This cool, sunny Friday morning took Griselda to meet with Ñu’u Ji Kandii. They have been working with the Defender Network for a little over a year, and have been integrating the issues of migration and US labor rights into their overall programming. The conversation centered around their current projects, especially the difficult work of helping the indigenous communities of the Oaxacan coast make sure they are protected as the Mexican government plans to build a large dam that would displace several communities. Ñu’u Ji Kandii is supporting these communities and making sure that if they are displaced they are properly compensated but most importantly assuring that the communities are involved in the planning process of how to best accommodate both the communities and the government’s needs. We also discussed their outreach program and how they’ve integrated US Know your Rights into their community work. Griselda presented some of our upcoming projects and collaboration opportunities, and the team was excited to help with the planning and participating to assure that the projects come to fruition.
Overall, the trip was a great success – met many new colleagues with a myriad of possible new collaborations, and after talking with our current Defenders they are exciting about making our Outreach Education Program a true success by producing great projects that will reach thousands of migrants and educate them on their USA labor rights.
After a 7-hour bus trip, Griselda arrived yesterday afternoon in Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca. This visit took her to check-in with our Defender Frente Indigena de Organizaciones Binacionales (FIOB). FIOB has been very busy and is about to launch a series of trainings through their Women’s Rights project. Unfortunately, in the Mixtec area of Juxtlahuaca many of the men have migrated in search of a better life, leaving the women behind to fend for themselves but due to cultural traditions that treat women as secondary citizens, they are not in a position to provide for their families. So FIOB’s Women’s Right Project focuses on providing indigenous women with training on human rights, protection against domestic violence, AIDS, empowerment techniques to overcome some of the social and culture traditions that have kept them out of the public domain. The hope is to provide them the information that will make them self-sufficient and be able to move their families forward. The other big project that FIOB is going to present on the following Monday is their annual “community appeal.” On behalf of the many indigenous communities they serve throughout the Central Oaxacan Valley and the Isthmus they survey the communities to assess what their most critical needs and then present them as a formal proposal to the state government. FIOB noted that for the last several years the most prevalent request is good housing – they would like bricks, wood, and metal to be able to build sustainable homes. FIOB continues to focus on the greatest need of the communities they serve so when discussing the specifics of our Defender Outreach Programs they had lots of great ideas that will provide some great pre/post-departure Know Your Rights for these communities.
While in Juxtlahuaca, Griselda visited the newly opened Centro de Derechos Migrante (CDM) satellite office. The office is focusing on an 8-month project that will focus on providing USA labor rights information and investigating any potential complaints. The office is led by two-native Juxtlahuacans who are excited to participate in such an informative project.
The day ended with a rainy 3-hour ride to Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca – the last stop – to visit our Defender Ñu’u Ji Kandii.
Arriving on a very warm, 80 degree Tuesday afternoon, Griselda quickly went to her first meeting with Tequio Juridico. Tequio works specifically with the indigenous communities in Oaxaca, and have extensive educational materials the focus on their three primary areas of work: Women’s Rights Project, which helps indigenous women reclaim their personal rights as women; an Agrarian Project, which assists members of the community regain their land rights, and General Advocacy issues which affect their communities. They sent two representatives to our November 2009 New Defender Training in San Cristobal, Chiapas, and were very excited about the follow-up visit. Griselda spoke with the Tequio team was excited to hear that they have now become the newest member of the Global Workers Defender Network! By joining the Defender Network that gives us three Defenders in Oaxaca now covering the majority of the state. The rest of the meeting focused on several upcoming projects such as complementing their extensive outreach program with our USA Know-Your-Rights information, as well as collaborating to create the first ever Defender Network bi-national outreach education program. This was an opportunity to update each other on their latest programming events and future goals.
Next stop was Witness for Peace. Witness for Peace (WFP) is an independent grass-roots organization whose mission is to support peace, justice and sustainable economies in the Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices which contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean. Global Workers likes to visit with different NGO’s in the communities that its Defenders live and work, in order to make them aware of our work and collaborations within their communities, but also establish that rapport so that advocates see Global Workers and it’s Defenders as resources within the community. The meeting was very fruitful not only in the general discussion of the both organizations, but especially in the discussion of security protocols for advocates. WFP has established some helpful protocols and provided some great contact information for Global Workers as we move towards researching the issue and creating some safety procedures for all Global Worker advocates.
