Relocation Now, Mine-Affected Communities in the D.R. and their Allies tell Barrick Gold

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Relocation Now, Mine-Affected Communities in the D.R. and their Allies tell Barrick Gold

As Barrick Gold prepares to hold its Annual General Meeting in Toronto tomorrow, Dominican communities impacted by the company’s Pueblo Viejo mine and their allies have issued an open letter to the company demanding immediate community relocation.

The letter from Espacio Nacional por la Transparencia en las Industrias Extractivas (National Space for Transparency in the Extractive Industry (ENTRE) and the Comité Nuevo Renacer, alleges grave harms to nearby communities’ health, livelihoods, and environment due to the mine’s operations. The letter also raises concerns about Barrick’s plans to expand the Pueblo Viejo mine––already one of the world’s largest gold mines–– including by constructing a new tailings dam. Dominican, Canadian, and U.S. based allies, including the Global Justice Clinic, signed on to the letter in solidarity.

Last month, communities affected by Barrick mines in Alaska, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Nevada, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines came together in a Global Week of Action, calling out the gap between Barrick’s rhetoric on human rights and its record. GJC works in solidarity with communities near Cotuí impacted by Barrick’s operations.

This post was originally published on May 1, 2023. 

Communities in Haiti Renew their Protests Against Newmont Mining Concessions

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

Communities in Haiti Renew their Protests Against Newmont Mining Concessions

Today [April 26, 2023], Newmont—the largest gold mining company in the world—is holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM). This year, Newmont will be focused on pitching shareholders on its proposed acquisition of Australia’s Newcrest Mining Limited. On the other side of the world, Haitian organizations continue to protest its activities in the country’s Massif du Nord mountain range.

Newmont conducted exploration in Haiti between 2009 and 2013 under permits that covered swathes of the country’s North but has been unable to exploit its now-expired concessions due to political and legal obstacles. A revised Mining Law, drafted with World Bank assistance and presented to Parliament in 2017, has yet to pass due to Haiti’s ongoing political crisis. If and when it does pass, it is believed that industrial gold mining would commence. However, the gravity of the humanitarian situation in the country presents another significant hurdle for Newmont: recent reports suggest that gang violence, disease, and food insecurity continue to escalate. 

Since 2013, the Global Justice Clinic has worked in solidarity with social justice and community organizations in Haiti who oppose metal mining. In the small, densely populated country, where many depend on subsistence agriculture, the environmental and human rights impacts of Newmont’s proposed open-pit mines would be disastrous.

This April, communities in the North of Haiti marked Newmont’s AGM by renewing their opposition to the company’s presence on their land. Sixteen local organizations signed a declaration which reiterates their resistance to metal mining and denounces, in the strongest terms, the environmental harm and loss of livelihoods that Newmont’s proposed mine would entail. Their declaration calls on all the communities in the world suffering under the threat of mining operations to “bring our strength and energy together to defend our lives.”

To bring these concerns to the attention of investors, the Global Justice Clinic has published a brief setting out a business case against Newmont’s proposed mining operations in Haiti. In the view of the Clinic and its partners, the material, environmental, and human rights risks of metal mining in Haiti outweigh the value of any investment. Newmont should dissolve its Haitian subsidiaries and responsibly disengage from the country, including by cleaning up its encampments.

April 26, 2023.

Extraordinary Conditions: A Statutory Analysis of Haiti’s Qualification for TPS 1

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

Extraordinary Conditions

A Statutory Analysis of Haiti’s Qualification for TPS 1

This report presents the extraordinary conditions in Haiti that prevent nationals from safely returning. This report also discusses the unique political moment in which Haiti finds itself—a moment which contributes to the country’s challenges with stability and security, impeding its ability to safely receive its nationals. But it also shows where progress has been made, demonstrating that the conditions described here—while together constituting a pressing social and public health crisis—remain temporary. 

Since the U.S. government designated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in January 2010 after one of the world’s worst natural disasters, the country has undergone two additional catastrophes: the outbreak of cholera, introduced into Haiti’s waterways through reckless sanitation at a United Nations military base, and Hurricane Matthew, the strongest hurricane to hit Haiti in more than half a century. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designates countries for TPS in cases of ongoing armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent the nationals of those countries who have emigrated from safely returning to their home country. The DHS redesignated Haiti for TPS in 2011, emphasizing the gravity of the damage that the earthquake had caused and the severity of one of the world’s worst cholera outbreaks. TPS has been extended for Haiti four times since redesignation. 

