e Paz)

Number 134, June 23, 1994.

CHILDREN

--UNICEF cites Brazil as one of the centers of sex-tourism.

UNICEF places Brazil on the list of countries where sex-

tourism and sexual abuse of children is a serious problem. The UN

entity says that the price of a plane ticket from many of the

developed nations is so cheap that tourists and industrialists

from these countries are looking for sexual relations with

children from an undeveloped country like Brazil.

UNICEF estimates that around 500 thousand children are

involved in prostitution in Brazil. According to UNICEF, no

government officially promotes sex-tourism, but without a doubt

some countries do more than others in protecting children from

prostitution. Sweden and Norway were countries mentioned that

have specific laws that penalize this practice.

- Ministry of Health admits to the increase in Infant Mortality in the Northeast.

After the Children's Pastoral of the Catholic Church published the results of a survey that it had done regarding the rise in infant mortality in Brazil, President Itamar Franco called on the Ministry of Health to confirm the results of this survey. The Ministry of Health came up with the following information after a study in 268 municipalities in the northeast of Brazil.

The following are the statistics that the Ministry of Health

arrived at for the six states in the northeast. In Alagoas, the

infant mortality rate for the first three months of this year was

174 deaths for every 1000 births. In Pernambuco, 118 deaths for

every thousand births. In Paraiba, 139 deaths for every thousand

births. In Rio Grande de Norte, 148 deaths for every thousand

births. In Ceara, 116 deaths for every thousand births and in

Piaui, 101 deaths for every thousand births. These deaths

happened before the infant reached one year of age.

The Minister of Health, Henrique Santillo said, "We are

amazed and in panic". He attributes the rise in infant mortality

to the increase in hunger due to a social deterioration combined

with the drought and he also admitted that most health centers in

the northeast have no medicines.

To have an idea of the seriousness of this situation, one

needs only to place the infant mortality rate next to that of

countries like Japan, Sweden and Germany. Japan has a rate of 4

deaths per thousand; Sweden six deaths per thousand and Germany seven deaths per thousand. In Latin America, Cuba has an infant

mortality rate of 10 per thousand, Costa Rica, 14 per thousand

and Chile, 15 per thousand.

The infant mortality rate for Alagoas just below that of

Niger which has the the worst ranking of infant mortality in the

UN - 119.

- 52% illiteracy rate amongst youth sugar cane workers.

The region known as the Zona da Mata in the State of Pernambuco contains the greatest concentration of salaried agricultural workers in the state. Here an extremely high concentration of riches exists side by side with extreme poverty. In this area of 1540 thousand hectares, sugar cane occupies 81% of the cultivated area. During the cutting season (October to March), 240 thousand workers are occupied in this activity. According to a survey carried out by the Centro Josue de Castro, 60 thousand or 25% of the work force in the sugar - cane plantations are children and adolescents between 7 and 17 years of age. All of this youth work force is contracted illegally or is registered as adult workers.

Children and youth in this work force are exposed to many kinds of risk especially to work accidents in the already dangerous activity of sugar cane cutting. 57% in the under 17 age bracket in this work force have already suffered accidents. Wounds from sickles are responsible for 87% of the accidents in this group. Another risk to which these young workers are exposed are the long working hours - 56% work more than 40 hours per week.

Illiteracy is very high amongst the children and youth workers - 52%. It is estimated the the probability of remaining illiterate is 12 times greater for the young sugar cane workers than for children from the same social and economic class and age in the rest of the state. Thus a vicious circle is being reproduced. Just as was the case of their parents, 91% of this youth work force began working in the sugar cane plantation between 7 and 13 years of age. Thus they are unable to continue their studies or participate in other activities common to children of their age.

INTERNATIONAL

-Workers Movement support jailed US labor leader.

The Movement of Rural Landless Rural Workers (MST) resumed its campaign to free the North-american labor leader, Mark Curtis, from jail. On March 4, 1988, in the midst of an attempt to free 17 Mexicans and El Salvadorians who had been arrested by the Immigration Service, Curtis was detained by the Des Moines, Iowa police. The police were accused of beating Curtis at the time of his arrest and calling him "friend of Mexicans and blacks". Curtis was sentenced to 25 years in prison for rape and destroying a house.

The MST in their statement, says that they have been following this case of Mark Curtis for years and believe that he has been falsely accused. The movement believes that the intention behind these charges were to ban his activities as a union leader and that the juridical decisions in this case are clearly political.

CHURCHES

- Election pamphlet prepared by Evangelicals.

