Click here to go to the original page

 

I Social Forum of Americas (FSA)
Quito, Ecuador, 25 to the 30 of 2004 July


Factory to “Mujer and house adecuada”


They summon: Regional office for Latin America of the Coalition the International for the Habitat (HIC-AL), the international network Social Watch and the Network Woman and Latin Habitat-America and the Caribbean of HIC

Like pursuit to Latin American Consulta on Woman and Suitable House

26 of July 2004, 14 to 18 hours
PUCE, tower 1, classroom 20

DRAFTS

Participants: between 60 and 70 18 people of paises:
Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Espana, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Uruguay (to see attached directory).


Opening

Graciela Dede (Social Watch-Uruguay) introduces convoking and objective the subject of the factory, agenda,

1ª session: Latin American consultation of Women and House, Mexico, December 2003

Presentation of Consulta, of the work that makes the networks and their approach to the subject:

v Lorena Zarate (Coordinating of HIC-AL) exposes briefly that it is HIC and their work in the recognition, the defense and the accomplishment from the right to a suitable place where to live (ample concept that goes but alla of the diverse house and Integra elements of human rights, civilians and Politicall asi like economicos, social and cultural). Also, it speaks of the antecedents of Regional Consulta on Woman and Suitable House made in Mexico in December of 2003, to request of the Special Relator of United Nations Miloon Kothari.

v Lucy Cardona (Network Woman and Habitat of HIC-Colombia) briefly exposes as it arises and that it makes the Network Woman and Latin Habitat-America and the Caribbean like work group within HIC, approaching diverse subjects related to the house from a perspective of I generate and introducing an ample concept of the habitat, that before single was considered from the environmental perspective.

v Bissio Robert (Coordinating of Social Watch) exposes briefly like and so that Social Watch in 1995 arises, it makes enfasis in the importance of which from the civil society the fulfillment of the commitments calls to each other to the governments that they themselves acquired in the matter of social development and human rights and comments that the work of his organizacion is centered mainly on the monitoreo of such commitments, pursuit and publication of an annual international report.

v Areli Sandoval (Social Watch-Mexico) senala that to traves of the experience and joint work between the networks has been developed to mechanisms and concrete strategies of exigibilidad of economicos rights, social and cultural.

v Maria Silvia Emanuelli (HIC-AL, Mexico) exposes briefly in which consistio Regional Consulta on Woman and House Adapted in Mexico, in the presence of the Special Relator and 20 women of 14 base of different paises from Latin America, and the previous factory that profit to enrich the concept of house adapted from the perspective of the participants. Also, “Vivienda with face of mujer” presents/displays the publication; on findings and recopilacion of testimonies of Consulta, obstaculos and desafios in the matter of fight by the right to the suitable house. Successively it introduces to some of the participant women of Consulta who attend the FSA.


Presentation of testimonies of some of the participants of Latin American Consulta

Delegates of base organizations share about their situation, its fight and the importance of having participated in Regional Consulta on Woman and Suitable House.

v Maria gives Graças (National União by Popular Moradia, Brazil) among other questions comments that Since of Consulta his organizacion beginning a national bell against the violence domestic servant so that nonsingle prison is even sanctioned to the guilty with communitarian work but. Recordo also that President Lula decree the this year of the women and who I am made one first national conference on Politicall for the women. Ademas, several laws have been approved that diverse groups venian promoting makes years (the legalization of the abortion, the titularidad of the property of the house and others directed to the color women). His organizacion has stopped being single to one organizacion of denunciation and vindication to be also one organizacion of proposal, that works in incidence in Politicall you publish to obtain services in favelas, titularidad of the possession of the house, etc. In São Paulo, thanks to the joint work with the government of the city, have been obtained advances so that the construction of the houses goes directed specially to the women. Nevertheless, organizacion has found greater obstaculos to collaborate with the state government. Segun the type of situation, the strategies that they develop is diverse, from the mobilizations and occupations of lands, to negotiation with the organos of government. It concludes emphasizing that the movement (UNMP) articulates diverse actors: other organizations of base, ONG, advisers, tecnicos, academicos, and all those that support with their fight.

v Maria Hernandez (Movement Women by the Life, Ecuador) emphasizes that it was very valuable to attend Consulta in Mexico because I state that nonsingle the poverty reality is shared, discrimination and of lack of access to the right to the worthy house in the region, but which the diverse women of paises also share the fight by an ample concept but of house, that she has to do with the community, the relations, the feelings, the services, etc. About the Ecuadorian reality it emphasizes the difficulty of access to the credito for house (project of the Inter-American Development Bank that implies incentives like bond, saving and credito) and that when the women home female leaders obtain it is almost impossible them to pay the interests. As opposed to the dificil situation his organizacion has chosen by occupationion of earth and the resistance to the evacuations with strategies as the linking to the houses even though were in danger the life. “Solo asi the government has seated to dialogar”. It emphasizes that when I participate to the consultation todavia his organizacion was taking occupationion pacifica of earth but recently they have obtained the first houses (85 square meters to a value of 3.800 USD). Rebound that although the house is a responsibility of the State, also is incumbent on to the construction companies, the society in general and the women in individual. His organizacion has learned that with the union and organizacion, and combining strategies of fight and negotiation, is obtained one better defense and accomplishment from the right to the suitable house.

