidos, communities and organizations because they are the base of the movement for the defense of the land and territory. And, furthermore, we consider it necessary to combat the dividision of the communities in order to show a united front for the defense of life, social property, and of the good communities. Also, the communities recognize the right of women to be co-owners in order to encourage the exercise of our right and our participation in decision-making.

As a Movement, we sketched an annual plan of collective work that recognizes the struggle and the strength of women. This program of community work, in addition, recognizes the necessity of articulating, forming, and deepening the political consciousness in defense of the land and territory. In this regard, from March 8^th, 2015, when we declared ourselves a movement, we connected ourselves with other movements at the national level, such as the Yaqui resistance, la Cucapá, the community of Cherán, the movement in defense of the land in Atenco, the communities and organizations against the higher taxes on the cost of lights, and the diverse urban groups struggling against the privatization of space and common well being. Likewise, we decided to join the Campaña Nacional en Defense de la Tierra y Territorio, the Movimiento Mexicano de Afectados por Presas y en Defense de los Rios (MAPDER) and the Asamblea Nacional Constituyente Cuidadana-Popular.

Those that participate in the movement know that the approval of the structural reforms in the rural areas provokes in us fear, worry, and sadness, however we recognize that our indignation as the fighting force of the women’s movement allows us to continue forward with hope that is strengthened by the organization collective struggles. We are reaffirming a ritual offering to Mother Earth.

This assembly performed a special homage to comrade Rosa, originally of the community Coquitel, Chilón and member of the collective “Las Gaviotas” of the Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas, that recognized that the violence against women has many forms, one of them is the obstetric violence. Our comrade died because the government had delegitimized traditional midwives from filling the existing deficiencies of the public medical care. For us, the death of Rosa left evidence that maternal death is a structural problem.

We denounce all forms of violence provoked by the privatization and structural reforms including importantly the violence against women.

Stop the Privatization! No to the Structural Reforms! Stop the violent Femicide!

Movimiento de Mujeres en Defensa de la Tierra, el Territorio y por el Derecho de las Mujeres a decedir

Poorly translated from the original here:

Comunicado del l Movimiento de Mujeres en Defensa de la Tierra, el Territorio y por el Derecho de las Mujeres a decidir