The “Justice on Tracks” Campaign is one of the sponsors of the “1st International Meeting of People Affected by Vale”.

Since the beginning of 2009, right after the World Social Forum in Belém, Brazil, we felt the necessity to elaborate an international meeting to focus exclusively on Vale and its socio-environmental impacts in many regions of the world.

Evident injustice narrated by several communities in Brazil and abroad, the aggressive development model sustained by the mining company and its enormous profits made it urgent to create alternative collective strategies of resistance.

As Combonian Missionaries, we felt directly touched: it was up to us to help the people that we follow in Açaílândia, São Luís, and other small villages along the Carajás railroad, to comprehend the history and the causes of the degradation of their lives.

As we defend life in abundance, we always need to denounce and destroy models that, on the contrary, bring death because of an irresponsible search for profits.

Blessed and encouraged by the 2010 Fraternity Campaign, which stimulates us to study the most evident economic injustices and to compare them with decentralized experiences of popular economy that respect life and the environment, we enthusiastically assume the organization of this new phase of confronting Vale: we dream, together with God, about new ways to relate with the Earth, the natural resources and the whole Creation.

Justice on Tracks, from the beginning, involved the North-East Braziliana province, which supports the campaign and identifies with it. Once more, in this occasion, the participation of Combonians was massive in different preparatory initiatives.

We wrote the magazine “Vale No”, containing many well-informed articles about the evils of the mining company, in special in the Carajás corridor. The magazine supports and complements the artistic work of a well-known Italian movie-maker, Silvestro Montanaro, who made a  75-minute movie about the greatest conflicts and popular resistance along the same region.

Both the film and the magazine will be published soon within the affected communities during simultaneous formation seminars in Pará and Maranhão. Members of the Brazilian Environmental Justice Network and other international partners have already received the material, which is very useful for the formation of their communities and leaders.

Everything was ready for the international meeting. The event was preceded, from the 5th to the 11th of April, by the People’s March in the Vale’s North system.

In partnership with communities, social movements and unions from Pará and Maranhão, we prepared three phases, ready to welcome the public in many countries around the world.

In total, thirty persons reached Barcarena (Pará), Marabá (Pará) and Açaílândia (Maranhão) to take part in a precious interchange between communities affected in various parts of the globe. There was people from Pará, Maranhão, Ceará, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Canada and Mozambique.

Among the public, there were rural and urban communities, neighborhood associations, social movements, Christian communities, politicians, public attorneys journalists, unions, human rights movements, actors, families, young  people, women…

It is impossible to summarize in a few lines the wealth of these encounters (more information is available on the blogs of the event). We managed to rescue the dynamics of reciprocal empowerment that allowed local and international participants to mirror in one another.

In all places, we identified the same strategies from Vale: the conquest of the territory, the marketing to defend a socially and environmentally friendly image, the co-optation of political and judiciary power. In relation to the local leaders, the tendency to manipulate, blackmail and the deliberate intention to divide local communities, threat and criminalize local groups, according to the level of organization of the local resistance groups.

We have also talked about interesting ideas for popular resistance: the effort to give visibility to the conflict (via publications, reports, dossiers), direct actions in opposition to the aggressiveness of the company (land occupation, closing roads, manifests), judiciary actions demanding reimbursement and compensation for environmental damage, production of knowledge adding local knowledge and university research, articulation in networks (international, national and regional), the involvement of key-actors and partners, especially in the judiciary sector.

From the 12th to the 15th of April, the March met with another march, coming from the South System of Vale (states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo). There were also many other people, all converging to Rio de Janeiro where the headquarter of Vale are located and where, every month of April, the company holds its annual meeting with shareholders.

In total, there were 160 people, 80 associations and other entities representing 12 countries. It was a unique occasion: for the first time, all the affected people and their leaders systematized their demands and learned with each other.

These were four intense days, in which we studied and improved our collective strategies. Several areas of conflict were identified: the model of development and the robbing of natural resources, environmental conflicts and pollution, labour conflicts and unionist resistance, conflicts with the communities for land, economic conflicts and exaggerate profits (Vale is the biggest company ion Latin America and the most profitable in the world!)