v Innocent Epifania M. (Strategy, Peru) presents/displays with the contribution of photos a experience of qualification to men and women to form a social microcompany from which three models of house have arisen. When the Special Relator of House I visit Peru in March 2003 encontro working and becoming qualified. When she I participate in Consulta in Mexico (December 2003) comment to the Relator that was going to construct 10 houses, that now already estan finished. From this profit the local government has been interested in subsidizing house for the poor man (before single they hacian it for the middle-class) and has integrated to the “Campana for the right to a worthy house for all and todas” that he has the purpose of verifying the fulfillment on the part of the State of the recommendations of the Relator of the UN. When the finishing he emphasizes that the consultation was very important to allow the interchange of experiences.

v Lopez Assumption (Advice Popular indigenous Ricardo Flores Magon, Mexico) exposes the problems arisen because of the turistico project of Huatulco, in Oxaca, “que before was a place of forests, was pretty, clean, habian many animals, do not habian hotels nor mHerenas, seeded Creole corn that until today is conservar”. During sexenio of President Miguel of Madrid (1982-1988) earth were expropiaron leaving unprotected to many families, “tierras who now are so that the tourists can rest whereas many people been born in the place estan without house and they cannot buy nor a meter of earth; they watch with sadness everything what perdio; no longer they can seed, nor fish; there is much discrimination, they do not employ to them and they do not allow them to enter where there are foreigners because they are indigenouss”. “Tampoco lets them pass through beaches to sell their products, strikes them and expels, although they have permissions federales”. Before this many of the affected ones they were united to organizacion. Senala that occupied a lot but the policias violently evacuated them of the estate and robbed their properties. It insists on which they do not want to leave the place in whom they estan, do not want to die in another side; they make marches, are organized, but they strike them, they hurt and by this they ask for support for its cause. Finally denunciation that the government does not do case to them, does not take care of them, but it represses them well.


2ª session: the panorama from the right to the house in Latin America. Evaluation of the situation and impact in the women

Inequalities of I generate in Latin America

Karina Batthyany (Coordinating of the equipment of social sciences of Social Watch-Uruguay), explains some of the causes and dimensions of the inequality of I generate in Latin America, putting examples of the breaches between men and women in the matter of education, work and remuneration in several paises. I emphasize that Report 2004 of Social Watch presents/displays “ranking” for the first time; on fairness of I generate to show that although in Latin America the women have advanced much, continues being areas you criticize of discrimination that have been tried to measure and to quantify for visibilizar them. In this general panorama one registers the problem of the access and the accomplishment from the right to the house for the women.

The house like right: formal equality and real inequality

Lucy Cardona (Network Woman and Habitat of HIC-Colombia) approaches the subject “caracteristicas significant of the experiences of the women from the formal equality and the inequality real” one of the subjects of I articulate “La House like Derecho” (including in the publication “Vivienda with face of mujer”) that escribio along with other authors from the analisis of the testimonies presented/displayed in Regional Consulta. It begins saying that the testimonies of the experiences presented/displayed in the consultation (corresponding to 14 paises) agreed in which in mayoria of the cases the constitution of paises does not restrict the juridica equality between men and women and that simultaneously protects the right to the property; but a thing is formal (the law) and the other thing the real thing (it practices it daily). It is to say that in spite of counting on I title of property (the formal thing that does not discriminate) many women undergo the lost one of its house since they do not have guaranteed the possession by the inequalities of I generate in the social relations (daily, cultural that if it discriminates). Attack the subject of the discrimination take refuging in the definition given by the Convention on the Elimination of All Formas de Discriminacion Against Mujer (CEDAW) affirming that “es discriminatory all treatment that has like result desigualdad”. It is to say that if a woman receives a identico treatment to the one of a man and that treatment she relegates it to an inferior position, is in if discriminatory although his objective it has been the equality. Segun the exposed thing estimates that men and women have different necessities, but not that due to those differences the masculine ones must be identified like the necessities of the women. Resisting norms and you practice cultural of the region concludes that the legislations of paises are discriminatorias because they do not recognize the own necessities of the women and try to “elevar its condition to masculina”. Consulta also permitio to conclude that the access to a worthy house for the women goes bound to doubles and triples work days, in the relative, the premises, regional and national. When finishing, it exposed some final reflections from Consulta like is the necessity to reinforce the application of affirmative Politicall in each one of paises that favor to the women and especificos groups of these and the necessity to consider the different modalities from property (individual, collective, it combines) that allow to harness the women. It finalizes saying that to promote the rights of the women to the property and the house it demands the representation by I generate in the national instances of government, local and communitarian leaning in the programs of fortification of feminine leadership.

