Justica e Paz

Number 202, October 26th, 1995

SOCIAL ISSUES

- What's violence?

A recent advertisement in the Sunday edition of a leading Sao Paulo newspaper (O Estado de Sao Paulo) took up two pages with the following offer: Apartments for sale each having five suites (bedroom and bathroom), the largest suite being 110 square meters, with two walk-in closets, two bathrooms, one with a Jacuzzi. Large glassed-in winter garden, plus a sitting room, breakfast room and large veranda. The other four suites have verandas, bathroom and walk-in closet. The apartment also has a home theatre, TV room, office, "wine cellar", bar, lunch room, dining room, living room, den, winter garden, covered swimming pool with an illuminated waterfall, sundeck, roofed terrace, unroofed terrace, built-in barbecue, central air conditioning, kitchen, two maids' bedrooms, and room for six cars in the garage.

A two-page ad. in the Sunday edition of the Estado de Sao Paulo costs $220,000.- (which would be enough to build 22 houses at $10,000.- each for poor families) - with a quick return. According to the telephone operator at the Fernandes Mera company, who are selling the apartments, two days after the advertisement appeared, around 500 people had phoned wanting information about the project. Due to a rigid security system, visits to the condominium, named Imperiale Uffizi, can only be made with a Fernandes Mera salesperson. For the same reason, prices and location are not given out on the phone. The Folha de Sao Paulo, on the day that this ad. appeared, published a report attributing violence in Brazil to the inequality between rich and poor. (See News from Brazil #196).

According to the World Bank, Brazil, where the per capita income is $3000.- a year, has 10 times more homicides per year than Ghana, whose per capita income is $450.-. Brazil is the world champion in social inequality, where the richest 20% concentrate 32 times more income than the poorest 20%. In France, the richest 20% concentrate 6.5 times more income than the poorest 20%. As inequality increases, violence increases. But what could be more violent than the advertisement mentioned above in a country where 53% of the population earn less than $200.- a month?

WOMEN'S ISSUES

- Women and social change in the interior of Pernambuco

(Written by Ana Paula Portella, researcher for SOS

CORPO and Brazilian coordinator of IRRRAG -

International Reproductive Rights Research Action

Group).

It is said that a reflection about life and its processes only happens when a human being's basic needs are satisfied. We arrived in the backwoods of Pernambuco with a question: how is it that the women there are able to be so lucid, so determined and profoundly modern in their words and actions? We were starting an international study on reproductive rights and we were interested in knowing how rural women understood ideas such as right and justice. We knew for a start that most women had large families, that many children died when they were born, some before they were born, and we also knew of the inadequate health assistance that rural workers receive. We knew about hunger: during the dry season, the men migrate and the women remain at home. We knew about isolation: few and precarious roads, lack of electricity, lack of schools. And we had contact with the other side: the women from the MMTR (Rural working women's movement) and union workers, who organize their work around the improving of living conditions and labour. In spite of all of this, we were surprised.

There are many women who broke through the limits of domestic life and, in doing this, modified their own family life. There is a slow and persistent work being done since the 80's, with groups in the communities getting together to discuss rural women workers' issues. From this work, leaders emerged, two of whom participated in the Beijing Women's Conference. These women have a courage which is hard to find in the cities. They are born into large families and at five years of age start to work in the fields and in the house. Girls and boys are reared differently and there are enormous restrictions to girls' behavior, especially where the body and sexuality are concerned; there are also limits to their freedom of movement. They are protected by their fathers and brothers. Marriages take place early and only with the expressed consent of the family - children start to arrive right away and, with them, the husbands' rejection and violence plus sexually transmitted diseases which eventually lead to tubal ligatures before they are 35 years of age.

Some women see this situation as unjust and, in spite of resistance from their husbands and the community, they throw themselves into the difficult task of transforming it. It is a double effort: to better the conditions for all, but also, day by day, to change their own lives and the lives of other women. Freedom to circulate, to occupy decisive posts in the unions, to manage financial resources, all this helps bring change in the private sphere which many urban women desire. We found families where the domestic tasks were done by everyone. We found women who spend a lot of time out of the house, participating at meetings, and men who consider that a good wife is one who is well informed about the world and who does not submit to anyone. These may seem like small changes, but they are very significant. We were dealing with small, very poor, farmers. Many don't read the newspapers and only 20% watch television once a week. The appeals of modern life in relation to changes in traditional patterns have very little strength in this context. But the contact with ideas on justice and equality, through the union movement, the Church and feminist groups, seems to have been enough in order to bring about transformation which becomes a daily occurrence in the rural area and ends up by building a project for social change where the end of subordination of women takes a central place.