The most important points highlighted in the final document produced in the meeting had to do with Vale’s public image as a socially committed and environment friendly company: the affected people committed to dismantle such image by showing the impacts of Vale in their lives. A detailed report, with 120 pages and 21 specific cases was presented in the Rio de janeiro State Parliament and given to the press and shareholders of Vale.

An international movement became in charge of producing regular ‘alternative reports’ that point out omissions on the annual sustainability report produced by Vale.The alternative reports will trigger new denunciations and will help the mobilization of communities by giving them tools to elaborate better claims in regards to their rights for more sustainable forms of economy and local development.

During the meetings, we also established new potential sources of alliances between communities and missionary provinces in which there are conflicts involving mining and mineral resources: Mozambique, Chile, Peru, Ecuador…

Justice on Tracks will now resume its work in the North and Nort-East regions of Brazil, strengthened by national and international alliances that guarantee strength to the actions in favor of local communities.

As missionaries, we feel demanded to advance in this unprecedented frontier of dialogue between the Church, the communities and the social movements for the preservation of life, dignity and land.

]]> http://vivatinternational.org/2010/06/09/justice-on-tracks-and-the-%e2%80%9c1st-international-meeting-of-the-people-affected-by-vale%e2%80%9d/feed/ 0 http://vivatinternational.org/2010/05/12/omi-jpic-office-vivat-international-associate-member-call-to-action-to-combat-human-trafficking/ http://vivatinternational.org/2010/05/12/omi-jpic-office-vivat-international-associate-member-call-to-action-to-combat-human-trafficking/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 19:46:34 +0000 Zelia http://vivatinternational.org/?p=1476
Missionary Oblates, VIVAT Member, JPIC Office Call to Action to Help Combat Human Trafficking in Association with 2010 world Cup events in South Africa

In just two months, close to one million visitors will travel to South Africa for the World Cup. This influx of people may also have the unintended consequence of creating opportunities for human trafficking. While not responsible for this tragic crime, the travel and lodging industry is well-positioned to help prevent human trafficking by taking steps to stop the use of hotels for these purposes. The Oblate JPIC Office is working in solidarity with the efforts of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (Church on the Ball), and local initiatives by the Leaders of Consecrated Religious Life (SA) and the South African Council of Churches to counter human trafficking in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Faith Groups Work to Prevent Human Trafficking During the 2010 World Cup Events in South Africa.

Julita Bau, Angelica Chavol, Socorro Rodriquez and Genoveva Maria preparing food for children in Haiti

The earthquake that devastated the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas in January 2010 killed more than 200,000 people, injured 300,000 and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.  Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere before the earthquake, is struggling to recover.  The Missionary of the Holy Spirit Province in the USA and Caribbean tried to help in several ways.  Julita Bau and three other Sisters from Epworth, Iowa went to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Dubuque to pack food for kids in Haiti.  It was organized by the Kids Against Hunger – Iowa.

In their parish community in St. Kitts, Margaret Hansen and Graciela Castro, had an extra collection for Haiti which raised three times the amount of the normal Sunday collection, the St. Vincent DePaul Society held a bake sale and the children of the Kid’s Club made little “Hearts for Haiti” and sold them to raise money for the people of Haiti.

Dinah Marie Aguirre, a nurse by profession, volunteered with several organizations to be sent to Haiti, but has not been contacted as yet.  As Julita wrote, “May the small things we offer help those in their great need in Haiti.”

Another way the Paraclete Province, USA, helped Haiti was through advocacy.  Working with organizations like Jubilee USA Network, the Sisters wrote letters and sent e-mails to support Haiti’s debt cancellation and provide assistance for relief and reconstruction in the form of grants not loans. Through a conference call and a webcast with various organizations in Haiti, the JPIC Coordinator kept up to date with the situation and sent out updates and prayer services.