Questions/commentaries

§ Graciela (Social Watch, Uruguay) and Lorena (HIC-AL, Mexico) explains that previously to the different regional consultations in the matter of woman and suitable house (to see 3ª session of these drafts), the Relator I prepare a questionnaire directed to the civil governments and organizations to collect information on the subject. The HIC-AL office I consider util to simplify it to facilitate to the social organizations the task of responding it and of preparing the testimonies that are llevarian to Latin American Consulta (Mexico 2003).
§ Graciela makes reference to the book of Gerald Pisarello “Vivienda for all: a right in (de)construccion”, in where it is clarified that the State must do something but that to respect the human rights, must promote, must invest them resources, etc. and even stands out that generally the civil and Politicall rights are prioritized, in resources, and the DESC are relegated.
§ Ariel of one organizacion of Paraguay explains that in his pais legislacion of protection of family is not respected and asks if in other legislations exists the figure of the homestead.
§ Elbe (CLADEM, Paraguay) considers that it is very important to tie the right to the house with other DESC and a series of questions that condition the access of the women to this right. Question if in Regional Consulta I consider the problem of the large estates (earth into the hands of few) and if one has considered the subject of the property of the towns and indigenouss women.
§ Felix (CMLK, Cuba) congratulates east factory that combines experiences and strategies and asks because I do not participate a Cuban woman who for years has been working the subject (Maria Silvia, of HIC-AL, conversation that establecio contact with her from the beginning but that never respondio to the communications).
§ an Ecuadorian woman senala that are many legal difficulties and of Political publishes to guarantee the right to the house of the women and refirio to the problems caused by foreign companies like TEXACO that do not take responsibility of the environmental deterioration. Rebound that the houses that are estan constructing for the workers are not worthy (25 square meters).
§ Ivanna (Amnistia the International, Uruguay) emphasizes the importance of complementing perspective and strategies between diverse sectors and comments that AI already this working on DESC.
§ Carmen, Ecuadorian housewife, tells that during 14 years sufrio violence domestic servant and that with value this trying to revert its situation and senala that so that all the people know their rights the education is fundamental. The governments deberian to change the educative system to manage to modify you practice them cultural and the women also deberian to do changing it the form of education towards their children.
§ Carmen, of an Ecuadorian movement, comments that in spite of the program of the I.A.D.B. many of the women do not have access to the house. Question like being able to interchange actions and ideas to be able to organize the women and to concientizar them.
§ a Peruvian woman emphasizes that another difficulty for the women is ciudadania of second class, because the barriers have not been eliminated to obtain the identity cards that are condition to accede to the rights and the creditos


Answers

§ Lorena (HIC-AL, Mexico) proposes to pass information to the woman of Peru over some experiences of Mexico and Brazil in where it has obtained to the access to the credito under different schemes impelled from the civil society and the local governments.
§ Lucy (Network Woman and Habitat of HIC, Colombia), reacting to the interventions, senala that the right to the house happens through the right to ciudadania: “si we are not ciudadanos(as) from the legal point of view we did not exist and therefore we do not have derechos”. The woman must feel citizen and with rights and single asi podra to fight by the property of her house. The right of ciudadania is for all, to have titularidad of rights, from the right of and the ninos to have full name. From century XIX laws of familiar patrimony are had. First the single one gave rights to the family father but around 1920 they changed on this point although conserving the part of badly not leaving to the woman and the children in case of use of familiar patrimony on the part of the men unprotected. In Regional Consulta not treatment the subject of the large estates. Anyway I explain that legally the expropriation exists in the legal marks but this directed to the redistribution of earth but for work investments you do not publish.


3ª session: Missions of the Special Relator of the UN on house to paises Latin American: Participation and pursuit of the organizations of the civil society

Lorena (HIC-AL) explains that the Special Relator, Miloon Kothari, paises of the region in the ultimos has visited three two years: Mexico (2002), Peru (2003) and Brazil (2004) in where the joint of diverse organizations and networks, many of them members of HIC, was very important and have been generated strategies of pursuit of its recommendations. It comments as I organize the civil agenda of the visit of the Relator between diverse organizations of human rights, development, etc., of all pais (meetings and encounter with social organizations, ONG, academicos, and activists of human rights) and as that had weight in organizacion of the agenda of encounter with the civil employees. It emphasizes that the Report of the Relator becomes a tool for the exigency of rights and is promoted within the framework of diverse processes.


