e Paz)

Number 122, March 22, 1994.

RURAL ISSUES

- Occupation of Areas in Espirito Santo; Lobbying to Reoccupy an Area in Goias and Expulsion in Paraiba.

On February 21 last, approximately 300 rural landless families occupied a ranch in the area known as Corrego do Ouro in the municipality of Pinheiro, State of Espirito Santo. Within a few hours they were expelled by the military police. After the expulsion, the families divided into two groups. A group of 170 families camped in the Pontal de Jundia settlement in the municipality of Conceicao da Barra and a further 130 families camped in the Kilometer 42 settlement in Sao Mateus.

According to members of the Landless Movement, data from INCRA shows that the area which was occupied had already been surveyed and had been declared suitable for agrarian reform. Also on February 21, 150 families camped in the INCRA headquarters in the state capital, Vitoria, after a protest at the state government headquarters.

On March 10 last, Bishop Jose Carlos of Rubiata, State of Goias together with Isidoro Revers of the CPT of Goias traveled to Brasilia to meet with the president of CONSEA, Bishop Mauro Morelli. They presented him with a dossier dealing with land conflicts in the municipality of Mara Rosa ( on the Marupiara, Araras and Zebulandia ranches). They requested that the dossier be passed on to President Itamar Franco so that he might become interested in the question. Deputy Jose Gomes had already succeeded in getting President Itamar to publish a decree annulling an earlier order of disappropriation of the ranches in question. They also visited Senator Pedro Simon of the large PMDB party and requested him for political support for the families involved in the land struggle. The senator promised this support.

On March 16, police carried out a court order to expel 50 families from the Engenho Novo area of the Municipality of Pilar, State of Paraiba. 7 people were arrested on the occasion. On the following day, 160 families were expelled from the Apasa ranch in the municipality of Piquimbu, Paraiba. The judge had given the court order on March 09. The majority of the families expelled on this occasion had been share-croppers on the ranch; some had been there for 14 years.

- Rio Maria Committee Makes Urgent Action Appeal.

We have recently received the following urgent action appeal which we reproduce here from the Rio Maria Committee in Para. Messages such as that suggested by the Rio Maria Committee have been very effective in the past. We too urgently request that you join in this action appeal.

U R G E N T A C T I O N

The Rio Maria Committee has been trying to get indictments for two mayors in the South of Para who are known to have been involved in the assassination of two presidents of the Union of Rural Workers. We have learned that the public prosecutor in Belem has refused to indict Adilson Carvalho Laranjeiras, former mayor of Rio Maria, in the assassination of Joao Canuto de Oliveira, and Elviro Faria Arantes, the present Mayor of Xinguara in the assassination of Expedito Ribeiro de Souza. Joao was killed in December, 1985, and Expedito in February, 1991. Both were presidents of the Union of Rural Workers of Rio Maria. This request is so urgent that the coordinating committee in Rio Maria is asking that, if possible, people send telegrams or faxes. However, for those unable to do so, air mail letters would still be helpful.

Exma. Sra.

Dra. Edith Marilia Maia Crespo

Procuradora Geral de Justica do Para'

Praca Felipe Patroni

66000-000 Belem, PA, Brasil

(Fax: 011-55-91-224-7198)

Dear Dr. Crespo:

I have accompanied with much interest the struggle to put an end to the violations of human rights in Brazil, and especially in Para'. Your office has developed a good effort in this area, but it is essential that the struggle be consistent. For this reason I am asking that those who have been involved in the murders of the unionists of Rio Maria, Joao Canuto de Oliveira and Expedito Ribeiro de Souza, be indicted. In the case of Joao Canuto de Oliveira, this would include Adilson Carvalho Laranjeiras, Ovidio Gomes de Oliveira, Vantuir Goncalves de Paula, Jurandir Pereira da Silva, Jandir Alves de Paula, and Gaspar Roberto Fernandes. In the case of Expedito Ribeiro de Souza: Elviro Faria Arantes and Zelio Dantas dos Santos.

