Tlachinollan Center for Human Rights, Tlapa, Guerrero (June 2 & 3, 2006)
Perspective written by Beth Simon, Volunteer
On June 2-3, 2006, CDM participated in "Migrar o Morir", [Migrate or Die] a migrant workers outreach and training workshop hosted by Tlachinollan Center for Human Rights in Guerrero. Guerrero is among the poorest regions in Latin America sending an increasingly large number of migrant workers to the United States each year.
The workshop intended to provide a forum for migrant workers to describe the problems they experienced while working in the United States as well outline ways to effectively confront such problems in the future. The workshop opened with a panel of migrants exchanging personal stories about the harsh working conditions and tragedy they experienced migrating within Mexico and to the United States. A young widow told the audience of how she never received information about the circumstances of her husband’s death while at work in the U.S. A man explained that his son was one of 12 children that died hours after he was sprayed with pesticides while working in the fields in Sinaloa. Their stories provided personal testimonies of the ongoing crisis migration has produced in Mexican society and its particularly harsh consequences it has for families.
In the second day of the conference CDM led a group in a discussion of the legal rights available to them as migrant workers in the United States. Rather than merely being supplied with information, they were given the chance to participate in the process of educating themselves about their rights by sharing stories of personal abuse and inquiring about possible resolutions. Such a format is critical for ensuring that migrant workers personally understand the meaning of labor and contract rights in the U.S.
Yacana, Puebla (June 6, 2006)
Perspective written by Beth Simon, Volunteer
On June 6, 2006 CDM met with representatives of Yacana, a migrant rights organization, and other grass roots organizers working to improve the lives and working conditions of migrant laborers in the United States. The meeting further strengthened CDM’s ties to the community of grass roots organizers in central Mexico while also providing them with important information concerning employment and contract rights available to all workers in the United States.
It became clear from the meeting that the lack of information concerning workers’ rights extends beyond the migrating community to community organizers themselves, which are frequently unaware of the value of an oral contract or other legal rights that do not exist in Mexico. Disseminating correct information about workers’ rights and explaining the basis upon which a violation of the law can be asserted is a vital role for CDM in creating a community of informed workers and providing access to justice.