v Carlos Escalante (Bell for the right to a worthy-Peru house) explains that in his pais I form an impelling group of the proposal of visit of Miloon, I am elaborated and business the agenda of the visit. From the Report of Miloon beginning a process to be made come together its recommendations with the advances obtained by the bell by the right to the suitable house. It is very important that proposals at national and international level articulate; for example, facing the I.A.D.B. and its Politicall that are imposing the same scheme in paises Latin American, it must have a global proposal of the civil society; also resources of the I.A.D.B. are due to manage that until now are monopolized by the deprived companies of construction.

v Nelson Saule (POLIS-Brazil) explains that six national relatores in his pais to elaborate information on the violations of the human rights and the evaluation of experiences of promotion of the DESC, in joint with the Brasilena Platform of Human rights, Democracy and Development have named, the program of volunteers of the UN and other institutions. For the visit of Miloon forums and encounter in several cities with civil employees in the matter of development and visits to zones with greater problems were organized, joint with base organizations, having looked for to construct common agendas. They are estan making information of each visited place and it is had contemplated to continue the monitoreo.

v an integral woman of one organizacion that works house in Peru senala the importance of working on recualificacion of the urban habitat, that surpasses the subject of deficit of construction of house to speak of quality of the house. The subsidy is due to demand base that impels the remodeling of worthy house like a right. It is very important to speak of integralidad of rights so that people have tools to defend themselves, asi like of other components like the recovery of the self-esteem fighting by a worthy place where to live.

v Martha Valdes (In front Continental of Women, Venezuela) speaks of two programs of house WASP and REVIVA, in where the military were the executors. Successively they formed the Comites de Tierra Urbana (CTU) that has worked well by the participation of the women, who do not desvian themselves in Politicall discussions like the men. It considers that it is possible to be affected legislacion but make lack education and is very important to continue elevating the conscience level so that the house in relation to the community is understood, etc.

v Felix (CMLK, Cuba) senala that serious a crime to generalize the situations because there are different cultures and Politicall, advances different, and also serious a crime to leave the Forum without no action or at least sistematizacion of the experience. Metodologia is required to elaborate one that allows to cross information and to extend the reach of the consultation.

v Guadalupe Marquez (CESEM, Mexico) senala that is very important to make get the information at municipal level and give to qualification to the governments locales.Se jeopardizes to work in this sense.

v Rosary (CIPO-REM, Mexico) reaffirms the importance of assuring an alert network, that it is not spoken single of the house but of indigenouss towns and that relation with other subjects becomes.

v Andrea Carrion (Secretaryship the International of HIC, Chile) proposes that the interchange of experiences is canalized to traves of networks and already existing resources so that efforts do not disperse. It comments that in these days this being developed Consulta in the region of the Middle East and North Africa and that members of HIC estan very involved.

v Nelson (POLIS-Brazil) presents/displays information on another factory that habra in the FSA on the World-wide Letter from the Right to the City, the 27 of July, to 2 of afternoon in the University Politecnica Salesiana.

v Sebastian (COHRE Americas, Brazil) informs on the bell on the quilombos sent by his organizacion in Brazil.

v Lorena (HIC-AL, Mexico) senala that all the information of Consulta, including the book, pondra in the Web sites of convoking networks (HIC: www.hic-net.com, Social Watch: www.socwatch.org.uy) and was left to the questionnaire on the situation in others paises open, since the process is not closed and but well there is intention to make pursuit along with other networks.

pages Web of the networks involved in organizacion of Latin American Consulta and the factory:

Coalition the International for the Habitat: www.hic-net.org

Social Watch: www.socwatch.org.uy

Network Woman and Habitat of HIC: to www.redmujer.org.ar

General documents available:

to Pact the International of Rights Economicos, Social and Culturales (PIDESC).

b. Observation n.4 of the Comite de Social and Cultural Derechos Economicos of the UN on the right to a suitable house.

c. Observation n. 7 of the Comite de Social and Cultural Derechos Economicos of the UN in the matter of evacuations.

d. Observation n. 15 of the Comite de Social and Cultural Derechos Economicos of the UN on the right to the water.

and Report of the Special Relator on the right to a house adapted on its visit to Mexico (2002)

f. Report of the Special Relator for the right to a house adapted on its visit to Peru (2003)

g. Rough draft of the Report of the Special Relator for the right to a house adapted on its visit to Brazil (2004).

h. Convention on the Elimination of All Formas de Discriminacion Against Mujer (CEDAW)

i. Questionnaire prepared by the office of HIC-AL to collect information on the subject in view of the consultation being summarized the questionnaire of the Special Relator.


Draft elaborated by Areli Sandoval (Social Watch, Mexico) and Maria Silvia Emanuelli (HIC-AL).

 

> Back<