COLOMBIA: Invitation to Women and People’s Summit

July 10th, 2010

in:

Colombia

CPTnet
10 July 2010
COLOMBIA: Invitation to Women and People’s Summit

16-23 August 2010, The Women's Social Movement Against War and for Peace, a coalition of forty organizations including, CPT Colombia, invites you to participate in the Women and People's Summit of the Americas Against Militarization. CPT Colombia has been accompanying the Women's Social Movement Against War and for Peace for one year now. These women continue to struggle nonviolently for their rights, lands, and dignity. The following information is about the Summit in August.

“Silence the weapons so that women and the people may speak in defense of
life and sovereignty.”

The militarization of territories in the Americas has led to the loss of people’s sovereignty, autonomy, and self-determination, and has become a threat to the continent. Militarization expands its project of death to take over territory by means of U.S. military bases in Colombia and the continent. It seeks to use military intervention as an instrument to control the region politically, economically, and socially. Historically, military bases have been used to invade strategic geopolitical locations that are rich in natural resources. Many times, these locations are found in indigenous, afro-descendant and peasant territories. Furthermore, these bases promote prostitution, with houses that are officially designated as “entertainment” for the soldiers. However, for women they represent sexual slavery and other forms of violence, including femicide.

It is we, women, who continue to suffer the ravages of war. We suffer socially, politically, psychologically, physically, economically, and culturally. Our bodies are considered the spoils of war. We are treated as objects and enslaved by the system. Similarly, the war has exacerbated the violence, discrimination, exploitation, poverty and inequality, leaving perverse effects on women and people such as forced displacement, confinement, migration, disappearances, forced recruitment, rape and femicide. Moreover, the responsibility for supporting the family falls on women while the State fails to guarantee the fundamental rights of individuals. On the contrary, the state supports big-budget military projects that favor transnational corporations.

Organizing, resisting, struggling, and mobilizing are the underlying spirits of our organizational process. They bring us together and move us to raise our voices to make known the critical situation of the armed and social conflict that confronts the people of the Americas and in particular, Colombia—a conflict that affects our bodies, our territory, our sovereignty and the autonomy of women and all people. In order make visible the multiple effects of war on the lives of women and our people, we decided to join together in our resistance against war and militarization, while we continue building collective and united proposals of peace for our continent.

We call all people to join the Women and People’s Summit of the Americas against Militarization, from August 16th to August 23, 2010, in Colombia.

We call on women and women’s organizations— peasant, indigenous, of African descent, academic, working class, student, church, social, political—along with all social organizations of our country, and our sisters and brothers of the world, to participate together in this grand gathering for life, autonomy, and sovereignty of our bodies and territories.

We call on continental and global networks that struggle for dignity and life that we may continue weaving together the alternatives brought forth in previous gatherings against the militarization and against military bases. We must move forward together to strengthen existing proposals directed at the construction of a more balanced and just world.

We call on our colleagues, women, and men, to join in solidarity with our common struggle for a negotiated political solution to the social and armed conflict present in our country. Together, we raise our voices against the United States’ military bases in Colombia and in our America.

The Summit is designed to have three stages:

First Stage
Humanitarian acts of Solidarity and Resistance in Colombia
(August 16 to 20th)

Second Stage
Round Table Discussions
(August 21 and 22).

Third Stage
Vigil for life
(August 23rd).

"As women, we construct loving relationships with Mother Earth and affirm the
sovereignty of our people."

Sponsored by

The Women’s Social Movement against War and for Peace (Movimiento Social de
Mujeres contra la Guerra y por la Paz)
World March of Women (La Marcha Mundial de las Mujeres)
Vía Campesina
Convergencia de los Movimientos y pueblos de las Américas -COMPA
Coordinador Nacional Agrario-CNA,
Procesos de Comunidades Negras-PCN,
Corporación Compromiso
Unión Sindical Obrera- USO
Movimiento Social de Mujeres Contra la Guerra y por la Paz: (Consejo
Regional Indígena del Cauca-CRIC; Organización Femenina Popular-OFP; Mujeres
de Negro-OFP Colombia; Colectivo Policarpa Salavarrieta – La Pola;
Cundinamarca; Proceso Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas— CIC-ANUCUR:
(Federación de Mujeres Campesinas de Nariño, Asociación de Mujeres
Campesinas de Pradera, Comité de Mujeres Campesinas de Caldas Coordinación
de Mujeres Campesinas de Atlántico, Coordinación de Mujeres Campesinas de
Sucre); Equipos Cristianos de Acción por la Paz – ECAP; Resguardo Indígena
Cariamomo –Caldas, Risaralda; Programa Mujer Indígena CRIC; Pueblo
Yanacona; Pueblo Totoroes; Pueblo Orivac; Pueblo Coconuco; Pueblo Nasa;
Pueblo Siapirara; Pueblo Eperara; Resguardo Indígena Triunfo Cristal Páez;
Asociación de Proyectos Alternativos Comunitarios-APAC; Asociación de
Madres Comunitarias del Área Metropolitana de Bucaramanga; Asociación de
Mujeres Productoras de Cárnicos –ASOMUPCAR; Comisión Interfranciscana de
Justicia, Paz y Reverencia con la Creación; Hermanas Nuevas Esperanzas,
Alianza Fraternal de Mujeres; Asociación de Mujeres Fe y Vida- AMUFEVI;
Ciudadanos por la Paz; Hermanas de San Juan Evangelista-Pastoral Obrera
(Bogotá— Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja); Movimiento Juvenil Quinto
Mandamiento; Fundación de Apoyo y consolidación social para desplazados por
la violencia en Colombia - FUNDESVIC; Regional Huila (Colectivo Gioconda
Belli, Colectivo El Aquelarre, Universidad Surcolombiana); Constituyente de
Betulia, Santander, Gobierno Ancestral Organización Libre Indígena de
Colombia OLIC; Laicos Franciscanos‑ Bogotá; Red de Mujeres del Nororiente.

Supporting Organizations
Mujeres de Negro de Valencia.