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).

Volunteer Opportunity – Graphic Designer needed

The Lilla Women’s Network at ERC is looking for a graphic designer to assist with the layout of a directory we are compiling, of women’s NGOs in Chiapas, Mexico. This work is essential in its support of grassroots organisations in terms both of safety, and networking. It would most likely be a few days worth of work. Spanish language skills would be a bonus, but are not essential. Please contact marthese@lilla.org.au.

Applications for second round of Mexico internships now open

The Lilla Women’s Network at ERC have decided to open up our Mexico internship program for a second round, and as such we are looking for Spanish speaking women available from June 28^th for a three month internship program. This program will be supported both in country and from Sydney, and will involve working in a grass roots organisation in pursuit of social justice for women. Please contact marthese@lilla.org.au for more information.

Directory of pro-woman organisations in Chiapas, Mexico: Questionnaire

As part of our project to compile a directory of pro-women’s organisations operating in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, the Lilla Network presents the questionnaire which will need to be filled in by the organisations which wish to participate.

This document is a faithful translation of the Spanish-language document, designed to be accessible to indigenous, campesino and community groups. It includes instructions, 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.

The deadline to hand in the completed questionnaire is Sunday 15 March, 2009.

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.

New Lilla Network project in Chiapas, Mexico

The Lilla: International Women’s Network has launched a new pilot project in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The Network hopes to extend its international network to the grassroots movements and social organisations which conduct work in favour of the women of Chiapas, thus permitting connections with Lilla’s contacts in Australia and India.

To begin our work in Chiapas, the Lilla Network is initiating two projects. The first is to connect Australian women to organisations in Chiapas working at the grass roots in  pursuit of social justice for women. This will take the form of a three-month internship during the first months of 2009, with the possibility of opening a second round of internships later on in the year. Both the organisations and the interns will be supported by a coordinator, who will be based in Chiapas for the duration of the internship.

The second project will be the research and compilation of a directory of organisations located in Chiapas which work in favour of women’s rights. The objective of the directory is to offer a resource to the organisations of Chiapas and other national and internatioal organisations which are interested in the struggle for women’s rights in the south of Mexico. We plan to include the largest possible number of organisations, including feminist, religious and autonomous organisation; campesino, indigenous and urban movements, campaigns against the trafficking of people and violence against women; groups of women, groups of men with an understanding of gender, mixed groups, etc. These are only a few examples. The final document will be published in a print edition in Spanish, to be distributed to the organisations which appear in the directory, and it will also be distributed in electronic format en Spanish and English.

If you or your organisation wish to know more about the new projects of the International Women’s Network in Chiapas, or would like to participate in the internship of the directory, please get in touch with the researcher in Chiapas, Jodie Lea Martire, using the contact form.

Submission: From Victims to Changemakers

A Grass-roots focus for the National Plan of Action to Reduce Violence against Women and Children

In July 2008, Lilla made a submission to the new National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and Children. We argued that an effective National Plan of Action needs to be informed by Australia’s long history of strong and diverse social movements addressing men’s violence against women and children. Indigenous women’s groups, immigrant and refugee women’s groups, feminist groups, human-rights activists and advocates have all formulated creative and effective initiatives which have facilitated women’s transformation from isolation and victimhood to empowerment and rights, making significant and lasting changes in the lives of many women and their children and society at large.

Opportunity or Indenture: Human Trafficking in Australia

Human trafficking is a complex crime that transcends national  boundaries and impacts on many different countries, including Australia. The purpose of trafficking is sexual or  labour based exploitation where the victim is usually deceived about the type and conditions of work they are being recruited for. Australia’s effort to tackle this crime has come from both the government and the community, however combating this phenomenon is no easy task – especially since there is widespread disagreement as to the types of conduct that amount to trafficking. This issue must be considered in relation to Visa 457 and its facilitation of labour exploitation that in some circumstances can amount to human trafficking. 

Read entire article by clicking on image.

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.