The conditions for which TPS is in effect remain, making it unsafe for Haitian nationals to return. These conditions include a housing crisis that has left families stranded in camps and in unsafe, makeshift shelters to this day; a cholera outbreak, sparked by United Nations troops just 10 months after the earthquake, which has caused nearly 10,000 deaths and more than 815,000 cases of illness—in a country of fewer than 11 million people; and a period of extreme hunger and malnutrition caused by drought and storms and exacerbated by the economic shocks of the earthquake and Hurricane Matthew. Matthew hit one of Haiti’s key food-producing areas. 

Although these events and conditions are extraordinary and harsh, they are temporary. The Haitian government has made impressive progress in reducing the number of cases of cholera and resulting deaths. As of 2017, Haiti finally has an elected president and a full parliament, for the first time since 2012. 

This report presents the extraordinary conditions in Haiti that prevent nationals from safely returning today. This report also discusses the unique political moment in which Haiti finds itself—a moment which contributes to the country’s challenges with stability and security, impeding its ability to safely receive its nationals. But it also shows where progress has been made, demonstrating that the conditions described here—while together constituting a pressing social and public health crisis—remain temporary.

Rhetoric vs Record: Communities Call out Barrick for Falling Short on Human Rights

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

Rhetoric vs Record: Communities Call out Barrick for Falling Short on Human Rights

Representatives of communities impacted by Barrick Gold’s mining operations claim the company systemically ignores their concerns. Despite President and CEO Mark Bristow’s claim that “recognizing and respecting human rights have long been a fundamental value” for the company, people living near Barrick operations in the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pakistan, and the United States tell a different story.

As Barrick prepares for its Annual General Meeting on May 2nd, frontline communities are launching a Week of Action from April 11-16 calling out the gap between Barrick’s rhetoric and record. They claim oppressive violence, perpetual water pollution, violations of Indigenous Rights, and destroyed livelihoods. Their experiences call Barrick’ social license to operate into question.

These community leaders are calling on Barrick to turn its rhetoric into reality: to listen to their demands, act transparently, and remedy the harms they have already experienced. Below are their statements.

“Barrick’s proposed Donlin Gold mine puts the Yup’ik and Cup’ik ways of life in harm’s way for the rest of time. Our people rely on our river and fish for food security and risking contamination with toxic slurries stands against our traditional values, which is shown with wide Tribal opposition to the Donlin project. I encourage Barrick to revoke their investment in Donlin Gold and the exploratory efforts 35 miles away. Barrick and partners do not have a social license or a relationship with the Tribes and it is important to understand for-profit Native corporations do not represent our people. Barrick does not have our consent.”

Statements

“Barrick has spilled toxic chemicals into the water of the Jáchal River multiple times, while operating in the heart of the San Guillermo Biosphere Reserve, an ecologically sensitive area. They have not been transparent about their impacts, which violates our democratic institutions. The solution is for the company to leave.”

“We have been calling for more than 20 years for justice for the people of the Island of Marinduque whose lives and livelihoods continue to be affected by the contamination of our rivers and marine areas from almost 30 years of irresponsible mining. Barrick is fighting us in our courts rather than providing the compensation we need to do the clean-up ourselves. Marinduqueños have waited long enough, it is time that Barrick lives up to its claims of being a responsible company and takes responsibility for the mess left behind in Marinduque.”

“We have never stopped advocating for justice for the many men, women, and children who have become the victims of the Porgera Joint Venture mine, through the pollution of our rivers, through the house burnings by mine security and police, and through the rapes and killings and beatings of our Ipili and Engan Indigenous people by mine security and police. We oppose Barrick reopening the mine until all the victims of Porgera Joint Venture have been fairly compensated and until we know that Barrick will clean up the mine waste that surrounds our houses.”

“Last December, Barrick Gold reached an unlawful agreement with the central government of Pakistan to extract gold and copper from the Reko Diq mining site. The locals in Balochistan, especially the locals surrounding the mining sites in Chaghi District, did not consent to this project. This violation not only threatens the region’s autonomy and environment but also exacerbates the difficulties already faced by the suppressed local population. Barrick Gold must disclose every detail of the agreement to the masses and the media, and stop working until the local people approve the project.”

