CODEHUCA (the Central American Human Rights Commission)
prepared the following a workshop that took place on October 3,
1992, in Ottawa, Canada, concerning 'north-south' strategies that
should be initiated if ever an end to human rights violations is to
occur in regions of the south like Central America.
1- Strategies that address all the "component parts" of economic
and development systems that systematically violate social,
economic and cultural rights
An aspect that is seriously missing from our human rights work
are strategies to deal with the first world responsability for
economic, social and cultural rights -"social rights"- violations.
In this paper we will limit ourselves to social rights, though many
similar comments could be made about other rights.
CODEHUCA uses a systemic analysis of what are the underlying
causes of violations of all human rights violations in Central
America. Violations do not occur in a vacuum. For example, most
political and civil violations occur in militarized societies where
the Security Forces act with impunity. In these situations of
militarization and impunity, violations are not surprising. Rather
they are predictable and a logical consequence.
Neither do social rights violations occur in a vacuum. The
economic system as a whole is directly and indirectly responsible
for systematic social rights violations. The economies in our
region are to a large extent integrated into and dominated by the
international economic order. To understand how the violations
occur, one must understand how the international economic order
works and impacts on social rights in our region.
Most human rights work in the past and today has focused on
the legal and moral responsiblility of the state, the particular
governments of the countries of the region (and even then, usually
with respect to civil and political rights only). Yet, in terms of
how the international economic order works 'de facto', the
governments of the region have limited control, when compared with
first world governments, or with transnational companies or the
international banks.
These international institutions and the first world
governments (particularly the 'group of 7' nations) are the major
actors in the international economic order. Yet, we have few if any
concrete strategies as to how to make these governments and
institutions accountable according to human rights standards for
the systemic social rights violations that their actions and
decisions are directly and indirectly contributing to.
Most of these social rights violations occur in third world
regions like Central America. The continuing misery and poverty
(systemic violations of social rights) in regions like Central
America are not surprising - rather they are predicable, a logical
outcome of the development/economic models imposed and implemented.
2- The causal chain of responsability
The notion of proportioning human rights responsability to all
the actors, all the 'component parts' of the economic order,
responds to the human rights practice of analysing who are the
responsable parties and then proportioning human rights
responsability to all parties/ actors in the causal 'chain'.
For example, every case of torture that has occurred in
Central America over the last 15 years has a number of parties/
actors that form part of the 'causal chain of responsability': the
soldier or death squad member, the superior officer, the Major of
the Armed Forces, and the President of the Country,
constitutionally in charge of the Armed Forces.
Human rights strategies to put an end to the use of torture,
an end to these types of civil rights violations must be and has
been done at every link in the causal chain, focusing on those
actors/ parties that have more real power and legal responsability.
Human rights commissions and other organizations, in the north and
the south, have used strategies to pressure the governments and the
heads of the military to be responsible for, to be accountable for
their actions or omissions with respect to violations committed by
agents and officials of their governments and security forces.
In many instances of systematic violations of political and
civil rights in Central America, pressure has also been brought to
bear on the U.S. government due to their role in financing,
equipping and training these same repressive security forces.
The rationale behind these efforts to pressure the U.S.
government as well, responds to the same logic of the 'causal chain
of responsability' - the U.S. is involved directly and indirectly
in human rights violations and must be held accountable for its
actions.
This same type of analysis must and can be done for social
rights violations. Who is responsible for the the fact that as many
as 70% of the region's population do not have access to adequate
health services? CODEHUCA's argument is that the chain analysis
must be carried through to all actors, minor and major, local and
foreign, of the international economic order.
It is here where CODEHUCA feels that southern and northern
NGOs (human rights organizations or other) have not really
dedicated much time to this task - how can we bring moral and human
rights pressure to bear on the actions of first world governments,
and on first world controlled transnational banks and companies so
that all of their decisions and actions are governed by the
strictest of human rights standards?
We must come up with strategies, in the north and the south,
to pressure all the actors that involved in the implementation of
the reigning economic/development model.
3- Local responsability
In no way whatsoever are we arguing that all human rights
abuses 'come from the north'. It is obvious that the sectors of our
countries that hold economic and military power are responsible
directly for violations of economic, social, political and civil
rights.
With respect to social rights, sectors of our countries
(governments and economic elites) implement political, legal and
economic decisions in line with development models that violate
human rights, and they must be held responsible for the resultant
human rights violations.
These are local elements of the systems that violate social
rights. It is clear that it is our responsibility - as Central
American people and organizations - to work on those elements\
component parts of the international economic order that are within
our reach.
But our focus here are not these internal factors. They exist,
are real, and contribute to the systemic violation of human rights.
However, these local factors do not exist in a vacuum.
4- From solidarity to partnership
With respect to our work in human rights in the region we need
to go beyond the notion of solidarity. Solidarity signifies that
people and organizations in the north are working in solidarity
with people and organizations in the south that have suffered and
are suffering human rights violations. This is unquestionably
needed and contributes greatly to bring attention to the repression
and suffering, and it brings material and moral support.
But we need people and organizations in the north to not only
work in solidarity with the people of the south, but also to work
to change those parts of the systems of injustice and repression
that are controlled and directed by the north. In this sense, we
are partners, trying to change the underlying causes of human
rights abuses.
5- The vicious circle of human rights violations
It is worth mentioning here the notion of the "vicious circle"
of human rights violations. In Central America historical poverty
and misery (caused by the historical and contemporary development
models) are linked to the historic struggles for social justice
(respect for economic and social rights), which are met with
institutional repression (violations of political and civil
rights).
The analisis in this document of how the first world-
dominated "development models" contribute directly and indirectly
to the violations of social and economic rights is therefore
related also to the vicious circle of human rights violations.
Thus organizations and persons, in the north and the south,
working for an improvement of human rights in Central America must
focus a lot more of their attention on economic policies being
implemented by northern governments, banks and multi-national
companies (that are also major actors in the international economic
order). If we do not focus our attention on these actors, we are
leaving them to act with impunity.
6- Conclusion
CODEHUCA is very interested in getting feed-back on this
document. We are entering into somewhat of a new terrain -that of
seeking strategies to bring about changes in the north as well, so
as to be able to guarantee human rights in the south- and we need
to do this with partners in the south and in the north.
Feel free to reproduce in whole or in part. Please direct your
comments and criticisms to Grahame Russell and Marjoleine Motz.