Help was given also through donations through organizations that were working on the frontlines in Haiti.  Although the above is true, the main way that all the Sisters helped Haiti and her people was through prayers and petitions for Haiti.  Special prayer services were held in some communities and the people of Haiti were remembered in prayer at Holy Hours in the Techny, Rogers Park and Memphis Community. Margaret Hansen said, “Obviously we have been keeping the People of Haiti in our thoughts and prayers each day.”

By Dário Bossi,MCCJ

“I am tired to handle this mining train that passes in front of my house ten times a day. I am tired of listening to this convoy of 300 wagons taking away the wealth of our land and leaving behind a trace of death and deadly accidents: one person dies every month on the train tracks! I am fed up with the white collars discourse: they guarantee that this is going to bring us progress but, for us here, everything has been stopped for more than 20 years!”

This outburst reflects the situation of several families who live in the areas by the ‘Carajás corridor’ – a 559 mile railway that crosses the state of Pará and Maranhão, in the north of Brazil. Here the giant Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) dominates the economy and controls regional politics by exerting monopoly over the richest and most abundant iron mines in the world and also by controlling a vast transportation system that includes miles of railways and an immense fleet of cargo ships.

Vale is the second largest mining company in the world, operating in 30 countries. The company, originally owned by the state, has grown 19 times since its suspicious privatization, which transferred a national treasure to private interests. Vale disguises itself in green and yellow, achieving sustainability and social responsibility standards through powerful propaganda and influence over political parties. On the opposite side, peoples and communities in various parts of the world witness labor conflicts (3,500 people have been on strike in Canada for more than six months), pollution, chemical leaking, corruption of local administrations and even the use of private militias to guarantee the interests of Vale. This is, therefore, a good example of the arrogance of many mining companies in the world.

That is why, since the end of 2007, a network of movements from the north of Brazil has launched the campaign “Justiça nos Trilhos” (‘Justice on Tracks’ – www.justicanostrilhos.org) in order to accuse the conflicts involving the multinational and to claim for socio-environmental justice. Since then, the participation in the World Social Forum in Belém strengthened the network of alliances and the audacity of the campaign, which in 2010 will confront Vale publicly.

The first international meeting of the people affected by Vale will take place next April. Representatives from Brazil, Peru, Equador, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Mozambique, Italy and – possibly – Indonesia will get together for a three-day ‘popular court’, in which they will exchange information, expose to the media the hidden face of the company and interrogate Vale’s directive  board and stakeholders. The Brazilian Network of Environmental Justice (‘Rede Brasileira de Justiça Ambiental’) together with other big and small entities from Brazil will then deepen an important alliance with the Observatory of Mining Conflicts in Latin America (Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros em America Latina) and with international unionist networks from Canada and the US. Right before the event there will be two regional marches – one in Pará-Maranhão and the other in the state of Minas Gerais. This way a better exchange of experiences and strategies may occur between national and international actors involved in all sorts of territorial conflicts.

A precious documentary-film presented in three languages (Portuguese, English and Italian) about the conflicts in the Carajás region will be launched during the event. It will serve as a privileged instrument of accusation and collective consciousness.

In the name of this network we invite Vivat to support us in whatever is possible: the open veins of Latin America need to resume feeding the anemic body of the poor!

It is one of VIVAT’s strongest priorities and values to advocate for the rights of indigenous people as upheld by the United Nations. Thus, VIVAT has been actively working on supporting the indigenous Quilombo population of Brazil in their efforts to claim their human rights.

Since 1989, communities in the Ribeira Valley of the Sao Paulo state of Brazil have been actively demanding their rights. The Brazilian Aluminum Company (CBA), of the Votorantim Group, has been attempting to construct dams along the Ribeira de Iguape River to generate hydroelectric power for its operations. The Tijuco Alto Dam, one of four proposed dams, would create massive amounts of energy for the production of aluminum mainly for export. The benefits of this, however, would be enjoyed by this corporation while the brunt of the negative effects would fall on the local population and environment.