Finally, the day ended with a brief meeting with EDUCA. Educa is a non-profit that promotes human/social rights and social economic development in the indigenous Oaxacan communities. Some of the issues that they focus on are water rights, providing alternative dispute resolution when political tensions arise within the indigenous communities, as well as provide economic development opportunities for the various communities, such as setting up co-ops, so they don’t feel the need to migrate. They provide outreach education and training seminars. The geographic areas they serve are Central Valley; South Sierra & the Coast of Oaxaca. Again, the meeting focused on getting to know each other and exchanging information and ideas.
On this brisk morning in Mexico City, Griselda set out for Tlxcala, Mexico, which is Mexico’s smallest state, located right next to Mexico City. Unfortunately, due to Tlxcala’s proximity to Mexico City some speculate that it is the reason that the trafficking of women has become a part of the culture of Tlxcala, the large city is an easy way to move women through and disperse to other parts of Mexico or other countries. The only NGO that specializes in human trafficking is Centro “Fray Julian Garces” Derechos Humanos y Desarrollo Local, A.C. in Tlxcala City. Centro Fray Julian has been the motivating force for changing the way Mexico as a country has treated human trafficking, such as raising the level of criminalization of trafficking, but more importantly, through their work and investigation, they are working towards creating the first ever rehabilitation services for victims of trafficking. Their work led Txlcala to be the first Mexican state to have a strong state law against human trafficking. This law was passed in November 2009. It carries several protections for the victims such as social services, psychological assistance, and rehabilitation, while allowing the victim time to decide whether they want to file a charge against their trafficker. Centro Julian recognizes that there is a deeply-rooted and longstanding problem of inter-family trafficking, but understands that the first priority is the victim, if they are ever to break the cycle of trafficking. Global Workers recently found out that a large percentage of trafficking victims from Tlxcala end up in New York, so we hope to be able to soon collaborate with Centro Fray Julian and other New York advocates in the fight against human trafficking.
After a very productive meeting with Fray Julian, it was back to Mexico City for a meeting for Mexico’s Working Group of the People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights (PGA) took place in Mexico City this warm afternoon. The PGA is the parallel but independent civil society forum to the GFMD (noted above) that brings together groups from all over the world to share information, dialogue, strengthen their analysis and develop joint positions on current and emerging issues on migration. And because the GFMD is taking place in Puerto Vallarta, this year the PGA will take place in Mexico City, and it will occur the week before the GFMD in the hopes of integrating the two forums, and allowing for a more cohesive and representative open space to discuss the most critical issues of migration. The Working Group has begun to break up into several working groups that will take on the enormous task of putting together an event that promises to attract between 1,500-2,000 people from all over the world.
Finally, to finish off the long day, Griselda met with two of the staff from The Network of Mexican Community Radio Stations (ARMCA). ARMCA is a network of community radio stations in 10 Mexican states (Michoacán, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Sonora, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Estado de México, Puebla and México City). Global Workers and ARMCA have recently joined forces to work on an exciting outreach program that will provide thousands of migrants, know-your-rights information, as well as, updates on various other labor and immigration issues, within the comfort of thier own homes – through thier home radios! By working with ARMCA’s already established network and website, Global Workers will be able to share it’s expertise and information therefore reaching thousands more migrants than it has ever before.
Griselda’s next stop was Mexico City. In Mexico City, she had the opportunity to meet with several colleagues to discuss future projects.
She met with a colleague from Bancomer Foundation BBVA to discuss the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) that will take place in November 2010, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Global Workers has participated in several of the other GFMD’s that have taken place in both Brussels and Athens, Greece. The GFMD is a forum that brings together delegates that represented migrant organizations, diaspora and development organizations, labor unions, academia, and the private sector to discuss the major issues concerning migration around the world and to strategize on overcoming those obstacles. Because the forum will take place in Mexico, there will be a great interest to participate from all over the North, Central and South American countries. Global Workers hopes to be able to participate and assist with the planning process of the forum.
