Number 15, February 06, 1992.

STREET GIRLS (MENINAS DA RUA)

- Slave traffic in the Amazon.

On the basis of a news story carried by the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo on February 06 dealing with the traffic of girl prostitutes, the National Movement of Street Boys and Girls (Movimento National de Meninos e Meninas de Rua) together with the National Movement of Human Rights (Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanas) as well as the Justice and Peace Commission of Brasilia ( Comissao de Justica e Paz de Brazilia) sent a message to the Minister of Justice demanding urgent action. The representatives of the three entities demand of the Minister - Jarbas Passarinho, the immediate intervention of the Federal Police in the State of Para to check out the facts in the news story as well as to protect the girl prostitutues.

The story carried by the Folha de Sao Paulo described the situation of the girl prostitutes in the village known as Cuiu-Cuiu. It is situated in a gold-mining region in the municipality of Itaituba in the centre western region of the State of Para. Here girls are forced to live as prostitutes. Victims of violence, they live as slaves of the owners of bars and night-clubs. According to the report in the Folha, not even the police have exact information or are they interested in prohibiting this situation in which young girls find themselves.

Romualdo de Souza who is secretary general of the Movimento de Meninos e Meninas de Rua, Sebastiao de Rios who is director of the Gomissao de Justica e Paz and Augustino Veit, executive secretary of Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanas, reminded the Minister of Justice that in the States of Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro protection for girl prostitutes is being given in "open houses" which accept such girls.

Your letters, faxes, messages of support or requests for further information may be sent to: Movimento Nacional dos Direitos Humanos, Edificio Venacio 6 Bloco O-39 Sala 109, 70302 Brasilia, DF, Brazil. Phone (061) 225-3337 and fax (061)225-9401.

We urgently request that you send messages of protest to the Minister of Justice. The address is: Dr. Jarbas Passarinho, Ministerio da Justica, 70.000 Brasilia, DF, Brazil. Fax (061) 321-5145.

RURAL WORKERS

- Governor of the State of Para accuses the Land Pastoral Commission (CPT):

The National Office of the CPT based in Goiania, State of Goias, released a statement of solidarity with the CPT of Maraba, State of Para, on January 28 last. The latter entity was accused of refusing to colloborate with the police of the State of Para in the case of the disappearance of two farmers without land documentation ("posseiros") at the ranch known as Ponta de Pedra in the municipality of Sao Joao do Araguia, Para. The accusation was made by the governor of the State of Para, Jader Barbalho, in his radio program "Good Morning Governor" which is transmitted by all the radio stations of the State of Para. Also, the State Secretary of Public Security, in a note published in the newspaper "Diario do Para" on January 24, accused the CPT of "frivolity in speaking of 14 people who had disappeared". According to the CPT's National Office, the CPT of Maraba never spoke of 14 people who had disappeared but always of three deaths and insisted that the authorities clarify the events surrounding these deaths.

At the beginning of January, the CPT in Maraba denounced the disappearance of two posseiros belonging to the ranch Ponta de Pedra in the municipality of Sao Jose do Araguaia. Two witnesses claim they had seen two bodies in the area of the ranch known as Igarape Bearbeiro. Members of the CPT sought out all the competent authorities insisting with them that these denouncements be investigated. Various investigations were carried out and nothing was found. In the meantime, death threats were made by the ranch owner, his son and other individuals connected with them against posseiros, members of the CPT and members of the trade union (Fetagri/PA). A commission made up of the regional secretary and also the lawyer of the CPT, as well as the president of the Para Society of Human Rights, sought out the State Secretary of Public Security insisting on the gravity of this case.

The above mentioned statement from the CPT insists that the facts of the case be clarified and seeks the end of death threats against members of the CPT, the posseiros and witnesses.

- A grass roots case leaves the Government of the State of Sao Paulo uneasy:

The Government of the State of Sao Paulo, with the aid of politicians connected with it and also with the aid of civil servants, has confused public opinion regarding the grass roots' case against land agreements carried out by the State Government in the region known as Pontal do Parapanema. Under these agreements, illegal land titles were given on 75% of public lands in the region. To clarify this topic, the Land Pastoral Commission of the State of Sao Paulo (CPT/SP), plans to invite representatives of the State to a public debate where the question can be discussed and public opinion clarified.

The CPT, which was the leading entity in bringing the grass roots' case to court in December last, is being accused of not understanding that the agreements are legal and that they resolve the agrarian problems of the region. The CPT is further accused of not having heard the landless families who were benifited by the agreements.

According to Leo Huber, state coordinator of the CPT, the accusations are entirely untrue because "the agrarian question in the Pontal cannot be separated from the principal national questions, as well as the fact that each citizen who sees damage being done to the public interest has the moral obligation to contest such an action through a grass roots juridical process which is the principal means of defence in such a circumstance".

