By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – The political climate heat turned violent in Venezuela as three political activists were shot and killed. Supports of the Presidential challenger Henrique Capriles, political opposition leaders Omar Mereno and  Antonio Avila were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to CNN, the caravan the activist leaders had been attached to had been stopped by a blockade. The opposition leaders Mereno and Availa exited the caravan, requesting permission to pass, when a gunmen opened fire upon them. Two other people were wounded. One the wounded, Hector Rojas latter succumbed to his wounds at a nearby hospital.

Survivors indicated that the blockade had been formed by a group of militant Chavez supporters.

Each of the dead were leaders of  smaller groups that had grouped together to form the opposition coalition Democratic Unity Table (MUD). Each group has come together to challenge current President Hugo Chaves. The incident occurred shortly after a rally for Presidential Hopeful Henrique Capriles. The rally was held in Caracas and was aimed to be the final push in the Coalition leaders’ bid for the presidency.

While this is the first incident of actual violence and homicide, the political battle for Venezuela has been fraught with fraud. Both sides have accused each other of fraud and misconduct. Chavez supporters claim that the opposition is intending to create a chaotic conflict that will destabilize the country. This would slow anarchy, encourage a coup, and allow the old bourgeois to return to power. They continue that these attempts for a “coup” are looking to ignore the legitimacy of Venezuelan institutions and among his despair at the loss of the elections.

Henrique Capriles believes that he is the first real opponent Hugo Chavez’s cult of personality, and that the Socialist dream he is presenting has led to a widespread meltdown of the country’s wealth, social institutions, and public trust.

Hugo Chavez, the current President of Venezuela, is seeking reelection for a third term on Sunday October 7. According to Chavez, “I have not cheated or failed” as he perpetrates that a vote against him would be akin to revoking all the social changes that Venezuela has seen in the past ten years. He has called on his supporters to avoid provocation and retribution. He continued with his message that “Not with violence that we will face off. It is with votes… with ideas.”

Within hours of the shooting six people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the crime. Three women and three men have been arrested including the supposed perpetrator of the fatal shooting.

 

For further information, please see:

ABC – They Stop The Perpetrator Of The Murder Of Two Politicians In Venezuela  – 1 October 2012

Clarin – Opposition Mass Rally In Caracas – 30 September 2012

El Tiempo – The Lines Of Hugo – 30 September 2012

El Universal – Chaves: “I have not cheated or I have failed” – 30 September 2012

Talcual Digital – A Third Dead – 30 September 2012

The BBC – 2 Killed As Venezuelan Campaign Turns Violent – 29 September 2012

Deadspin – Hugo Chavez’ Opposition In Venezuela Lampoons Him As An Egomaniacal Pitcher – 29 September 2012

 

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

SANTIAGO, Chile — Approximately 70,000 Chileans marched in Santiago and eight other cities, demanding free quality education for the entire population of Chile. The students have advocated for a stronger public education sector and an end to state subsidies to private education.

The march, while intended to peacefully influence the budget bill of 2013, ended with violent clashes with the police. At least 59 individuals were arrestedt by special police forces after the protest. Noam Titelman, president of the Federation of Catholic University Students of Chile explains, “[we are] mobilizing because we believe that so far there has been no real debate about public education.” He continues to demand that if the politicians want to earn the respect and participation of the young than they need to address their needs.

The movement still seems to have broad public support despite the length of the protest. The message of fair and free public education seems to have resonated with demonstrators elsewhere in the world. Other Latin American countries have seen students challenge their education systems, causing some to raise the Chilean flag as an example.

The government claims that the private sector involvement should be welcomed, however only 16% of higher education spending comes from public sources and three-quarters of Chile’s universities are privately owned. This privatization continues to high school as less than half of Chile’s students go to fully state-funded schools.

The first clash occurred when masked and hooded individuals threw objects at uniformed police. In response Special Police Forces used water cannons and tear gas on the protesters, those peaceful and disruptive alike.

The remaining protesters made their way to the staging area to hear the leaders of the movement speak and listen to local bands. And while students claim that they had at least 70,000 attendees, the police estimate only about 5,000 protesters.

The Chilean government has refused to respond to all the demands of the movement. In response students have planned two new protests on October 11 and 16. According to spokesman of the National coordinator of Secondary Students, Cristofer Saravia, “The 2013 budget… affects us, [and] is a small battle in the middle of our great struggle for a change in the structure of Chilean education.” He and other student leaders have promised to continue protesting until their demands to increase in the allocation of resources for public education in the National budget are met.

Of the 59 arrested, 23 were adults and 36 were minors.

 

For further information, please see:

Cooperativa – Amounted To 70,000 Students Attending The March In Santiago – 27 September 2012

La Segunda – Incidents Are Recorded At The End Of The Student March – 27 September 2012

Peoples Daily Online – Chilean Students March For Education Retake – 27 September 2012

The BBC – Chile’s Student Protests Show Little Sign Of Abating – 24 October 2011

By Margaret Janelle R. Hutchinson
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Earlier today it appeared that Uruguay’s Congress had the necessary votes to pass legislation that would allow women to seek an elective abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy – a crime in every other country in South America.

Colombia and Argentina both have laws on the books that allow abortions in cases of rape or when the mother’s life is endangered.  Colombia also allows the procedure when there is proof of fetal malformation.  Every other country in South America criminalizes abortion for any reason.