Later that afternoon, Griselda was able to meet and catch up with one of the program coordinators for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and a long-time supporter of GWJA. They were able to catch up and exchange information of some of the newest programs that CRS is working on in the Tabasco and several other parts of Mexico, as well as, sharing what Global Workers has been up to. They were later joined by another colleague from the Pastoral de la Mobilidad Humana who had just come for a two-forum that had focused on the security of human rights advocates in Mexico. In recent years, human rights advocates have become targets for severe violence because of their work in migrant communities. Some NGO’s have faced tremendous repercussions of violence when representing their communities in filing complaints again the state and local governments as well as state and local police, for suffering physical violence at the hands of these government officials. Migrants, as they travel within Mexico, now more than ever, are facing serious dangers such as kidnappings, torture, rape and death from a number of entities – whether it’s the police or gangs or “coyotes” or the drug traffickers. And as the migrants seek the help of local NGO’s, now the advocates face similar dangers for simply helping these migrants either find safety or file complaints. The reality has become that as advocates we need to be proactive about how we face these dangers and come up with safety protocols to protect our well-being.
Getting out before one of the biggest snow storms to hit New York in years, Global Workers’ Mexico Director, Griselda Vega headed to Villahermosa, Tabasco. This trip is focused on visiting potential new alliances with NGO’s in Tabasco that are working with transnational migrants and checking in with our current Defenders in Oaxaca.
In Tabasco, Griselda met with Comite de Derechos Humanos de Comalcalco A.C. (CODEHUCO), Centro de Dignidad en Comalcalco, Tabasco, and Comite de Derechos Humanos de Tabasco (CODEHUTAB) in Villahermosas, Tabasco. The meetings with the first two organizations were an introduction to Global Workers and the work that we do in the US, Mexico, and Guatemala with the Defender Network on behalf of transnational migrants. The meetings were a chance to discuss both our projects and programming, as well as, discuss potential future collaborations. In the town of Comalcalco, about 1 hour outside of Villahermosa, both these organizations are reaching out to one of the most vulnerable populations – Mexico’s youth. With high rates of interfamily violence many youths are pushed to be out on their own, and many choose to migrate with the hope of improving their lives. Migrating in Mexico has become a high risk venture, due to exploitation, and abuse from the police, narco traffickers, and the same “coyotes” or human smugglers that help them travel, so Centro de Dignidad is very interested in how to help these youths.
In Villahermosa, the visit with CODEHUTAB, the only NGO in the state of Tabasco working specifically on migration issues, was very fruitful. Due to CODEHUTAB’s very full plate, it was a great opportunity to meet and further discuss our potential collaboration. By joining Global Workers we could provide CODEHUTAB with the tools to enhance the many services they already provide to thousands of migrants coming through Tabasco. They have recently found an increase in Central American migrant abuses in their neighboring town of Tenosique, CODEHUTAB believes it has to do with the downturn in the economy, which has led to more migration to Mexico by Central Americans; so CODEHUTAB has begun to work in that community. Together we can really work towards minimizing the exploitation of thousands of vulnerable migrants.
Today Dartmouth College awarded Global Workers’ Executive Director with the MLK Social Justice Award for Ongoing Commitment. Cathleen graduated from Dartmouth College in 1992 and has dedicated her life to social justice causes. The celebration also honored alumni Dr. Peter H. Kilmarx for his work to combat HIV/AIDS with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Methembe Ndlovu Co-Founder of Grassroot Soccer in Zimbabwe with the Emerging Leadership Award. Dartmouth’s newly appointed President, Jim Yong Kim, who has a long career in the field of social justice and health including the co-founding of Partners in Health, set the tone for the evening by highlighting the College’s desire to become a leader in cultivating social justice leaders. He highlighted the incredible activism Dartmouth students have undertaken in the response to the Haitian earthquake. The students have gained national attention and raised over $100,000 to help rebuild Haiti. As Cathleen commented during the ceremony, “I am proud to be a Dartmouth graduate and even more proud of the college for making social justice a core Dartmouth value.”
Global Workers’ Executive Director met with staff attorneys at the Stamford Day Laborer Wage Clinic, a Project of Connecticut Legal Services, Inc. The clinic is a pilot project to address the pervasive exploitation of day laborers in Stamford, Connecticut. Day laborers is the term used for workers who wait on street corners to be picked by just about anyone for short term contract work. Often the workers have very little information about the people they are agreeing to work for putting them in a vulnerable position. Too often, fly by night employers do not pay the workers who are left scrambling to make ends meet.