“Barrick says they bring progress, but we are one of the poorest provinces in the country, even though we live next to one of the largest gold mines in the world. In 2012, Barrick Gold built the El Llagal tailings dam at the Pueblo Viejo mine. Twenty-one streams have dried up and the project has impacted two principal rivers, the Llagal and the Maguaca. Now, we receive drinking water from the government. We want to ask: if the company is allowed to destroy the streams and rivers that provided water to six communities, why hasn’t there been any efforts to relocate us to another area without all of the pollution and with access to water?”

“The environmental impacts generated by Barrick Gold have been devastating culturally and spiritually for the Western Shoshone, and yet the company claims to ensure responsible mining practices that respects, protects, and preserves our cultural heritage. Barrick’s attempt to mitigate for the protection and preservation of Western Shoshone cultural heritage is to provide funding to assist with establishing a cultural center and language program, funding support for local cultural activities, and trips for the elders to attend other cultural gatherings. This may all sound and look good but is it? Eventually, Western Shoshone people will become totally dependent on funding from an industry that sets out to destroy our homelands. There is no long-term benefit in the destruction of our land and culture.”

In addition to the statements above, Tanzanian Kuria peoples from villages surrounding the North Mara Gold Mine are currently in court in both the UK and Canada claiming excess use of force by mine security and police guarding the mine leading to deaths and maimings.

This post was originally published as a press release on April 11, 2023. 

The Global Justice Clinic partners with social movements and community organizations to prevent, challenge, and redress economic, racial, and climate injustice, while training the next generation of social justice lawyers. Statements of the Global Justice Clinic do not purport to represent the views of NYU, if any.

Earthworks is dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions.

MiningWatch Canada works toward a world in which Indigenous peoples can effectively exercise their rights to self-determination, communities must consent before any mining activities may occur, mineworkers are guaranteed safe and healthy conditions and there is effective access to justice and reparations for mining harms.

Protect Human Rights Defenders and Peasants Facing Land Grabs

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Protect Human Rights Defenders and Peasants Facing Land Grabs

Haitian Human Rights Defender Milostène Castin Submits Communication to UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

On November 18, 2022, Global Justice Clinic client and colleague Milostène Castin submitted a formal communication to the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor. 

The communication and supporting affidavit presents the threats that Mr. Castin has received against his life as a result of his solidarity and activism with peasants—subsistence farmers—including those who have been victim to forced, and often violent, takings of their land. It requests that the Special Rapporteur send an urgent appeal to the Haitian Government regarding Mr. Castin’s case. The submission was made on November 18th in recognition of the Battle of Vertières, which marked the victory of the enslaved population of Haiti overthrowing Napoleon’s army.

Mr. Castin is the Coordinator for AREDE, Action pour la Reforestation et la Defense de l’Environnement (Action for Reforestation and Defense of the Environment) and has collaborated with the Global Justice Clinic for the past ten years. Mr. Castin has tirelessly defended the rights of peasants in rural Haiti, documenting and challenging land seizures and forced displacement. He has also spoken forcefully about the impacts of extractivism and the climate crisis on peasant communities, for example presenting on environmental racism and climate (in)justice in Haiti at NYU in October 2022, at an event to mark the launch of former Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism E. Tendayi Achiume’s final thematic report.

Mr. Castin has been attacked and intimidated due to his work for many years. The Global Justice Clinic works with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to represent Mr. Castin in relation to the threats against him.

Mr. Castin held a press conference in Haiti to coincide with his submission to the Special Rapporteur and to call attention to the ongoing threats to peasant rights in Haiti, particularly land grabs and extractivist projects. He continues to call on Haitian authorities to respect and protect the rights guaranteed by the Haitian Constitution of 1987, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, the International Convention on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

This post was originally posted as a press release on November 21, 2022.

Global Justice Clinic Stands in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples’ Demands at COP27

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Global Justice Clinic Stands in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples’ Demands at COP27

The Global Justice Clinic stands in solidarity with our partners, the South Rupununi District Council, and the broader International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change, also known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus (IPC) as they attend COP27 to advocate for the respect of Indigenous rights in the fight against climate change.

In its opening statement at COP27, the IPC drew attention to the dire impact that the climate crisis has on Indigenous Peoples. The statement, delivered by youth representative Nourene Ahmat Yaya, states that “[c]limate change is a matter of life and death . . . [G]lobal temperatures are increasing, threatening genocide for Indigenous Peoples in Africa, the Arctic, Coastal, Small Islands, and all other ecosystems.” The statement asserts the inherent, collective, and internationally recognized rights of Indigenous Peoples to life, self-determination, territories, and free, prior, and informed consent.