Respectfully,

Please send a copy of your message to:

Padre Ricardo Rezende

Casa Paroquial

Caixa Postal 7

68530.000 Rio Maria, PA

Brazil

Persons writing from outside Brazil should also send a copy of the letter to the Brazilian Ambassador. In the United States, this would be:

Ambassador Paulo Tarso Flecha de Lima

Brazilian Embassy

3006 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20008

ECOLOGY

- Greenpeace Denounces the Stealing of 11 Thousand Cubic Meters of Mahogany.

On March 21, Greenpeace made a denouncement that 11 thousand cubic meters of mahogany which had been confiscated by IBAMA had been stolen. The timber had been confiscated because it had been illegally extracted from protected areas and was stored near the River Xingu from where it has been stolen. Greenpeace calls the disappearance of the timber a "real scandal" because the amount stolen corresponds to about 10% of the total amount of timber exported legally from Brazil during 1993.

The timber had been confiscated by IBAMA in August of 1993. The Ferreira Madeiras company was accused of extracting the mahogany from the Caiapo indigenous area. 10 thousand cubic meters of the confiscated timber was in a storage area belonging to the Ferreira Madeiras company in the municipality of Sao Felix do Xingu and the remainder was in the River Xingu. The timber was last seen by IBAMA officials at the end of 1993. According to a spokesperson for Greenpeace, Anna Fanzeres, it would have been extremely difficult to remove the timber without the collaboration of the Ferreira Madeiras company. Greenpeace feels that the disappearance of the timber shows that the government puts little effort into controlling activities of greedy and irresponsible timber companies in the Amazonian region. The government had planned to auction the timber and to use the money in projects in the indigenous reserves.

- Threat to Cashew Trees in the Amazonian Region.

ECOPORE, based in Rolim de Moura, Stare of Rondonia released a document on March 21 in which they denounce that lumber merchants in their region have been informed by the state superintendent of IBAMA, Valdemir Manqueiro, that IBAMA will soon authorize the felling of cashew trees (bertholletia excelsa). The authorization would authorize the felling of dead trees; such trees are frequently killed by burning of pastures.

ECOPORE believe that even though at first sight the authorization seems reasonable, it will have a disastrous effect on the entire Amazonian region. The cashew trees provide an income for a significant part of the population and if the felling of dead trees is allowed, ECOPORE feels that there in no way in which the felling of live trees can be controlled. They point to the felling of mahogany in reserved areas as an example of how difficult it is to control such activity.

RECENT ECOLOGY NEWS

The following is a summary of the news items carried by the principal Brazilian newspapers during the last week dealing with ecology. The date is given for each summary and the newspapers are identified as follows:

FSP = Folha de Sao Paulo.

GL = O Globo.

GM = Gazeta Mercantil.

JB = Jornal do Brasil.

OESP = O Estado de Sao Paulo.

March 15, 1994.

- Waste paper collectors and the municipality of Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, signed an agreement whereby the waste paper collectors who collaborate with the recycling program will receive an extra CR $ 11 thousand (approximately U.S. $15). Five associations of waste paper collectors represent 200 people active in this area in the city. (GL).

- Representatives from indigenous groups of the all the countries with Amazonian territory met in Manaus to discuss the question of patents and the indians. Also in Brazilian Amazonia, groups of macuxis and ingaricos blocked state roads giving access to the Raposa - Serra do Sol indigenous area in Roraima to hinder the entry of gold prospectors to the area. (FSP). For more details on this story see last week's NEWS FROM BRAZIL.

- Scientific and indigenous groups will discuss the proposal of gold prospectors to mine gold in the central Rio Negro region. The discussion will take place on March 22. (FSP).

- During the visit of American Vice-President, Al Gore, diplomatic notes will be exchanged between Brazil and the U.S. dealing with areas of scientific and technological cooperation. (GM).

- Movie director Eduardo Coutinho, well known in Brazil for his movie "Cabra Marcada para Morrer" is preparing a movie on the construction of the Madeira-Mamore railway in the Amazon. 10 thousand people died during its construction. (OESP).

March 16.

- During the next few months, Brazil is expected to receive the first part of the grant from the G 7 for the pilot program of the protection of the Brazilian tropical forests. (GM). See also the story we carry on this topic in our section on Indigenous Issues this week.