The Day Laborer Clinic started two years ago to orient workers in how to file wage cases in small claims court. If the particular wage theft exceeds the $5,000 limit for small claims, or many workers are affected, the clinic will provide legal representation or refer the case. The pro-bono attorneys who conduct intakes from the tens of workers who fill the office hallways the second and fourth Wednesday each month will also accompany the workers to small claims court for the hearing. To date, the clinic has assisted over 300 workers and recovered over $200,000. The majority of claims however, face serious obstacles such as the contractors’ lack of assets, meaning there is literally no money available to pay the worker even if a judge orders it. Most of the migrant workers in Stamford originate from Ecuador and Guatemala. Global Workers looks forward to working with CT Legal Services to ensure that the day laborers that return to their home countries still have the opportunity to recover the wages stolen from unscrupulous CT employers.
January 21 – 22, 2010
Global Workers attended the first day of the Conference on Irregular Migration: Legal and Policy Perspectives. The two day conference was jointly hosted by the International Organization for Migration and the Center for Migration Studies, and had speakers from all aspects of civil society, including the ACLU and New York Immigration Coalition , and international diplomats , including representatives from Mexico and Morocco, to weigh in on the subject.
The conference began with a framing of the issues of an increasingly mobile world population, and the impact this was making. As we enter 2010, there are 214 million international migrants, affecting every region in the world. The ILO estimates that up to 15%, or 32 million, of world migrants would be considered irregular. Irregular comprises three forms of migration; migrants who entered on a legal visa but have overstayed their allotted time, migrants who entered though undocumented means, and residents who have filed for asylum. To find out more about US-based irregular migration, see our US Migration Data.
One section of the conference which helped give the conversation insight into the human cost of irregular migration was the showing of the Luis Argueta film, abUSed: The Postville Raid, which documented the aftermath of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a factory in Postville, Iowa. The 2008 raid cost the US government almost $5 million, making it the most extensive and expensive raid in history. Argueta interviewed not only people in the Postville community, but Calderas, Dueñas, El Rosario and Parramos, Guatemala, the cities of origin for most of the workers. To learn more and see clips from the film, visit the website.
During a panel on the impact of the economic crisis, the Consulate General from Mexico noted one trend which is becoming more prevalent, is that countries are no longer easily broken down into sending, receiving, or transit countries but often encompass all three. Mexico is a prime example of this, and they are seeing this issue becomingly increasingly important as they move forward with not only migration policy, but large construction projects as well. This often highlights the need for what was stressed by the Mexican representative, which is how essential it is to move forward jointly and in true partnership with other countries which share migration flows. Conferences such as this can only help advocates follow this call and work together as a country, and as a world community to better understand and improve migration.
Global Workers joined advocates from around the country in Arlington, Virginia for the 7th National Low-Income Immigrant Rights Conference to discuss one of the most critical issues facing the immigrant community – comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). While health care reform has dominated the Obama administration’s current agenda, and that proceeds to wrap up, CIR is posed to be the next big agenda item. The strategy sessions covered a wide range of items from how to defend against current immigration enforcement to how to expand and preserve coverage for low-income children.
One of the great plenary sessions had members of the Obama administration – from the White House, Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) – present to discuss the agencies policy priorities impacting the low-income communities. The panelists shared those priorities but also handled some tough questions from the advocates present such as why DHS has moved to conducting more I-9 audits of employers as a way enforcing immigration law and the negative effects that it has had on the immigrant community. An I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form must be completed by the employer for all new hires; an I-9 audit is a random or targeted investigation of employers by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). The investigation includes review and inspection of the employer’s I-9 forms as well as reviewing the employer’s hiring practices. The sessions also focused on how advocates could go back to their communities and work towards ensuring that CIR would truly protect workers of all classes; while all the advocates understand that laws have to be enforced, we also want to work towards creating a process of legalization for immigrants that will be fair, just and humane.
As things currently stand, it looks like a CIR bill will be introduced in mid-to-late December or early January 2010. The advocacy community continues to work tirelessly with our respective representatives to ensure that this CIR bill will provide millions of low-wage workers the protections that all American workers deserve.
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