The Brazilian Evangelical Association (AEVB) has prepared a

text entitled, "THE TEN EVANGELICAL COMMANDMENTS FOR AN ETHICAL

VOTE". In general, this document alerts readers to the

possibility of the manipulation of votes on the part of

unscrupulous pastors and candidates in the name of faith. In the

case of candidates for Congress, the document says that no

Christian should feel obliged to vote for a candidate because

he/she says that they are evangelicals.

Some of the other 'commandments' of this document comment on the comportment of pastors. "They ought to avoid transforming the process of political awareness into a

manipulation of party politics". Another states that no voter

should feel guilty for having a political opinion different from

that of their pastor.

Concerning candidates for the Presidency, another

'commandment' states that an evangelical should base their vote

on the candidate's program for governing and not on rumors,

such as: "candidate so and so is an atheist, or, so and so will

close all the churches."

The wish of the AEVB, according to its president, is to not

allow the evangelical community to be transformed into an

electoral stable.

AEVB is made up of the historical and traditional

evangelical churches, such as, Baptist, Presbyterian, Adventists,

Methodist and Assembly of God.

FOOTNOTE: Last Saturday, June 18, the Universal Church of the

Kingdom of God sponsored a religious ceremony in a park in Rio de

Janeiro which brought together 400 thousand people. The

centerpiece of this assembly was the preaching of the founder of

this church, Bishop Edir Macedo. In his sermon, he affirmed that

the upcoming elections are a contest between the candidates of

God and those of the devil. He went on to say that the

evangelical force will be a force that will transform this

country. Bishop Macedo said that he has not made a decision on

whom he will vote for in the presidential election. But, he did

affirm, "I will not vote for Lula (Luis Inacio 'Lula' da

Silva)". The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is not a

member of the Brazilian Evangelical Association (AEVB).

ECOLOGY

June 14, 1994.

- The Minister for Health recognized that figures for the high rate of infant mortality especially in the north-east published last week by the Catholic Church's Children Pastoral, reflect a grave social problem which he classified as a real "genocide". (FSP).

- According to estimates of the World Health Organization approximately 700 more people suffered from cholera in Rio de Janeiro than were registered by the health authorities. The death rate from the disease - 8%, is much higher than in other countries or indeed than in the State of Rio de Janeiro in other years. (GL).

- The Brazilian government already spent US $1 billion preparing projects for the Amazonian region which were expected to be financed by the Pilot Program of the Group of 7. No money so far has been released by this group. According to Minister Sergio Amaral problems in the drawing up of the projects cannot only be attributed to the Brazilian government. Minister Amaral claims that "the technical teams of the World Bank multiplied demands and carried out an unwarranted and counter-productive interference in the planning and execution of the projects". (GM).

June 15.

- During the construction of extra lanes on the Fernao Dias highway which links the States of Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo special attention will be given to environmental questions by order of the Interamericam Development Bank which is providing the major part of the funding for the project. (GM).

June 16.

- Public prosecutors in the region of the River Piracicaba, State of Sao Paulo have come together to attack the groups and individuals responsible for the pollution of the river. Their attention is now focused on the 32 municipalities situated in the river valley. None of the municipalities have a sewerage treatment system. (GM).

- A report from Human Rights Watch shows an increase of violence against indians in Brazil. According to the report, 43 indians were assassinated during 1993 - this is twice the 1992 figure. In 1993, 85 homicide attempts were also carried out against the indians. (JB).

June 18.

- The mega irrigation project recently announced by the government as the salvation of the north east continues to receive the opposition of governors, politicians and environmentalists. At the moment funds are not available for the project. The government has invited construction firms to make their proposal for the construction of the irrigation system which will bring water from the River Sao Francisco to an extensive area of the northeastern states. 28 companies are preparing proposals for the US $2 billion project. (OESP).

- Petrobras (the Brazilian petroleum company) is planning public hearings so as to obtain the environmental authorization necessary to construct a pipe-line which will bring Bolivian gas to Sao Paulo and Parana. (OESP).

June 19.

- The dengue epidemic has caused the death of an average of one person per day in Forteleza, State of Ceara. The disease is more widespread in upper class areas of the city where health officials found the insect responsible for the spread of the disease in 60% of the houses visited. (GL).

June 20.

- The US Secretary of Commerce will start a visit to Brazil on June 26. He will be accompanied by 22 executives from large companies. One of the chief items on his agenda is environmental protection. (GM).

INDIGENOUS ISSUES

- Human Rights Watch/Americas Study Condemns Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil.

