Lilla Network announces English-language publication of Chiapas pro-women directory

The Lilla: International Women’s Network is proud to announce the English-language publication of its directory of pro-women organisations operating in Chiapas, Mexico. Entitled The Struggles for Women’s Rights in Chiapas: A Directory of Social Organisations Supporting Chiapas Women, it is the translation of the original Spanish work, Las Luchas por los Derechos de las Mujeres en Chiapas: Un Directorio de Organizaciones Sociales que Trabajan a Favor de las Chiapanecas. The English publication brings an end to a 12-month project, and is introduced with a text by Mercedes Olivera B. of the Centre for Higher Studies of Mexico and Central America (Centro de Estudios Superiores de México y Centroamérica, CESMECA) and the Chiapas Centre for Women’s Rights (Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas, CDMCH).

The English edition of the directory can be downloaded at the following links:

• The complete publication (also here from this external link).
• The complete publication (as a .zip file from an external link).
• The prologue, hints and tips, and research methodology.
• The introduction by Mercedes Olivera B.
• Two maps of Chiapas plus the location index, listing the areas of operation of the organisations registered in the directory.
• The directory of organisations (also here from this external link).
• The index, including names and abbreviations of civil society organisations mentioned in the directory (in both English and Spanish), as well as the issues dealt with by the organisations and the populations they work with.
• The appendices, which include the EZLN’s Women’s Revolutionary Law, the Political Pact: Non-Governmental Organisations, Collectives, Social Organisations and Institutions of Chiapas, Free of Violence Against Women, and the questionnaires used to collect the information which appears in this publication.

In addition, a revised edition of the original Spanish publication has been finalised. Both editions are available for download here: http://lilla.org.au/directory-chiapas.

We appreciate your comments on this publication, which can be sent to info@lilla.org.au.

Launch of the directory of pro-women organisations in Chiapas, México

It is with great pride that the Lilla: International Women’s Network announces the publication of Las Luchas por los Derechos de las Mujeres en Chiapas: Un Directorio de Organizaciones Sociales que Trabajan a Favor de las Chiapanecas (soon to be published in English as The Struggles for Women’s Rights in Chiapas: A Directory of Social Organisations Supporting Chiapas Women). This directory is the result of close to ten months of research and preproduction work, and is introduced with a text by Mercedes Olivera B. of the Centre for Higher Studies of Mexico and Central America (Centro de Estudios Superiores de México y Centroamérica, CESMECA) and the Chiapas Centre for Women’s Rights (Centro de Derechos de la Mujer de Chiapas, CDMCH).

The publication presents the contact details of 62 civil society organisations that operate in Chiapas, Mexico, to improve the lives of Chiapas women, together with descriptions of the work and projects of each organisation. The groups included work on a wide range of issues, such as agroecology, craftwork, popular education and communication, human rights, women’s rights, indigenous rights, sexual and reproductive rights, many forms of development, interreligious dialogue, social business, feminisms, homophobia, youth, natural resource management, nonviolence, prisoners, radio, recovery of indigenous traditions, civil resistance, migrant workers and violence expressed in many forms (to name just a few).

The launch of the directory will take place on Wednesday 29 July at midday, in Café Museo Café in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. The Café is located in the street María Adelina Flores 10, in the Historical Centre. For those organisations who handed in their completed questionnaire, we will make a printed copy of the directory available to them at the launch or via other means, as necessary. For other interested people or organisations, an electronic version of the directory is available for free download at the following links:

• The directory’s cover.
• The complete directory in black and white.
• The complete directory in colour.

This publicaction has been designed for wide distribution, so we appreciate it if you share the news of the directory with your contacts. The reproduction of any information in this directory is permitted as long as the source is recognised. In the coming weeks the English translation of the directory will be made available for download on this webpage. We hope this publication is of use to organisations both within and outside of Chiapas, particularly for women’s organisations but also those which deal with other issues — local organisations will have a means of contacting each other to strengthen their networks and struggles, while non-Chiapas organisations will be able to use the directory to provide an overview of the situation of women and pro-women’s organisations operating in Chiapas. We appreciate your comments on this publication (which can be sent to info@lilla.org.au).

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Directory of pro-woman organisations in Chiapas, Mexico

Firstly, we’d like to thank the organisations who have already submitted their questionnaires. We are happy to have their participation in our directory of organisations which work to benefit the women of Chiapas.

For those organisations who wish to participate but haven’t been able to submit their completed questionnaire, the due date has been extended.

The new deadline is Wednesday 15 April 2009.

We believe that the directory offers a resources for the women of Chiapas, the grassroots organisations operating in the state, and other organisations at a national and international level. The more organisations participate, the richer the resource. Your valuable participation will increase the usefulness of this directory, and we hope you will choose to be part of the project. We also take this opportunity to remind you that each organisation which shares its contact details and information will receive a copy of the printed directory (in Spanish).

We’re republishing the translation of the Spanish-language questionnaire, designed to be accessible to indigenous, campesino and community groups. It includes instructions on completing and submitting the document, a publishing authorisation and the questionnaire itself.

To download the version designed to complete electronically and submit via email (Word file, 6 pages), click here.

To download the version designed to be filled in by hand and posted or hand delivered (PDF file, 9 pages), click here.

If you have any questions on the questionnaire’s format or the means of submitting the completed questionnaire, contact the directory coordinator, Jodie Lea Martire, via the contact form.

Just Comment: Working together to address rights for women

Women’s rights in Australia are still not adequately protected. 86% of the targets of domestic violence are women; women make up only about one quarter of our elected representatives; and women in full time work are paid 16 cents in the dollar less than men, whilst also doing the bulk of society’s unpaid work.

Internationally, abuses of women’s human rights increasingly cut across state boundaries, one of the best examples of this being the trafficking of people. Women’s rights movements throughout the world have been instrumental in bringing about positive changes for women in these areas. There is a growing need for local women’s movements, organisations and networks to connect and to work together for rights at the global level.