The IPC highlights the need for full and direct participation of Indigenous Peoples in UNFCCC processes and in State actions to combat climate change.   The statement calls on States to include clear indicators for drastic reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in their Nationally Determined Contributions to maintain the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree global average temperature increase commitment, noting that the Paris Agreement commits states to respect and promote their obligations to Indigenous Peoples when taking steps toward climate action.

The Global Justice Clinic has a long-standing partnership with the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC), the representative body of the indigenous Wapichan people of Guyana. The Wapichan people are the traditional inhabitants of the Rupununi region of southwestern Guyana. They model sustainable relationships with the earth and practice stewardship of their land as a central tenet of their collective identity. The SRDC has repeatedly asserted the importance of land rights and self-determination in furthering the Wapichan people’s ability to continue their traditional way of life, and to ensure the transmission of customary values between generations.

As such, the Global Justice Clinic supports Immaculata Casimero, Alma O’Connell, and Timothy Williams, SRDC representatives attending COP27, in demanding that the Guyanese government fulfill its obligations to grant legal recognition of the Wapichan territory and recognize the Wapichan people’s contribution to combating the global climate crisis. The SRDC’s effective management and continued protection of Wapichan territory is hindered by national policy that does not recognize their rights to their full territory.

The Global Justice Clinic also joins the IPC and Indigenous rights advocates in underscoring the risks that voluntary carbon markets and the sale of  ‘ecosystem services’ pose to Indigenous Peoples’ rights. These market-based climate solutions risk undermining Indigenous Peoples’ land rights and allowing parties in the Global North to continue exploiting the world’s natural resources without meaningfully contributing to real emissions reductions. The Global Justice Clinic echoes the SRDC’s concerns over the lack of meaningful free, prior, and informed consent in engaging villages over Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy, which aims to use voluntary carbon markets to become a leader in climate change.

We call on governments at COP27 to listen to Indigenous Peoples. We continue to echo the IPC’s demands for swift action to truly reduce emissions and honor the rights and knowledge of the Indigenous caretakers of our planet.

This post was originally published as a press release on November 18, 2022.

Racism Causes Climate Vulnerability in Haiti: Collaborative Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Racism Causes Climate Vulnerability in Haiti

Collaborative Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism

On June 20, 2022 the Global Justice Clinic and seven Haitian organizations made a submission  to the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, demonstrating how racism shapes Haitians’ experience of the global climate crisis.  The submission by the Clinic and partners in Haiti — Action pour la Reforestation et la Defense de l’Environnement (Action for Reforestation and Defense of the Environment, AREDE), Commission Épiscopale Nationale Justice et Paix (National Episcopal Commission, Justice and Peace, CE-JILAP), Equal Health, Social Medicine Alumni (SMAH), Kolektif Jistis Min (Justice Mining Collective, KJM), Konbit Ekolojis Sid (Working Together for Ecology, South, KES), Mouvman Fanm Mouvman Peyizan Papay (Women’s Movement of the Peasants’ Movement of Papay, MPP), Sant Altènatif Kominote ak Lapè (Alternative Center for Community and Peace, SAKALA) and Sosyete Kiltirèl Jen Ayisyen (Haitian Youth Cultural Society, SOKIJA) — will inform the Special Rapporteur’s upcoming report to the UN General Assembly on racial and climate justice.

Haiti is consistently named as one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world. Drawing on the perspectives and experiences of Haitian community organizers, advocates, and social movement leaders, the submission highlights the ways in which the climate crisis is already devastating Haitian communities and reinforcing marginalization — with rural farmers, women, and poor urban communities bearing the worst impacts — and briefly outlines the racist roots of the country’s climate vulnerability. The submission also outlines how racism and xenophobia assure that Haitian migrants experience disproportionate climate vulnerability and harms wherever they live, even beyond Haiti’s borders. An annex presents written statements prepared by contributing Haitian organizations.

As the Special Rapporteur presents her report this fall ahead of COP 27, the submission argues that Haiti exemplifies that just responses to the global climate crisis must center racial justice.

This post was originally published as a press release on July 6, 2022.