The law that is currently being voted on by Uruguay’s Congress is the result of much compromise.  Consequently, parties on both sides of the issue are disappointed with provisions of the law and gathered Monday to protest.  Once it gets through Uruguay’s lower house, the measure would go back to the Senate for approval of changes, but President José Mujica has said he will allow it to become law.

The measure would give women the right to a legal abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and decriminalize later-term abortions when the mother’s life is at risk or when the fetus is so deformed that it wouldn’t survive after birth.  In cases of rape, abortions would be legal during the first 14 weeks.

The goal is to reduce the number of illegal abortions in Uruguay, Congressman Iván Posada of the center-left Independent Party told his fellow lawmakers Tuesday.  Posada wrote the measure and is expected to provide a key 50th vote against the opposition of 49 other lawmakers.

“They talk of 30,000 a year, a hypothetical number, but whatever the number is, it’s quite dramatic for a country where 47,000 children are born each year,” Posada explained earlier in an Associated Press interview.

A key compromise in the legislation is the mandatory meeting a woman must have with a panel of three professionals.  A gynecologist, psychologist and social worker would explain to the woman her other options including adoption.  The woman would then have to “think it over” for another five days before she would be allowed to have an abortion.

“It’s important that the woman who decides to have an abortion attend this meeting where she will be informed, where they’ll explain all the options including alternatives that she is free to choose from,” stated Posada.

Women’s rights advocates are furious with this requirement.  They believe it will be used to manipulate and stall access to abortions, potentially delaying to the point where the 12 week window had passed.

According to the World Health Organization, “Death due to complications of abortion is not uncommon, and is one of the principal causes of maternal mortality” and of an estimated 300,000 hospitalizations annually.

Globally, unsafe abortion – defined by the World Health Organization as termination of a pregnancy by providers lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not meet minimal medical standards – claims the lives of more than 47,000 women annually.  In Latin America, unsafe abortions account for 12%, or the fourth most common reason, of what would otherwise be preventable maternal deaths.

Uruguay has been clear that women from other parts of South America would not be allowed into the country for abortion procedures.  Women must prove citizenship or at least one year of residency to be eligible.

For further information, please see:

CBS News – Uruguay Poised to Legalize Abortion – 25 September 2012

Fox News Latino – Uruguay Set to Legalize Abortion; Only 2nd Country in Latin America to Legalize Measure – 25 September 2012

Huffington Post – Uruguay Poised to Legalize Abortion – 25 September 2012

Montevideo Portal – Nobleza obliga – 25 September 2012

Amnesty International – Total Abortion Bans in Latin America Risk Women’s Lives – 28 September 2011

 

 

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – In a worrying turn of events, a report has surfaced that indicates that about “four out of ten minors” living in public institutions in the province of Beunos Aires, Argentina have suffered from some sort of abuse.

Child Workers in Argentina. (Photo Courtesy of Press TV)

According to documents released by UNICEF Province, “43.7 percent” of  male youths who were housed in homes and similar institutions like foster care were subject to abuse. The report indicates that about 1680 children were subjected to various forms of violence and abuse from their parents, relatives or care takers.

The data, collected by the Unified Statistical Register (REUNA) of the Ministry of Children and Adolescents indicates that the levels of abuse are wide ranging. About 1680 kids out of 3846 investigated and surveyed suffered some sort of violence including “physical psychological, or emotional, sexual abuse or neglect” or a simple lack of basic care.

The report continued that of the remaining 56.3% of children who were placed in homes, 7.9% of these children were abandoned by their parents and another 18.7% were under supervised before being taken from their parents.

9.3% of children and adolescents who had placed into public institutions admitted to having problems with addiction. Another 2% admitted to vulnerable disabilities with their psychopathology.

According to the Ministry of Children and Adolescents, psychological abuse includes “psychological or emotional abuse” and can include “Verbal hostility… insults, ridicule, contempt, criticism or threats of abandonment.

Sebastian Gastelu, the Undersecretary for Promotion and Protection of rights reiterates that “child abuse is a problem of society, regardless of class or any other,” and that this is not just “physical violence and sexual abuse, but also verbal abuse, humiliation and psychological abuse.”

The report was released during the latest meeting of the Interministerial Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Rights held in the city of Junín, in the province of Beunos Aires in Argentina. Pablo Navarro, the Secretary for Children and Adolescents pledges a “strong commitment to direct public policy towards strengthening mechanism for preventing and addressing violence against children.”

Whatever the ultimate solution is, the world is looking towards Argentina with a watchful eye.

This is just the latest in Argentina’s fight with human rights abuses of children. Earlier this year Argentina’s parliament introduced a new bill to fight child labor. Official statistics show that over “450,000 children are forced to work in agriculture, mining and fishing activities and domestic service in Argentina.”

 

For further information, please see:

Aninoticias – Over 40% Of Children Were Abused Housed In Homes – 23 September 2012

Diario Hoy – More Than 43 Percent of Children Living In Homes And Other Institutions Were Abused – 23 September 2012

Impulso baires – Province of Beunos Aires: Four In Ten Children Housed In Foster Abuse Entrants – 23 September 2012

La Nacion – Nearly Half Of Children Were Abused Housed In Homes – 23 September 2012

Press TV – Argentina’s Parliament Passes New Anti-Child Labor Bill – 9 August 2012