According to Leo Huber as well as Iraci de Oliveira Braz ( the latter is also a member of the regional coordination of the CPT), the State should not be afraid if the agreements were legal, because in such a case the law courts would give judgement in favor of the State. The leadership of the CPT reaffirm that "the agreements are illegal and immoral because they hand over public property to a small group of individuals". During the month of February, the Governor of the State of Sao Paulo, Luis Antonio Fleury as well as the ex governor, Orestes Quercia, will be called to court as accused in the grass roots' court action.

ECOLOGY

- A conference regarding semi-arid regions wants to influence Rio-92:

To move the emphasis in the preparatory debates for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92) is one of the objectives of the International Conference on the Impact of Climatic Variations and Sustainable Development (ICID in english). The Conference took place in Fortaleza, State of Ceara with the participation of 600 scientists, politicians, ecologists and journalists from 45 countries.

According to the ex governor of Ceara and president of the International Committee of ICID, Tasso Jereisatte, the preparations for Rio-92 are being monopolized "by topics which are of more interest to rich countries such as the green-house effect, the ozone layer , biodiversity and tropical forests". Meanwhile, the situation of the semi arid regions which make up a third of the planet earth, are being marginalized in the debates. In such areas one fifth of the population of the world or a billion people live.

The Conference finished on Friday January 30 with the approval of the Charter of Fortaleza (Carta de Fortaleza), which contains suggestions as to how to develop semi arid regions in the context of eradication of misery and how to attain environmental recuperation and preservation.

URBAN WORKERS

- Congresses of Trade Unions discuss problems facing retired people:

On January 31 last, a meeting took place between the four Congresses of Trade Unions to plan a national congress of trade union leaders to discuss problems faced by retired people. This meeting took place in the Cabinet Makers Trade Union in Sao Paulo. Information coming from Brasilia indicates that the congress will be announced by the National Association of Inspectors in the Health System (Associacao Nacional dos Inspectores Fiscais Previdenciarios - Anfip) since this entity is considered "neutral".

The meeting in which representatives of the retired also took part, discussed new means of solving the present juridical impasse regarding pensions. The govermental decree transferring the payment of the pension ajustments to 1993 surprised the trade unionists. In the states where the payment was made, the government detained 59,8% of the January increases (119%). Thus for example, those on retirement pensions in Sao Paulo who by right should receive the increase of 119% on the value of September pensions will receive an increase of only 37,5% on their January pensions.

"It is necessary to change tactics" observed the vice president of the Brazilian Confederation of the Retired and Pensioners (Confederacao Brasileira dos Aposontados e Pensionistas - Cobap), Oswaldo Lourenco. He believes that recent tactics on the part of the government, forces the category and the trade union movement to seek other alternatives apart from juridical ones.

- Accident alert in Petroquimica Uniao:

The Chemical, Petrochemical and Plastics Trade Union of the ABC region of Sao Paulo has made a denouncement that a huge and serious accident could happen in the Petroquimica Uniao (PqU). According to the trade union, the company is functioning with a reduced number of functionaries in the operational, maintenance and support areas as well as using sub contractors who are not qualified to work there.

Besides, the Chemical Trade Union states that PqU has not invested in the renewal of equippment. The number of cases of intoxication by benzene has increased. This substance is responsible for the occurance of the decrease in white blood globules in the blood of the employees.

The trade union recalls that it was in such conditions that accidents happened in Phillips Petrolleum in 1989 with the loss of 23 lives and 100 people injured and also in Arco Chemical in 1990 with 17 victims. Both of these industries are in Texas, USA. In a report prepared regarding the accidents, the the Health and Security Administration (OSHA) of the USA stated that the efforts of the petrochemical industry to reduce costs in taking on sub contractors could put the safety of the workers in danger in such industrial plants.

In the case of the PqU, the trade union, Diesat and the National Institute of Health in the Work Place (Instituto Nacional de Saude do Trabalho - INST) which is a member of CUT, are trying to take preventive measures.

- The number of trade union entities increased 50% in 3 years:

Recent data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare shows that at the moment there are 13 thousand trade union entities active in Brazil. This is the number registered in the Archives of the Brazilian Trade Union Entities (Arquivo de Entidades Sindicais Brasileiras) which was set up at the beginning of the Collor government in order to register workers' associations.

Prior to the 1988 Constitution, there existed just over 9 thousand such entities. According to the information presented by the Ministry of Labor, a large portion of the additional 4 thousand entities is linked to the civil service. It should be remembered that the 1988 Constitution gave the right to workers in this sector to organize themselves in such entities.The present leglislation forbids the dependence of the trade unions on the state. Thus no entity now needs authorization for its formation from the Ministry. It needs only to be registered in a Registry Office. Any doubts about the legality of such an entity can only be examined by the Ministry of Labor.