- The municipality of Matao, State of Sao Paulo, could be faced with a daily fine as high as U.S. $ 12 thousand if it does not carry out an agreement to install a sewerage treatment plant. (OESP).

March 17.

- At least 12 people were injured in a conflict between residents and police in the area known as Morro do Banco, in Floresta do Itanhanga, Rio de Janeiro. The police were involved in the demolition of houses built without authorization in the forest reserve. (JB).

- A further two tribes joined the road block against gold prospectors in the Paposo-Serra do Sol reserve. (FSP).

March 18.

- The law project dealing with patents is expected to return to the Chamber of Deputies because it was modified in the Senate; the modifications took into account GATT proposals. (OESP).

- The Brazilian government will evaluate the G 7 pilot program for the protection of the Brazilian tropical forests in Brussels. The meeting will take place between March 21 and 27. The Brazilian government feels that the plan is taking a long time to get started. (GM).

- The Secretariat for the Environment of Sao Paulo is seeking more funds in order to speed up the economic and ecological zonement in the Valley of the River Ribeira. The Secretariat said that projects for the area which are currently being analyzed are not subject to delay because of the zonement studies. Amongst the controversial projects planned for this area of Atlantic Rainforest is the construction of four hydro-electric dams. (GM).

March 20.

- The urban area of Rio de Janeiro has had 68 cases of cholera already this year. Three people have died from this disease in the same period. (GL)

- The proposal of producing an "ecological freezer" does not seem to interest Brazilian industry; there are no plans to launch such a product within the next few years. (JB).

March 21.

- The government of the State of Rio de Janeiro has succeeded in raising U.S. $48 million locally for the preliminary works needed for the cleaning of the Bay of Guanabara. (FSP)

- A company is interested in underground mining of gold in the Serra Pelada area. Some years ago, Serra Pelada was the largest open-cast gold mine in the world but has since been abandoned. (FSP)

INDIGENOUS ISSUES

- Brazilian Government Runs Risk of Losing Grant to Demarcate Indigenous Land.

Brazil runs the risk of losing a grant from Germany which would be used in the demarcation of indigenous lands according a statement from the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) issued on March 10 last. The statement explains that the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested to the German embassy that the demarcation be excluded from the Pilot Program for the Protection of Brazilian Tropical Forests. This project hoped to receive 68 million German marks (approximately U.S. $40 million) from the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau.

Very soon after the Brazilian proposal was discovered the reactions appeared. Indigenous and environmentalist groups denounced the plan and met with the Minister for the Environment and the Amazon, Rubens Ricupero, to demand an explanation. The minister claimed that he also was surprised by the proposal. The minister added that the whole affair was a "misunderstanding" and he undertook to support the demarcation project. It was agreed that FUNAI would give a full explanation within a few days.

March 23 was set as the meeting date in Brussels for the World Bank, the Group of Seven and the European Union to discuss the Pilot Program for the Protection of the Tropical Forests of Brazil.

CIMI believes that the proposed exclusion of the demarcation of the indigenous areas is not an isolated plan of the Brazilian Ministry for Foreign Affairs but reflects the position of the Brazilian government against the demarcation of these areas. The government granted a mere 5% of the resources necessary for the work of demarcation during 1994. If the demarcation is not included in the Pilot Program, indian organizations plan to demand its suspension.

- Missionary Receives Threat.

Missionary Carlos Antonio Chiavegatto who works with the Xerente indians in the State of Tocantins received recently an anonymous letter containing threats. In the letter he was accused of encouraging the indians to oppose the construction of two roads and a bridge within their territory.

The letter goes on to say "Get out of Tocantinia (the town where he lives) while there is time. If the construction of the road is not approved, the indians will never again enter Tocantinia and you will be bombed".

NEWS FROM BRAZIL carried a report of the proposed construction of the roads and bridge in its edition of March 03.

WOMEN’S ISSUES

- Case Against Ivone Gebara Goes to Rome.

The archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho,

along with the Archdiocesan Priests Council have sent to the

Vatican a formal denouncement against Augustinian sister and

theologian Ivone Gebara. Last year, Gebara gave an interview to

the weekly newsmagazine "Vega", in which she defended the

decriminalization of abortion in Brazil. Gebara is currently

teaching in the United States, and expects to return to Brazil in

June.