CHILDREN'S ISSUES

We reproduce the following from the Brazil Project

of the International Child Resource Institute (ICRI),

1810 Hopkins St., Berkeley, CA 94707 Phone (510)644-1000

ICRI Brazil Project Caius Brando, Project Director

icri@igc.apc.org.

- Child prostitution on the rise in Brazil

by Selma B. de Oliveira

Brazil's economic crisis in recent years has aggravated chronic social ills, placing the country among other nations with the highest degree of unbalanced distribution of land and wealth in the world. As a sad illustration of further social decay, the Brazilian Centre for Childhood and Adolescence (CBIA) has recently estimated that there are about 500,000 girls who have turned to prostitution to earn a living. Some of these girls are as as young as nine years of age.

The prostitution of girls in Brazil is the direct consequence of years of economic recession and the low status afforded to women. Because women have limited access to occupations and resources, they are the ones hardest hit during economic crises.

Since the 1960's, a massive wave of migration has occurred. A large number of the migrants who come to the cities looking for work end up living in crowded slums. As the numbers of slum dwellers grow, so do the numbers of street children. Traditionally, boys have been the ones more noticeable in the streets; however, as more extreme levels of poverty strike families and the family support system disintegrates, more girls are forced into the streets. Journalist Gilberto Dimenstein, who has carried out extensive investigations on street children, suggests that poverty is the principal reason most girls are forced into prostitution. In his book "Girls of the Night", he points out that some families force their daughters into prostitution for food or additional income. "Poverty makes promiscuity look normal. Scenes such as the selling of daughters by their mothers and needle abortions stop provoking shock and indignation. They become part of day to day life". Family problems, not unrelated to poverty, may also lead girls to prostitute themselves. Dimenstein notes that the majority of the girls he interviewed come from broken homes. These girls faced the death of relatives, alcoholism or sexual abuse at home. Many girls denounced their stepfathers as their main abusers. Traditional social mores may also lead girls into the streets, as when girls lose their virginity they are often rejected by their families. Thus many girls see the streets and prostitution as a way to freedom from conflict and violence at home. Some girls are also fleeing boring work and see in prostitution a way to earn more money and become independent.

With the growth of the tourism industry, selling their bodies has become a way for poor girls to have access to tourist dollars. According to research done by sociologist Marlene Vaz with the support of UNICEF in the city of Salvador, (BA), young girls are brought to foreign ships that anchor in the bay. To avoid the scrutiny of the Federal Police, they head to the ships at night and leave just before dawn. The report says that some agencies send photos of Brazilian girls to Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy where tourists choose their companion for the time they will be staying in Salvador. They pay the agency in advance in dollars. Ana Vasconcelos is the founder of Casa da Passagem (House of Passage), an organization doing pioneer work with prostitutes in the city of Recife, (PE). She notes that as girls usually have few marketable skills, sex becomes the only avenue for survival. During a talk in Mill Valley, CA, Vasconcelos explained the lack of alternatives these young women have. "In my country the minimum wage is around $80.- a month. Sometimes a woman can get $200.- with a man who comes on a cruise ship... She has to pay rent... she has kids... she helps her mother. How can she quit prostitution where she makes much more money, and then survive with a minimum wage? Most of these girls barely know how to read and write".

In "Girls of the Night", Dimenstein denounces the trafficking of girls who are forced to work as prostitutes in the Amazon region, especially in mining towns. He explains the system of debt bondage under which the girls are kept. At first the girls are told of job openings, usually in a restaurant or bar in faraway regions. Upon their arrival they are informed they already owe the money for transportation and can only leave after it's paid. They have to pay rent and often receive perfumes and clothing from the owner of the brothel. They very often have no control over the money they make, as their clients pay the owner directly for the "services" rendered. Diseases such as malaria are very common in the region and when the girls get sick and are unable to work, they have additional expenses with medication and food, making it more difficult to pay the "debt" which only increases.