Indigenous Women in Guyana Commit to Protecting their Lands from Destructive Mining, Deforestation

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT

Indigenous Women in Guyana Commit to Protecting their Lands from Destructive Mining, Deforestation

At the end of an indigenous women’s empowerment conference in the Parikwarnau Village in Guyana from April 4-5, 2022, delegates pledged to take action and demanded the same from the government of Guyana.

The eighty-six women attending the conference committed to advocating for legal recognition of traditional Wapichan lands, continuing to sustainably care for those lands, protecting waters and forests from the effects of mining, combating climate change, and addressing pressing social issues. These commitments and demands were set out in a Call to Action by the female protectors of the Wapichan Wiizi.

The conference was hosted by the women’s arm of the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) (and Global Justice Clinic partner), the Wapichan Women’s Movement (WWM). Led by Immaculata Casimero and Faye Fredericks, key topics at the conference included indigenous women’s protections under international law, particularly CEDAW, and their role in the fight for climate justice. For example, indigenous women are particularly vulnerable to the food insecurity that has resulted from climate change, as the family’s primary food providers. Women learned together about concepts like “nature-based solutions”—the idea that focusing on protecting nature and biodiversity through sustainable actions like allowing forests to regrow is a way of combating climate change. “Indigenous peoples are the original inventors of ‘nature-based solutions,’” Immaculata Casimero said at the end of the conference. “To combat deforestation, we have captured aerial images of impacted areas and plan to use them in advocacy efforts.”

Casimero and Fredericks reported feeling a palpable shift in the room after the conference; they are confident that indigenous women felt empowered by this experience and will return to their communities and share their knowledge with others. The women’s plans are captured by the concrete commitments and demands listed in the Call to Action, which the SRDC posted on Facebook.

This post was originally published on April 18, 2022.

Akapaman Tè An Ayiti Vyole Dwa Fanm Yo Epi Agrave Kriz Klimatik La, Deklare Òganizasyon K Ap Defann Dwa Yo

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

Akapaman Tè An Ayiti Vyole Dwa Fanm Yo Epi Agrave Kriz Klimatik La, Deklare Òganizasyon K Ap Defann Dwa Yo

Dokiman Global Justice Clinic nan NYU ak Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn depoze devan Rapòtè Espesyal Nasyonzini sou Vyolans Kont Fanm prezante konsekans dappiyanp sou tè ki fèt ak vyolans kont fanm nan Savane Diane

Español | English

Dappiyanp sou tè, avèk anpil vyolans ki lakoz deplasman fanm peyizan ki t ap travay latè nan Savane Diane se yon aksyon ki reprezante vyolans k ap fèt sou fanm epi ki agrave vilnerabilite klimatik la, se sa Global Justice Clinic ki nan Inivèsite New York ak Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn (SOFA) te di Rapòtè Espesyal Nasyonzini sou Vyolans Kont Fanm nan yon dokiman yo te depoze nan biwo li semenn pase a. Dappiyanp sou tè nan Savane Diane, ki mete SOFA deyò sou tè li te konn itilize pou anseye fanm teknik agrikòl ekolojik epi dirab, se youn nan egzanp pami tout lòt zak dappiyanp sou tè ki te fèt pandan dènye mwa sa yo. Dappiyanp sou tè an Ayiti ap ogmante pandan sistèm jistis la li menm pa genyen kapasite pou pote repons.

“Nou mande Rapòtè Espesyal la pou li panche sou pwoblèm nan paske nou pa rive jwenn jistis an Ayiti,” se deklarasyon Sharma Aurelien, ki se Direktris Egzekitif SOFA. “Tè sa te kontribye nan ede fanm yo konbat povrete epi nan enterè tout sosyete a” daprè sa li fè konnen.

An 2020, nèg ak zam itilize gwo ponyèt ak vyolans epi fòse manm SOFA kite tè a.  Se tè gouvènman ayisyen an te bay yo dwa pou yo menm sèlman itilize li. Plizyè manm SOFA te resevwa anpil kou anba men yo.  SOFA te aprann genyen yon konpayi ki nan Agwo-endistri ki rele Stevia Agro Industries S.A., ki t aprevandike li genyen tit pwopriyete pou tèren an pou yo kiltive ‘stevia’ pou voye vann lòtbò. Gouvènman ayisyen an te anile dwa li te bay SOFA a pou itilize tè a, san okenn pwosedi jidisyè, epi nan kòmansman ane 2021 an, ansyen Prezidan Jovenel Moïse, ki te la alepòk, fè tè a tounen yon zòn franch agwo-endistriyèl atravè yon dekrè egzekitif.

