WUNRN
FORCED EVICTIONS & LAND GRABBING
- TRAUMA FOR WOMEN
A Cambodian woman wails as workers
begin to destroy her house - her possessions in eviction
for "development." - Photo: Licadho
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THE RIGHT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO
FREE, PRIOR, & INFORMED CONSENT ON PROPOSED PROJECTS THAT MAY AFFECT THEIR
LANDS, RESOURCES, LIVELIHOODS, & COMMUNITIES - WOMEN
Free, Prior and Informed
Consent (FPIC) is the principle that a
community has the right to give its consent to proposed projects that may
affect their lands, resources, livelihoods, and communities. This principle is
protected by international human rights law as “all peoples have the right to
self-determination” and “all peoples have the right to freely pursue their
economic, social and cultural development.”
This is enshrined in the International Labour Organization
Convention 169 and the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
To spread the word about this important right of Indigenous
Peoples, Cultural Survival has just produced an innovative new radio series
available in English and Spanish, ready for broadcast across radio stations
worldwide. These programs will be available for download in a variety of
Indigenous languages. Listen to one of these programs:
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CAMBODIA - WOMEN'S SUPPORT &
SOLIDARITY WITH COMMUNITIES FACED WITH EVICTION & DEMOLITION OF HOMES
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08
May 2012 - Letter from the Women’s Caucus and other civil society
organizations and network participants of the ASEAN People’s Forum/ASEAN
Civil Society Conference 2012 to the Government of Cambodia demanding justice
for the communities within Phnom Penh that have lost their land and homes. It
has also been signed and endorsed by other women’s and civil society
organizations: We write regarding the horrendous situation of communities in Boeung Kok Lake and Borei Keila, within Phnom Penh’s bustling districts. We urge your government to justly and effectively address the issues surrounding the eviction of these communities from their land and homes, the lost opportunities for better life, the violation of their human rights and the destruction of a natural environment. A team from the Women’s Caucus and other civil society organizations and networks visited these communities as participants of the civil society-led ASEAN People’s Forum/ ASEAN Civil Society Conference 2012. We went there to express our solidarity with the communities who have been unjustly denied of their homes and even a teeming natural environment. Their basic rights to adequate living standards and a life free of violence as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and many other international laws, have been violated. In Boeung Kok Lake, we were shocked at what we saw: A natural lake that has been filled up with earth and flattened out. As most of us came from countries that are suffering from and also learning the lessons of unsound environmental practices, it baffled us how a lake that used to be a water reservoir and a fishing village within the city can have such a fate. But what shocked us even more is the sheer violence the communities’ just resistance was dealt with. The communities that have been stewards of Boeung Kok Lake continue to endure such violence. Despite the fear that constantly surrounds them, they welcomed us in what was left of their village and shared their stories with us. They pointed out where their homes used to stand. The women showed us the photograph of how they resisted the violent advances of agents of the Shukaku company and the municipality. Some even bear crimson scars on their faces. We were equally disheartened with the situation in Borei Keila. There, we were also welcomed by women and children, who lost their homes through violent demolition. Some of them saw their husbands beaten and imprisoned. Others were themselves arrested by the police and taken to prison. They suffered violence for merely protecting their property, where they have been living for decades. They were not properly notified. They never had the chance to discuss their options, including a relocation process and site that would minimize the impact of displacement in their lives as working people, schooling children, clean water, health and nutrition for their babies, elderly and so forth. They were not compensated. Today, those who have remained squeeze themselves with several other families at the staircase landings of the surrounding buildings and market. Many only manage to rest when the vendors have already left, using the makeshift stall as their bedroom. They live in unsanitary conditions, with the lack of access to water and adequate toilets. Garbage has been piling up in many parts of the leveled ground. We were told that as they continue to hold on, they felt that they have lost the respect of the surrounding communities. With lack of privacy and services as basic as clean running water, the people, particularly young women and children are becoming even more vulnerable to the elements, diseases and even violence. As part of the bigger community of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), we condemn these forms of atrocities which have been inflicted on communities, especially women and the environment. Our hearts go out to them especially for the women who have been leading the fight for justice while struggling to keep things as normal as possible for their families. As representatives of your government, we urge you to look after the interest of these people in your country. We urge you to ensure that the rights of the people are not sacrificed in the name of “development.” In particular:
Signed: The Southeast Asia Women’s Caucus on ASEAN ______________________________________________ UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
ON HOUSING REPORT TO THE UN WOMEN & ADEQUATE HOUSING
Excerpt - "For women across the world, the right to
adequate housing is as yet unrealized. The status of women‘s right to
adequate housing is central not only to understanding the female face of
poverty worldwide, but also to understanding the dynamics of gender
inequality itself, both within and outside the home.......The recognition and
realization of every woman‘s right to adequate housing is necessary to
ensuring that every woman is able to live a life with dignity." UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
ON HOUSING REPORT TO THE UN 2011 WOMEN & ADEQUATE HOUSING
Excerpt - "For women across the world, the right to
adequate housing is as yet unrealized. The status of women‘s right to
adequate housing is central not only to understanding the female face of
poverty worldwide, but also to understanding the dynamics of gender
inequality itself, both within and outside the home.......The recognition and
realization of every woman‘s right to adequate housing is necessary to
ensuring that every woman is able to live a life with dignity." |
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