In these places the girls are stripped even further of any vestige of their human rights. On the trail of the trafficking of girls, Dimenstein encountered a brothel in the city of Imperatriz (MA) that auctioned virgin girls. He says that as a new virgin arrives in the town, men come to the brothel and the auction takes place. Usually sons of rich landowners offer the highest bid and gain the right to be "the first". Escaping from these isolated places which very often are only reached by plane or boat is very difficult. Girls are kept under the constant threat of mistreatment and violence and in many instances they find no protection from law officials. A 1992 article in the Folha de Sao Paulo denounced that in the mining town of Cuiu-Cuiu (PA) the police were receiving weekly "contributions" from owners of night clubs who kept enslaved girls. The article says that a document was found signed by the police chief where the names of the night club owners were listed as well as the amount of money received. There were also denunciations that the Military Police, following orders of night club owners, chased the victims who tried to escape from their captors, physically punishing them and even causing their death.

In large urban centres, police brutality against prostitutes is a routine practice. Usually the police arrest the girl, rape her and then release her. Vasconcelos denounces that some policemen have provoked miscarriages during arguments with girls in the street by kicking them in the stomach. In the streets the girls are also under the threat of disease. Vasconcelos suggests that the government shares the blame for the proliferation of disease, especially AIDS. She says that the girls in Recife know about AIDS, usually through TV, but have no way to avoid it. Vasconcelos points out that the government tends to scare people with the message of its campaign: "Be careful about AIDS. AIDS kills!". But at the same time it does not distribute condoms and Brazil is a country where condoms are expensive luxuries for those who are going hungry. It is important to note that social mores and the discomfort that adults have towards adolescent sexuality limit the kind of information and services offered to young women. This is an impediment to efforts that could prevent early pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. During her first experiences working in social programs sponsored by the government of Pernambuco, Vasconcelos saw the taboo surrounding the issue of prostitution. "The government did not want to work with girls, or discuss sexuality or prostitution".

The consequences of the negative attitudes that society has towards these girls are clearly reflected in their low sense of self-esteem that comes with the feeling of being rejected. The degree of low self-esteem and self-hatred is such that many girls respond to the general hostility against them by inflicting violence upon themselves. It is common for girls to cut themselves. As Ana Vasconcelos points out, these acts of self- mutilation and suicide attempts are very often a cry for help.

Due to the singularities that the experience of "being a girl" entails, there must be social programs specifically geared to meeting the needs of marginalized girls. In Recife prostitutes find a refuge from the chaos of the outside world in the "Casa de Passagem", a meeting place where they can discuss the problems involved in "being a prostitute" with psychologists and with other prostitutes in private and/or group sessions. The organization also offers food and shelter for prostitutes, as well as trade courses. "Casa de Passagem" has been recognized around the world for its innovative work with poor girls, being a potential "blue-print" to be adopted elsewhere. Self-empowerment is at the centre of its approach. The girls learn about their rights as children and as citizens. As Vasconcelos explains, they also learn about feminism and their potential as agents of social change. "You have to know that you are a citizen, that you have rights, that there is a constitution in this country, and it is up to every one of us to make this constitution work". Therapy at "Casa de Passagem" occurs in a holistic way. While each individual experience, fear and anxiety is shared with psychologists and other women, each girl is given the opportunity to "see the whole picture", as Vasconcelos explains. "We begin to explain to them about history, we give them an idea of life. They all become revolutionary. They all become involved in changing history".

INDIGENOUS QUESTIONS

We include here two recent newsleters prepared by CIMI and published in our conference.

Newsletter n. 181

FIRE DESTOYS FOREST IN SORORO INDIAN AREA IN THE STATE OF PARA.

CIMI ISSUES SOS IN FAVOR OF AIKEWAR PEOPLE.

The destruction caused by a fire in the Sororo Indian area, located in the state of Para', brought despair to the Aikewar Indian people. The fire lasted 43 days and resulted in the loss of almost 80% of the forest, which covers 26.500 hectares. The economy of the Aikewar suffered irreversible losses. Their crops were destroyed and they werent left with much to hunt, their main food sources. The situation is critical.