“Minis Agrikilti a mete tèt li nan plas jij pou pran pozisyon pou Stevia Industries epi pèmèt li kontinye aktivite yo pandan SOFA te resevwa lòd pou li kanpe sou aktivite pa li yo,”daprè Marie Frantz Joachim, ki se manm kòdinasyon nasyonal SOFA.

Nan dokiman enstitisyon yo te depoze a, yo souliye jan dappiyanp sou tè a agrave vyolasyon dwa yo. Sa agrave povrete a ak ensekirite alimantè nan zòn nan, epi fanm k ap chèche travay pou Stevia Industries yo ap fè fas ak esplwatasyon seksyèl epi ak moun ki vòlè salè yo. Dappiyanp sou tè vyole tou dwa pou abitan yo jwenn dlo, nan yon kontèks kote kriz klimatik la ap vin pi mal: nan 8600 ekta tè yo sezi yo pou pwodiksyon stevia a, genyen twa (3) rezèv dlo leta pwoteje.

“Nou pèdi rezèv dlo nou yo paske yo vin [pou konpayi] a kounya. Pandan tan sa a, nou ap viv yon gwo kriz dlo,”se deklarasyon Esther Jolissaint, ki se yon manm SOFA ki afekte nan Savane Diane.

Chanjman klimatik, dappiyanp sou tè ak vyolans kont fanm se plizyè fenomèn ki makonnen youn ak lòt, daprè sa enstitisyon yo fè konnen. Yo toujou rekonèt Ayiti kòm youn nan senk (5) peyi ki pi afekte akoz kriz klimatik la. Dappiyanp sou tè se petèt alafwa rezilta vilnerabilite klimatik la ak ensifizans resous yo, menm jan tou dappiyanp sou tè a kapab agrave vilnerabilite klimatik la, paske tè agrikòl vin pi ra chak jou pi plis pandan y ap itilize yo pou fè monokilti oubyen pou lòt aktivite endistriyèl ki ap degrade anviwònman an. Fanm yo pi ekspoze nan sitiyasyon sa.

“Dwa pou fanm nan zòn riral yo jwenn tè ak resous agrikòl se yon bagay ki fondamantal pou garanti dwa yo genyen kòm moun, epi sipòte rezilyans klimatik la,” daprè Sienna Merope-Synge, ki se Ko-Direktris Inisyativ Jistis Klimatik nan Karayib la nan GJC. Yo dwe rekonèt dappiyanp sou tè ki fèt kont fanm kòm yon fòm vyolans kont fanm,” selon sa li kontinye pou li di.

Dokiman sa a ki depoze nan tèt kole ant enstitisyon yo, konsantre li sou apèl SOFA lanse pou genyen reparasyon ak restitisyon pou fanm ki afekte akoz dappiyanp tè sa. Li prezante tou apèl SOFA ak mouvman sosyal Ayisyen yo lanse pou genyen pi gwo pwoteksyon sou dwa pou peyizan genyen tè, nan moman kominote riral yo ap fè fas ak ogmantasyon ka dappiyanp sou tè k ap fèt nan peyi a. Kominote entènasyonal la dwe panche plis sou pwoblèm nan epi denonse li, daprè sa enstitisyon yo fè konnen. “Nou ap mande solidarite bò kote lòt moun ki angaje yo nan batay mondyal ki genyen pou garanti respè dwa moun,” daprè sa Aurelien fini pou li di.

Pòs sa a te pibliye kòm yon lage laprès sou 5 avril 2022.

Pòs sa a reflete deklarasyon Global Justice Clinic la epi li pa nesesèman opinyon NYU, NYU Law, oswa Center for Human Rights and Global Justice.

