Regarding the Pain of Others: Human Rights in Mexico

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Erica Lucas
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1 Página 1 de 5 Share Report Abuse Next Blog» Create Blog Sign In Regarding the Pain of Others: Human Rights in Mexico Virgin de Guadalupe About Us Regarding the Pain of Others: Human Rights Mexico The following entries are renderings, thought experiments, and short stories we want to share about our human rights experiences in View my complete profile Elizabeth Elizabeth is a student at the University of Washington. Sergio Sergio grew up in Jessica Adler Jessica Adler is a graduating senior at the University of Washington. She is currently enrolled in the course Human Rights in Latin America as instructed by Alejandro Cerone. It is in this class where she was Thursday, July 8, 2010 Mexico: Indigenous Human Rights Abuses we want to create a democratic space. We don t see armed struggle in the classic sense of previous guerrilla wars, that is as the only way and the only all-powerful truth around which everything is organized. In a war, the decisive thing is not the military confrontation but the politics at stake in the confrontation. We didn t go to war to kill or be killed. We went to war in order to be heard. (Subcomandante Marcos) Subcomandante Marcos is considered one of the most prominent leaders of the indigenous Zapatista Liberation Army (EZLN) located in the southern state of Chiapas, Evidently this group of indigenous revolutionaries have been fighting as strong advocates for the improvement of human rights for not only the indigenous people of Chiapas but to all indigenous tribes of The situation of the indigenous people of Mexico, is one which has called international attention due to the wide range of human rights violations directed toward the indigenous people of Mexico and its community leaders. (Mexico is home to one of the largest and most diverse indigenous populations in Latin America and yet its indigenous people continue to be victims of injustice and discrimination). Thus, EZLN has served as a voice since 1944, declaring war against the Mexican state for the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement which oppresses the working class and most importantly, for denying autonomy to the indigenous peoples of Mexico in the state of Chiapas (UNHCR). Currently many of the indigenous human rights violations include the marginalization of economic, social and cultural rights, which involve extreme cases of poverty in the indigenous population, lack of access to education, health services, potable water and fair wages. As of 2008, Mexico s indigenous population is approximately 13 million people, which accounts for 13 percent of the total population, with a variety of 62 different languages spoken (UNHCR). Thus, documents from the National Commission Blog Archive 2010 (2) July (2) Mexico: Indigenous Human Rights Abuses To Right a Wrong: Abortion, Rape and the Female C...

2 Página 2 de 5 provided with the oppertunity to create a blog about the human rights conditions in She choose to study Mexico because of the experiences she had while traveling around North, Central and South America. Jessica lived in Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido and Chiapas for over 4 months. During that time she had the opportunity to observe the human rights conditions closely of many families in the south of for the Development of Indigenous Peoples indicate that 25 out of every 100 indigenous people receive no pay for their work and 56 earn 256 dollars or less a month (Cevallos). In addition, about one-third of people who speak an indigenous language are illiterate, which is three times the national average (UNHCR). Due to the impoverished conditions faced in their own rural lands, thousands of indigenous people of Mexico including 300,000 indigenous minors, abandon their homes or indigenous communities to work in agricultural fields or in other Mexican cities selling trinkets, working as domestics and participating in the sex trade every year. Thus, the lack of food forces 36% of indigenous minors between ages six and fourteen to work in the labor force to sustain their families (UNICEF). The violation of civil and political rights is also another issue for the indigenous peoples of Mexico who seek political representation and official recognition of their languages as they partner with local non-governmental organization (NGOs) to fight the lack of rights and inequalities and poverty. Most of these activists for indigenous human rights face death threats, intimidation, torture and murder by the very own Mexican military and police force, which have been accused of the deaths and abductions of various indigenous human rights leaders. Some of the recent abductions include Manuel Ponce Rosas and Raúl Lucas Lucía, two indigenous human rights activists and president and secretary of Organization for the Future of Mixteco People (OFPM). Rosas and Lucía were abducted on February 13, 2009 by three men claiming to be agents of the Ministerial Investigative Police (PIM) and were later found dead and their cases remain unresolved (Ahni). Hence, many in the Mexican police force and the army military authority continue to kill with impunity due to the failure of the justice system to control and bring these killers to justice for these severe humans right abuses. Reports released by America s Watch in 1992 up until 2006 reveal strong government interference with core political rights including indigenous rights activists, which can explain for the use of intimidation and threats and the corruption, which continues to pervade the Mexican criminal justice system (World Report 2006). As a result, the Mexican indigenous peoples calls for justice continue to be ignored by many Mexican government officials and hope moves forward to international media and the United Nations to hold the Mexican government accountable for the economic, social and cultural rights of the indigenous peoples of Sources: Ahni. "Mexico: Indigenous Rights Leaders Found Dead : Intercontinental Cry." Intercontinental Cry : For the People, the Land and the Truth. 24 Feb Web. 06 July Cevallos, Diego. "MEXICO: Indigenous People "As Poor as Ever" - IPS Ipsnews.net." IPS Inter Press Service. 4 Jan Web. 06 July Human Rights Watch. "Essential Background: Overview of Human Rights Issues in Mexico (Human Rights Watch, )." Home Human Rights Watch Web. 06 July Minority Rights Group International. "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Mexico : Indigenous Peoples." UNHCR Welcome Web. 06 July UNICEF. "At a Glance: " UNICEF. 8 Sept Web. 6 July POSTED BY: ELIZABETH P. PÉREZ Posted by Regarding the Pain of Others: Human Rights Mexico at 4:45 AM 0 comments Wednesday, July 7, 2010 To Right a Wrong: Abortion, Rape and the Female Condition in Mexico Other suggested readings: Human Rights Watch, Mexico: Supreme Court Protects Rape Victims, 27 May 2010, available at: [accessed 4 July

3 Página 3 de ] Human Rights Watch, Rape Victims Denied Legal Abortion, 6 March 2010, Available at: Human Rights Watch, Mexico: Hold Military Accountable on Rights Abuses, 29 April Williams, Joyce and Holmes, Karen. The Second Assault: Rape and Public Attitudes, Greenwood Press. December 1981  [1] Mexico has signed (and ratified almost) every human rights related treaty except the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and cultural rights. It is therefore obligated to enforce and protect rights granted in those treaties. [2] Rudolf, Beate and Eriksson, Andrea, Women's Rights Under International Human Rights Treaties: Issues of Rape, Domestic Slavery, Abortion, and Domestic Violence (July 2007). International Journal of Constitutional Law, Vol. 5, Issue 3, pp , Posted by Regarding the Pain of Others: Human Rights Mexico at 4:47 PM 0 comments Labels: Abortion, cultural relativism, government officials, human rights, rape Home Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Google Wired News - YouTube's 'Leanback' Wants To Friend Your Remote powered by This blog was created + edited by UW students Jessica, Elizabeth and Sergio. DO NOT COPY OUR IDEAS. Travel template by Sookhee Lee. Powered by Blogger.

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