Faced with this fact, Cimi, the Organization of Tupi People of Mato Grosso, Para', Amapa' and Maranhao (AMTAPAMA), the Diocese of Maraba and Funai issued the SOS Aikewar this week. In documents that were sent to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the entities requested the urgent diagnosis of the situation, which will identify applicable measures to be taken, and the immediate allocation of funds to recover the area, so as to ensure that all remaining fire sources are extinguished, that the area is reforested and that alternatives for the survival of the Aikewar are identified. ``It is not only an ecological disaster or a matter of serious economic losses, we are talking about the destruction of the forest and natural resources of an Indian area, which is the ground and indispensable source for the survival of the Aikewar people,'' the entities say in the document.

CONSTITUTIONAL CHAPTER ON INDIAN RIGHTS BEGINS TO BE AMENDED

The Special Commission which is analyzing Constitutional Amendment Bill (PEC) n. 133-A, proposed by deputy Nicias Ribeiro (PMDB-Para'), approved yesterday an amended version of the bill proposed by deputy and rapporteur Salomao Cruz (PFL-Roraima). Which harms the right of Indians to their lands. The original proposal (which was aimed at prohibiting the demarcation of areas located close to the border and transfer the jurisdiction for approving demarcations from the Executive branch to Congress) was amended to ensure the power of the states to authorize demarcations, the existence of a law conditioning the regulation of the procedure, and to transfer the power to authorize the exploitation of mineral resources in Indian lands to the Executive branch.

As a result, the states will have the power to veto the demarcation of any Indian land. The decision to remove from the National Congress the power to authorize mining activities in Indian areas meets the interests of mining companies. Only the federal deputies who belong to the Workers' Party voted against the bill at the Commission. The amended version proposed by deputy and rapporteur Salomco Cruz will now be submitted to the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies to be voted on in two rounds at the Chamber and then Senate. It is the beginning of the Constitutional Reform of the Chapter on Indian rights.

Brasilia, October 19, 1995

Newsletter n. 182

CIMI LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR THE LEGALIZATION OF THE MACAXALI TERRITORY

An international campaign for the legalization of the Macaxali territory was officially launched in Brazil this week at a solemn ceremony at the Legislative Assembly of the state of Minas Gerais. The aim of the campaign is to draw the attention of the national and international society and of the Brazilian government to the situation of the Macaxali people. Although over 5,000 hectares of their territory have been delimited, that people has been confined to two small areas separated by a strip of land where eleven farmers live. The 710 Macaxali Indians have experienced, since the 20's, the violent invasion of their area and the rage of the invaders, who have removed the landmarks which indicated the boundaries of their land. The Campaign was also launched in Austria, Germany, and Canada.

The campaign is expected to last until March of next year, and it will take the form of an itinerant exhibition of pictures and handicraft in four Brazilian capitals where a picture book of the Indians will be sold. It also involves visits of Brazilian congressmen, foreign authorities and of the International Red Cross to villages. In parallel to this action, the organizers of the Campaign will collect signatures requesting the removal and the payment of an indemnity to the squatters living in the area to be delivered to the minister of Justice, Nelson Jobim.

MACUXI LEADER IS PAID HOMAGE TO IN THE UNITED STATES

The homage was paid by the Non Government Organization Rainforest Action Network, in San Francisco, to Jacir de Souza, from the board of the Indian Council of Roraima (CIR), during the World Rainforest Week. He was granted the World Defender of the Rainforest Award, which represents the recognition of his personal fight and that of the Indians for the legalization of the Raposa/Serra do Sol Indian Area, which since 1993 depends on an administrative decree to be issued by the ministry of Justice. The homage is also part of the International Campaign for the Demarcation of the area, which CIR launched in July. On November 8, Jacir de Souza will be received by Pope John Paul II at a public audience at the Vatican.

Before the homage ceremony, Jacir was in New York during the celebration of the 50 years of the UN to deliver to president Fernando Henrique Cardoso an open letter requesting the demarcation of the Raposa/Serra do Sol area. The letter should have been personally delivered to the President, but the audience for this purpose, which had been requested on October 20, was canceled at the last oment by the Brazilian Mission to the UN. The president did not reply the letter.

Brasilia, October 27, 1995

Indianist Missionary Council

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