Acaparamiento De Tierras En Haití Viola Los Derechos De Las Mujeres Y Profundiza La Crisis Climática, Explican Grupos De Derechos

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

Acaparamiento De Tierras En Haití Viola Los Derechos De Las Mujeres Y Profundiza La Crisis Climática, Explican Grupos De Derechos

La sumisión de la Clínica de Justicia Global de NYU y Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn a la Relatora Especial de la ONU sobre la violencia contra la mujer subraya las consecuencias del acaparamiento violento de tierras contra las mujeres en Savane Diane, Haití 

English | Kreyòl

Un acaparamiento violenta de tierras desplazó a mujeres agricultoras en Savane Diane, Haití y constituyó violencia de género y ha agravado la vulnerabilidad a los cambios de clima, según la sumisión que la Clínica de Justicia Global de NYU y Solidarite Fanm Ayisyèn (SOFA) le presentaron a la Relatora Especial de la ONU sobre la violencia contra la mujer tarde la semana pasada. El acaparamiento de tierra en Savane Diane, el cual le quitó tierra usada por SOFA para educar a mujeres en técnicas agrícolas más ecológicamente sostenibles, es sólo uno de varios ejemplos de tal acaparamiento en los últimos meses. Acaparamientos de tierra están aumentando en Haití, mientras el poder judicial haitiano no ha respondido.

“Solicitamos la atención de la Relatora Especial porque no hemos podido garantizar la justicia en Haití,” dijo Sharma Aurelien, la directora ejecutiva de SOFA. “Esta tierra ayudó a las mujeres a combatir la pobreza y benefició a toda la sociedad,” ella continuó.

En 2020, hombres armados violentamente echaron a los miembros de SOFA de las tierras sobre cuales el gobierno haitiano les había otorgado derechos exclusivos de uso. En el proceso, golpearon brutalmente a algunos. Desde ese entonces, SOFA se ha enterado que la empresa agroindustrial, Stevia Agroindustrias S.A., estaba reclamando título del área para cultivar stevia para exportación. El gobierno haitiano revocó los derechos de SOFA a la tierra, sin ningún proceso judicial, y, en principios del 2021, el difunto presidente, Jovenel Moïse, convirtió la tierra en una zona franca agroindustrial por decreto ejecutivo.

“El Ministro de Agricultura asumió el papel de juez, apoyando a Industrias Stevia y permitiendo que continúen con sus actividades mientras que SOFA fue ordenada a suspender las nuestras,” dijo Marie Frantz Joachim, miembro del comité coordinadora.

La sumisión de las organizaciones enfatizó la violación de los derechos conjuntos ocasionada por la apropiación de la tierra. Esto está profundizando la pobreza e inseguridad alimenticia en la zona, y las mujeres que trabajan con las Industrias Stevia han sufrido explotación sexual y robo de salarios. El acaparamiento también vulnera el derecho al agua durante esta misma crisis climática: los terrenos incautados incluyen tres reservorios de agua protegidos por el Estado.

“Perdimos nuestras reservas de agua porque ya le pertenecen a [la compañía]. Mientras tanto, estamos sufriendo una gran crisis de agua,” dijo Esther Jolissaint, miembro de SOFA afectado en Savane Diane.

El cambio climático, el acaparamiento de tierras, y la violencia contra las mujeres son fenómenos interconectados, explican las organizaciones. Haití frecuentemente está listado como uno de los cinco países más afectados por el cambio climático. El acaparamiento de tierras puede resultar de la vulnerabilidad climática, y también puede contribuir a ella, ya que las tierras agrícolas, cada vez más escasas, se convierten en monocultivos agrícolas que degraden el medio ambiente. Las mujeres son particularmente vulnerables.

“Los derechos a la tierra de las mujeres rurales y el acceso a los recursos agrícolas son esenciales para garantizar sus derechos humanos y apoyar la resiliencia climática,” dijo Sienna Merope-Synge, la codirectora de la Iniciativa de Justicia Climática del Caribe de la Clínica de Justicia Global. “El acaparamiento de tierras contra las mujeres debería ser reconocido como una forma de violencia de género,” ella continuó.

La sumisión conjunta enfatiza el llamado de SOFA por reparaciones y restitución para las mujeres afectadas por el acaparamiento de tierras. También destaca el llamado de SOFA y movimientos sociales haitianos para una mayor protección de los derechos de los campesinos a la tierra, ya que las comunidades rurales en Haití han notado un aumento en el acaparamiento de sus tierras. Las organizaciones explican que se necesita más atención y condenación internacional. “Estamos pidiendo la solidaridad de otros comprometidos en la lucha mundial por el respeto de los derechos humanos,” concluyó Aurelien.

Este post fue publicado originalmente como un comunicado de prensa abril 5, 2022.

Este post refleja la declaración de la Global Justice Clinic, y no necesariamente las opiniones de NYU, NYU Law, o de el Center for Human Rights and Global Justice.