Current VIVAT members ministering to the Quilombo communities in the Ribeira Valley are from the Divine Word Society (SVD) and the Holy Rosary Sisters (MHRS). In the recent past, Spiritans (CSSp) and Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) also worked there.

The Ribeira Valley Quilombos  are Afro-Brazilian rural communities, which group together descendents of runaway slaves living today from subsistent farming and whose cultural expressions have a strong link with the past. Having escaped from slavery, their ancestors formed independent settlements in the region and current Quilombo communities actively work for recognition and titles to their land. The Quilombo population has been historically oppressed and marginalized and the dam construction would only further complicate life for them. Many of the Quilombo families have not been granted adequate documentation for their land and are threatened with losing their homes and livelihoods without any compensation for their displacement. Already over 230 families have been evicted from their land without any compensation as a result of the proposed dam construction. The displacement of these communities presents many crucial problems and violations of human rights, as the livelihood of people is completely disrupted and they are often subjected to a lowered standard of living.

The dam construction presents a major threat to the region of the Ribeira Valley, to its rich cultural heritage, to the economy, and to the communities who live there. The dams would result in massive flooding of fertile land, altering all aspects of life in the region and disrupting farming and fishing (and thus the communities’ source of income). Much of the sediment in the river have already been contaminated with lead and other metals, which have been dumped from mining activity into the river for years. Dam construction would provoke water contamination by releasing the sediment and would pose a serious threat to the surrounding communities and environment. Deforestation and erosion as a result of dam development would reduce the rich environment of the Ribeira Valley and its potential for ecotourism and sustainable development. There are many opportunities in the region for the latter that would improve the quality of life for inhabitants that the dam construction jeopardizes.

Articles 215 and 216 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution state that the government has a duty to protect and support the cultural rights, including the expression of Afro-Brazilian cultures. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 with the aim of eliminating human rights violations, discrimination, and marginalization of indigenous peoples. The declaration, which Brazil was strongly in favor of, “promotes the full and effective participation in all matters that concern [indigenous peoples] and their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development.” With these commitments, the Brazilian government can be held accountable for the negative impacts that the construction of dams poses for the indigenous people of the Ribeira Valley.

The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MOAB) was founded in 1991 to address the issue facing local communities by the proposed construction of dams along the Rio Iguape River. Maria Sueli Berlanga, attorney and activist, has been a strong advocate for the rights of the Quilombolas and a voice against the major problems that the dam construction would mean for their lives. Berlanga, along with other activists Angela Biagloni, Ewerton Liborio, and Ivo Fiuza SVD, have joined with the local communities to protest the construction of the dams. Under the slogan “Land YES! Dams NO!” MOAB has been actively voicing the need for environmental justice and sustainable development for the communities of the Ribeira Valley. Passing the 20-year benchmark of resistance in March of 2009, their effort and persistence in voicing their rights has created a strong movement of communities ensuring that this struggle will continue strong.

VIVAT International has partnered with Berlanga, the local Diocese of Registro (led by Bishop José Luíz Bertanha, SVD), with its clergy, religious and pastoral agents and the well organized NGO groups throughout Brazil in order to stop dam construction.  VIVAT contacted the Mission of Brazil to the United Nations in September of 2008 in order to inform it of plans to present a document to the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations addressing the issue of the proposed Ribeira dam construction. VIVAT presented a written statement to the 12th Session of the Human Rights Council in September of 2009 on Human Rights and Indigenous Communities in the Valley of River Ribeira. With help from contacts in the Ribeira Valley and in Geneva, this statement is now part of the official record of the Human Rights Council and has been circulated to all delegations of the United Nations.

It is the aim and hope of VIVAT to call international attention to the case of the Ribeira Valley as a support for those struggling for their human rights there. We will continue to work with and for the Quilombo Communities and advocate for “Dams No” alongside our VIVAT members and other courageous activists in the Ribeira Valley.

The Valley of the Resistance

The video is the result of a partnership between the MOAB and MAB (Movement of People Affected by Dams) national. Marches, demonstrations and public meetings were recorded, showing the action of the Movement during those 20 years.