Thus, defended by the current leglislation, many trade unionists set up entities by dismembering already existing trade unions. This has provoked controversy in trade union circles. The principal disputes in this area arise between CUT and Forca Sindical.

- Intertrade Union Department of Statistics and Socio-Economic Studies (Departamento Intersindical de Estatistica e Estudos Socio-Economicos - Dieese) note a drop in the number of strikes during 1991:

Even though it has not yet been finished, a survey carried out by Dieese already allows the conclusion that the number of strikes during 1991 fell in relationship to the previous year. Between January and November of last year, a total of 1077 work stoppages took place in Brazil where 7,19 million workers went on strike. During 1990, a total of 1582 strikes took place until September in which 7,034 million workers took part.

According to a number of trade union leaders who were consulted about this trend, the decrease in the number of strikes in the second year of the Collor government does not mean a weakening of the trade union movement. They note that a change took place in the kind of stoppages. Many such stoppages were organized not only to demand better salaries but also stability in employment.

The political economy of the government interferes directly in the nature and intensity of the stoppages. For example, in April of 1990, that is immediately after the 1st. Collor Plan, 50 strikes involving 205 thousand workers took place against 367 strikes involving over 4 million workers in 1989. However, in the months following this plan the situation changed. In May there were 179 strikes involving 1,27 million workers; in June 469 involving 1,81 million workers and in July 227 strikes involving 1,11 workers. Last year, April was the month with the greatest number of stoppages: 218 involving 633 thousand workers. In May of that year, the biggest number of people on strike was registered: 1,1 million.

Thus the exact figures for 1990 (January to September) are: 1582 strikes involving a total of 7.034.435 workers (an average of 175,7 strikes per month and a monthly average of 781.604 workers on strike). Between January and November of 1991 the numbers are: 1077 strikes involving a total of 7.192.624 workers (an average of 97,9 strikes per month involving a monthly average of 653.875 workers).

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

- Event to commerate cease-fire in El Salvador:

A meeting of solidarity with the people of El Salvador, took place on January 31 at 6.00PM to commerate the beginning of the cease-fire and the arrival of the commanders of the Frente Farabundo Marti para a Libertacao Nacional (FMLN) in Salvador. The event took place in the Patio da Cruz in the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo (PUC/SP). Amongst the participants were members of the leadership of various christian churches.

- Brazil representatives participate in the 500 Years' Campaign Meeting:

On January 24, 25 and 26 the coordinating commission of the Continental Campaign of 500 Years of Resistence of the Indigenous, Negro and Grass Roots groups met in Managua, Nicaragua. Representatives were present from the five regions where the campaign is being carried out, namely the Southern Cone, the Region of the Andes, the Carribean Region, Central America and North America. The Brazilian national coordination was represented by Gilmar Mauro of the Movement of Landless Rural Workers (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra).

An evaluation of the 2nd. Continental Meeting of the campaign which took place between October 07 and 12 in Xelaju, Guatemala, was one of the principal themes treated by the coordinating commission. An evaluation was also made of the progress of the campaign and of the transferance of the Executive Secretariate from Guatemala to Nicaragua. The Third Continental Meeting of the Campaign will take place next October in Nicaragua.

As well as declaring 1992 the International Year of Indigeneous and Grass Roots resistence, the participants in the campaign are opposed to the celebration of the 500th. anniversary. They present alternative proposals according to the interests of the different countries. A proposal of the campaign is to intensify solidarity between grass roots groups and the struggle of the indigenous peoples.

HUMAN RIGHTS

- The National Movement of Human Rights (Movimento Nacional de Diretos Humanos - MNDH) commemorates 10 years:

With the presence of 131 delegates and 30 invited entities, the MNDH held its seventh national encounter in Brasilia between January 26 and 31; this event also marked the tenth anniversary of its foundation. In small groups and in plenary sessions, the participants debated the role of the MNDH during the decade from the perspective of its struggle for the defense of human life. The priorities were also defined for the next two years including such activities which already get much attention from the entity such as violence, citizenship, communication and formation.

At the opening session on January 26, Marisa Formolo who is secretary of formation in the MNDH, stated that "if we look to the history of Brazil and Latin America during the last 500 years, we would be able to verify that the struggle for life has lasted for many centuries". On the morning of January 27, the executive secretary of the MNDH and president of AGEN, lawyer Augustino Veit, presented a work report of the MNDH since 1982 when it was founded by approximately 30 entities in Petropolis, State of Rio de Janeiro. He underlined the contribution of the MNDH in the formulation of a new concept of human rights which is no longer limited to the classical liberal bourgeois model which is very much centered on individual rights. Veit proposed as well the formulation of a new Charter of Human Rights which would have a more social perspective and would be sent to the United Nations. Later there was an apresentation of the results of a survey of the characteristics of the MNDH and the delegates undertook a study in small groups about the impact of this new concept of human rights in their day-to-day situation.

