Guatemala: Indigenous women mobilized for their right to a full life and for their right to land and territory
In the context of March 8th, peasant and indigenous women took to the streets to commemorate their struggle and resistance in different parts of the country. They also carried out training and advocacy activities in their territories.
The National Coordinator of Widows of Guatemala, Conavigua, a member of Cloc-Vía Campesina, mobilized in Tegucigalpa and in a statement greeted all the women, paying tribute to the memory and history of the grandmothers who have transcended into another dimension of life. They expressed gratitude for their example of struggle and resistance and the transfer of knowledge they have inherited from generation to generation.
They also valued and recognized the efforts and dedication of peasant and indigenous women to eradicate all forms of violence, patriarchy, and the criminalization of social struggles, and recognized the importance of denouncing all acts of racial discrimination that affect their lives.
Below is an excerpt from their statement:
We encourage and stand in solidarity with our sisters in the Achí linguistic area for their intense struggle to demand justice for the serious violations of their human rights to which they were subjected during the war, especially sexual assault, which the courts now seek to leave unpunished. We commend the courage of all women and encourage them to continue consolidating their struggles. We call for strengthening alliances, coordination, and networks at the national and international levels. Only in this way will we achieve a full life for all women.
We encourage and support women, and especially Mayan women, who hold public office. They must continue to exercise their leadership, talent, and ability to support and accompany women’s demands for economic empowerment, which will nurture their autonomy and their desire to contribute to a full life.
Q’eqchí Women Commemorate Their Struggle for Land and Territory in the Polochic Valley
Q’eqchí women, members of the Peasant Unity Committee (CUC), commemorate their struggle for land and territory in an act of resistance and unity where they reaffirmed their role as guardians of their ancestral territory.
During the event, Claudia, one of the community leaders, offered a welcoming message in which she emphasized the importance of perseverance and sisterhood in the fight for collective rights. “Let us strongly embrace our paths of struggle. We are guardians of the land. Let nothing stop us, and let us join forces, woman to woman, community to community, to achieve the changes we desire,” she said.
Matilde, from the community of San Esteban, highlighted the need for the justice system to protect women from all types of violence, noting that justice is lacking in rural communities and many cases of sexual violence go unpunished. At the same time, she expressed her opposition to the salary increase for the representatives, arguing that “it is unfair to increase the salaries of representatives when they have done nothing to benefit the people. We also disagree with the dispossessions caused by landowners because they hurt us deeply.”
This meeting represented an effort to strengthen community organization and highlight the struggle of Indigenous women in defense of their land rights. In a context marked by territorial conflicts, they reaffirmed their commitment to protecting their natural resources and cultural identity, promoting a message of unity and resistance.
This post is also available in Español.