Violence against the Macuxi and Wapixana Indians in Raposa Serra do Sol and Northern Roraima from 1988 to 1994, is described and condemned in a 30-page study released on June 17. What follows is part of the press release made available on the occasion of the publication of the study where Human Rights Watch/Americas (formerly Americas Watch) concludes that the indigenous peoples of northern Roraima have been the victims of an intense campaign of violence. The study highlights two aspects of this problem which Human Right Watch/Americas considers particularly distressing: the participation of the Roraima state police in violent attacks against Indians, and the pervasive impunity for those responsible for these abuses.

The non-profit human rights organization found that ranchers, gold miners and the police are responsible for this violence, which has taken the form of violent evictions, beatings, destruction of homes and property, illegal arrests, torture, rape, and homicides. Indians are also frequently evicted from land that they are living on almost always without a warrant and without prior notice to the community and eviction orders are carried out with unnecessary violence by the police. These violent acts, whether committed by the police or by private individuals, are almost never investigated and those responsible are rarely prosecuted or punished.

There are many instances of attacks by individuals, frequently encouraged by local ranchers against the indians. Roraima state police are implicated in ten cases of attacks against Indians. Two Indians, Velario Tamir Macuxi and Democildes Albuquerque Carneiro, died in police custody, the first as a result of a beating by the police and the second shot in the head by a policeman. No policemen have been brought to trial for either of these deaths, or for any other violent attack against Indians. Human Rights Watch/Americas concludes that the Roraima state military and civil police are engaged in a pattern of repeated illegal and abusive attacks against indigenous people in northern Roraima, frequently carrying out illegal operations at the request of local land claimants and with their active participation.

The study recognizes the legal protection provided to Brazil's indigenous population under the Brazilian constitution. Human Rights Watch/Americas states that the Brazilian constitution recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to land that they have traditionally occupied, and that the Constitution provides ample protection for Brazil's indigenous peoples. However, Indians who attempt to exercise the rights that are guaranteed to them in the Constitution and especially those who have attempted to reclaim their traditional land and pressure the government to officially recognize their territories are frequently the victims of violent attacks and other forms of human rights abuse.

Human Rights Watch/Americas highlights the obligation of the Brazilian government to protect indigenous peoples from violence and allow them to practice their traditional culture. The organization takes no stand on who should have title to land in Brazil or on which areas should be designated indigenous reservations, but calls on the Brazilian government to take every needed step to protect indigenous communities from violence and ensure that disputes concerning land are resolved peacefully, legally, and with due process afforded to all.

The Human Rights Watch/Americas report concludes that the Federal Police and FUNAI (the government entity dealing with Indian affairs) have a fundamental role to play in the protection of the Indians such as speedily mediating and settling all land disputes involving indigenous peoples and providing adequate protection for indigenous peoples on demarcated land. The report also calls on the Roraima state authorities to no longer allow the state military and civil police to act on the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous area or any other indigenous land, which is the responsibility of the federal authorities, and to take immediate steps to investigate and punish all abusive actions by the police against Indians.

Human Rights Watch carries out investigations into human rights abuses in over sixty countries around the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom. This is its fourteenth study concerning human rights abuses in Brazil. Prior reports have examined violence against adolescents, police and death squad killings, forced labor, torture, violence in rural areas, violence against women, and conditions in Brazil's prisons.

~ ~ ~

Copies of the report can be purchased through the publications department of Human Rights Watch located in the New York office of Human Rights Watch, 485 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10017 - US $5.00. Contact persons are Cynthia Arnson and Anne Manuel, Washington, DC, phone (202) 371-6592 and Susan Osnos, New York, phone (212) 972-8400.

- 40 lumber merchants provoke devastation and violence in Sarare indigenous area, Mato Grosso do Sul.

If FUNAI does not succeed in removing immediately 6 thousand cubic meters of mahogany confiscated in December last from the Sarare indigenous reserve in the municipality of Pontes e Lacerda, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, it is likely to be stolen according to a report in the newspaper "A Gazeta Geral" published in Cuiaba on May 28. Another solution would be the setting up of checkpoints on roads leading into the area. The timber is valued at US $780 thousand. This alert was recently given by the director of the FUNAI post in the Sarare area of 67 thousand hectares, Francisco Campos Figueiredo. Campos Figueiredo who carries out the policing of the area practically alone fears that when the rainy season soon finishes that organized groups will easily be able to steal the timber.

The timber was seized in an operation set up together by FUNAI, the Federal Police and IBAMA (the government environmental organ) between December 01 and 08 last. Lumber merchant, Flavio Rodrigues Torelli ( popularly known as Carioca) was arrested during the operation. Carioca was one of at least 40 lumber merchants who had removed approximately 90 thousand cubic meters of mahogany from the area during the months of October and November when the FUNAI post was closed. Carioca had bought out the Katitauru indians (a population of 72 people which is a branch of the Nambiquara group) with presents such as watches, bicycles and even a satellite disk for the group's chief, Americo. He then succeeded in expelling FUNAI functionaries from the area and armed the indians (even children) giving instructions "if FUNAI people appear here, kill them". He then divided the area amongst the 40 lumber merchants who paid him "royalties" for the wood extracted.