- On receiving the MNDH prize, Boff requests that the dream continues:

The Franciscan theologian Leonardo Boff requested on January 29 last the continuation of a dream of a just and fraternal society in spite of all the present cricis and difficulties. The occasion was his reception of the National Prize for Human Rights - 1991 which took place in the Dulcina Theatre in Brasilia. In the presence of approximately 600 people, Boff quoted Pablo Neruda who said that it is gratifying and at the same time shattering, to represent for a moment, the cause of the oppressed. On this occasion various well known personalities were present including the president of the Workers' Party (PT) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the president of the Metalworkers Trade Union of Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Vicente Paulo da Silva ("Vincentinho").

Present with Boff were Father Francisco Cavazutti who was blinded in an attempt against his life three years ago in Goias; also the bishops of Rui Barbosa, State of Bahia, Dom Matthias Schmidt and of Uberlandia, State of Minas Gerais, Dom Estavao Cardoso de Avelar as well as Bishop Almir dos Santos of the Episcopalian Church and who also represented the National Council of the Christian Churches of Brazil (CONIC). Members of the diplomatic corps from Sweden, Norway, Haiti, Russia, Libia and Palestine were present as well as Brazilian senator Eduardo Suplicy.

As well as requesting that "the perspective of the victims" should be always considered in the struggle for human rights, Boff added that "taking on the perspective of the victims makes us dream with them the same dream of a society which includes all human persons and all the elements of our ecological surroundings". He underlined as well that "socialism as a symbol of democracy, democratic socialism (and not only liberal and representative), participative democracy, are political projects which dwell in the minds of the oppressed".

- The majority of human rights entities have a church base:

61,54% of the 223 human rights entities affialiated to the MNDH belong to different christian churches. The secretariat of formation of this entity carried out a survey in this area and presented this result at the 7th. Meeting of the entity recently held in Brasilia. The survey was carried out last year in the eight regions of the MNDH. This is the first sociological survey of this type made at national level in the area of human rights.

In terms of function, the entities can be classified as follows: assessment 52,75% and grass roots movements 28,57%. The predominant area od involvement is urban where the greater number work in the struggles against police violence, for housing and for education. Of all the entities, 57,30% receive financial help from projects while a significant number - 37,67%, have self financing through the financial contributions of their engaged members.

In the ranks of the members, 51% are male and 49% are female. The female members however are more persistent in terms of continuity. In terms of formal education, the majority of engaged members - approximately 70%, have second grade and university courses. Amongst the professions involved, teachers predominate.

The principal problems faced by human rights centers and other such groups last year, were, according to the survey linked with the engaged members (few, with little time available), financial difficulties as well as poor infra-structure. The struggle against violence of every kind is the chief activity of approximately 62% of the human rights entities.

- Boff defends socio-ecological democracy in Brazil:

The Franciscan theologian, Leonardo Boff defended the construction of a socio-ecological democracy in Brazil which would be based on the necessities and the aspirations of the majority of the population. The occasion was his participation in a discussion panel at the 7th. Meeting of the MNDH. Boff added that the greatest challenge to construct what he called "democracy of the masses" in Brazil was the situation of 40% of the Brazilian working class population included in the category of the miserably poor. "This includes thousands of children and youth, adults and older persons, who have not even the "privilege" of being included in the capitalist market of production and consumption" he added.

Economist Marcos Arruda had earlier stated that the new conception of human rights should include a reflection about the human person who is in a constant process of development. He defended the thesis that grass roots and social groups should act with a methodology of strategic and participative planning so as to define the chief protagonists in the social/political and cultural dynamism.

The central preoccupation of the members of the panel at the meeting was linked to the methodology of the social movements. Boff underlined in this context, the urgent need to develop a "pedagogy of the masses". He stressed that this pedagogy should preoccupy itself with the symbolic universe of the majority of Brazilians which at the moment is easily being exploited by alienating civil and religious groups. He insisted as well on the necessity of a spirituality of involvement which would strenghten the work of transformation with the more marginalized segments of society.

Regarding the international situation, Boff stated that the crisis in Eastern Europe "is linked to the prevalence of a certain type of nominal socialism which socialized the means of production but did not know how to socialize power". He underlined that the ideal of a just and fraternal society did not disappear and "that capitalism did not resolve any fundamental problem in society, nor did it carry out a nourishment revolution against hunger".

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