International Women's Day!

International Women's Day:
Celebration and Struggle in Guatemala

Honestly until today I did not know this day existed all over the world.  March 8th in many countries is a  day to celebrate women and bring awareness to the struggles of women worldwide.

From the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission:

March 8, 2011

Today people around the world are celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a time to recognize the economic, social, and political achievements of women.

In Guatemala, despite continuing high levels of violence, there is still a lot to celebrate. From rural villages to government offices, Guatemalan women continue to lead their communities in organizing efforts, health initiatives, and sustainable local development projects. They are often the strongest voices in defense of human rights, land rights, and indigenous rights. In December, Guatemala elected its first woman to the office of Attorney General. Claudia Paz y Paz is well-respected in the human rights community and understands need to overcome the country's history of gender oppression.

Last March 8, GHRC staff marched with women from across the country. Some were union leaders. Others demanded rights and access to services for HIV positive women. The streets of downtown Guatemala city were filled with the chants and energy of women empowered to make a difference. 

Today, women and solidarity activists are taking to the streets again, seeking to hold their government accountible for addressing femicide and gender violence. Although the atmosphere is upbeat, these issues are some of the most complex, gruesome and heartbreaking of Guatemalan society's current challenges. Guatemalan women continue to earn far less than male counterparts, have less access to education and legal services, and suffer high rates of domestic violence. Furthermore, the number of women who are tortured and killed each year is staggeringly high. In just January and February 2011, 104 women lost their lives.     
Year after year, one woman has been a leading voice of the women's grassroots movement. Sandra Moran, a Guatemalan lesbian activist, feminist, and artist, has been organizing women and working for gender equality for over 20 years.

Women in Santiago, a town on Lake Atitlan

After 14 years in exile, Sandra returned to Guatemala in 1994 to participate in the formation of theWomen’s Sector, an alliance of 33 organizations throughout Guatemala. As a representative of the Women’s Sector, Sandra was the driving force and founder of the National Women’s Forum, a body that generated participation and proposals for women’s public policy after the Peace Accords.

In 1995 Sandra founded the first lesbian collective in Guatemala- We Are Women. She was a central organizer of Guatemala's first gay pride parade at a time when being openly gay was almost unheard of. "We were really afraid," she says, "but we marched anyway."

In 2006, along with Andrea Barrios, Sandra founded Artisan House as an alternative meeting place for women and other diverse groups who face discrimination. It is an artistic space for developing sustainable and creative solutions to support incarcerated women and their families.
Sandra, like so many women in communities across Guatemala, has had the courage to demand gender equality and an end to violence against women. Her resolve to create change extends not just in Guatemala, but to women around the world.
Hear Sandra Moran speak in the US. From March 26-April 8, GHRC welcomes Sandra on an east coast speaking tour. She will address audiences at the Ecumenical Advocacy Days annual conference, as well as universities and community groups from Virginia to New York. She will speak about the causes of such extreme violence against women, the struggle for gender equality, and how the grassroots women's movement has confronted these challenges. See the GHRC website for a full tour schedule. We hope to see you at one of the events!
.
***
Learn more about violence against women:
Epicenter of Violence: Guatemala Combats Brutality towards Women (PBS Newshour report, March 7, 2011)
GHRC Femicide Factsheet (2011)
Guatemala's Femicide Law: Progress Against Impunity? (GHRC, 2009)

See recent news on violence against women in Guatemala