The extraction of timber from the Sarare area has already provoked at least 4 deaths. Two of these deaths occurred in late December 1992 when the Katitauru attacked a work group removing timber. Two other deaths had occurred earlier but details are vague. FUNAI functionaries have been receiving death threats consistently over the last months from the lumber merchants. Such threats have even come from the founder and former mayor of Comodoro, Valdir Muzuti. Campos Figueiredo, the present head of the FUNAI post in the Sarare indigenous area suffered an assassination attempt in May.

According to FUNAI functionaries an effective solution to impede the likely stealing of the timber as well as the presence of the lumber merchants in the area would be a federal intervention in the indigenous area and the installation of three checkpoints employing 21 guards. This solution would also significantly help to control the expected return of hundreds of gold - prospectors a the end of the wet season.

- Government uses radio to clear indigenous area of invaders.

The Brazilian government has been sending messages to the lumber merchants and gold - prospectors in the Kayapo Indigenous Area in the State of Para using the National Radio of Amazonia. The area is of difficult access and the radio messages have been requesting the invaders to leave. The use of the radio follows an order of the Federal Court which placed the responsibility on FUNAI to remove the invaders from the indigenous area.

It is unlikely that the radio campaign will be successful. The thousands of lumber merchants and gold - prospectors in the area are not expected to give up a highly lucrative activity because of the radio messages. To effectively remove the invaders from the area, a joint campaign of FUNAI, IBAMA and the Federal Police would be necessary.

The withdrawal of the invaders also in large part depends on the Kayapo. Some leaders of this group made contracts with the invaders and also are not likely to forego the monetary returns involved. FUNAI has managed to get the support of some Kayapo leaders for their radio messages. However, early this month a group of FUNAI functionaries were expelled from the area by some of the Kayapo accompanied by workers from the Perachi lumber company. This company claims ownership of the area even though it belongs to the federal government.

A study carried out last year by the Fundacao Mata Virgem, Rainforest Foundation International and Japan Rainforest showed that the entire population of two Kayapo villages was contaminated by the mercury used by the gold - prospectors. Another study carried out by Greenpeace shows that the lumber merchants are damaging a further 28 trees for every mahogany tree extracted.

- Indians produce booklet for indigenous discussion groups.

The first booklet of its kind containing discussion material for indigenous communities was published by the Guarani indians in Sao Paulo on June 17. The booklet was produced by the Guarani and hopes to promote discussion about indigenous land in the indian communities. At the moment there are approximately 4500 Guarani in Brazil in 71 different areas. 52.3% of the areas occupied today by the Guarani have not been demarcated and so they are subject to expulsion. The booklet also explains how to demarcate indigenous areas and lists for the indians the different government organs which they should pressurize in order to have their areas demarcated.

- Massacre of the Yanomami indians - one year later.

Eleven months have passed since the killing of 16 Yanomami

indians on the frontier with Venezuela. The Federal Police have

identified 5 goldminers and accused them of killing the indians.

Two remained in jail for 110 days but were freed because the

legal process was not finished during the time allotted by law. Other goldminers were not able to be charged because they were identified only by nicknames.

According to the customs of the Yanomami indians, the

victims were cremated and their ashes placed in locked vessels.

The position of the Justice Department is not to request that the

vessels be impounded in order to examine them to see if they

contain human ashes or not. According to a person who has been

working with the Yanomami, the request by the Federal Police for

the vessels with the ashes would be a crime worse than the

massacre itself for the indians.

The Yanomami in their sacred rituals consume, over a three

year period, the ashes of their dead in order to take on the

virtues of the dead. To violate this custom, by taking the ashes

for an examination on the part of the Federal Police would be a

serious transgression, a sacrilege, in the eyes of the Yanomami.

Some Brazilian lawyers have stated that the violation of

graves is a crime and there is a need to respect the religious

beliefs of people in this matter, but the law takes away the

criminality of the exhumation when the exhumation brings clarity

to a particular case. They also say that what prevails in this

case is the interest of all society in seeing that a crime

against a life is solved. Other lawyers say that it is possible

to arrive at a proof that a crime was committed by having other

elements present, such as witnesses testifying that a crime

happened.

It appears that time will pass and interest in coming to a

solution of the massacre of the Yanomami indians, one year ago,

will lessen. There will be no pressure placed on the Federal

Police to solve this case nor bring those responsible to trial.

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