- Metal Workers Against Sexual Harassment.

The Commission of Women Metal Workers of Sao Paulo succeeded

in having a statement against sexual harassment passed at the

annual convention of Sao Paulo state metal workers. The

statement says that sexual harassment in the work place will be

considered a serious charge.

Other important issues which were supported at the convention

were maternity leave, cancer prevention, and the stopping of

personal searches. Business will grant 120 days of maternity

leave to workers who adopt children under the age of seven. Male

and female workers will no longer be subject to personal searches

by security guards or other employees. Industries will have to

guarantee an annual cancer screening for their female workers.

CHILDREN

- Sao Paulo Police Accused of Using Children for Drug

Trafficking.

Gilberto Dimenstein of the "Folha de S.Paulo" reported on

March 22 the charges made by pastoral workers of the Sao Paulo

Archdiocese's Street Children's Apostolate and human rights

groups against police officers who use children in narcotraffic

activities.

Pastoral workers received these denouncements from the

children themselves, who act as drug runners and who often are

paid in "crack" for their services. These actions began in the

center of Sao Paulo, in the Se plaza, but have spread throughout

the metropolitan area.

The drug traffickers prefer to contract pregnant girls, as they

would be considered least suspect. Father Julio Lancelotti of

the Street Children's Apostolate said, "The girls never testify,

because they are afraid of being killed." Human rights workers

have received indications that some street children were killed

for fear they would reveal police connections with drug

trafficking.

There exists a concern for the lives of the Street Children's

Apostolate's pastoral workers, known as street educators. Drug

traffickers know who they are, and have threatened them with

death. A hearing between these educators and the state Council

for the Defense of the Human Person is being scheduled.

Lancelotti said that the traffickers are well organized and

feel themselves above the law. "I have information that the

traffickers were informed of our accusations against them even

before we presented them to police authorities."

The charges have also been brought to the congressional

investigating committee on child prostitution, which will send

them on to the federal attorney general's office. If the

attorney general finds that the Sao Paulo police is not

investigating the charges as it should, the case could then go to

the Federal Police.

- Congressional Investigating Committee on Child Prostitution

To Release Its Report.

After nine months of hearing testimony, the Congressional

Investigating Committee (CPI) on child prostitution is ready to

release its report and recommendations.

The CPI report presents the problem of "pornotourism" in the

Northeast, particularly in Recife and Fortaleza. "There is a

whole organization behind this", says the CPI. Tourists from

Switzerland, France, and Germany are the main "customers". The

CPI states that tour packages in Germany are sold which include

one ticket to Brazil, and two tickets back to Germany. Many of

these young girls live in slavery conditions in Germany.

Girls are enslaved near the gold mines of the Amazonian

region. The report cites the horrifying example of a young girl

who was beheaded by a miner because she refused to have sex with

him.

In the northeastern state of Paraiba, the drought has led to

situations in which families sell their 13 to 16 year old

daughters into prostitution as a means of survival.

In Rio de Janeiro, the CPI found both boys and girls involved

in prostitution. "Some of the boys, as young as 11 years of age,

are encouraged by their own families to go into prostitution."

In Amazonia and Sao Paulo, police violence against child

prostitutes is denounced. The CPI charges that in Amazonia,

police are directly involved in the trafficking of young girls.

The CPI is concerned with not only identifying the magnitude

of child prostitution in Brazil, but also in proposing ways to

deal with the problem. Its recommendations include:

1. The expansion of health care programs for all children,

with an emphasis on improving knowledge of one's own body, and on

natural and artificial means of birth control.

2. Promote policies which can help families stay together,

creating the conditions whereby adults can take responsibility

for the care of their children.

3. Promote programs to train health care professionals in

police departments.

4. Change publicity about Brazil abroad, particularly

removing the emphasis on sex.

5. Create job-training programs for child prostitutes.

6. Create more shelters where girls can go for emergency

medical treatment and other care.

7. Use by the federal government of research institutes to

get a clearer picture of the exact number of child prostitutes

and street children in the country.

The reproduction of this material is permitted as long as the source is cited.