Category Archives: Latin America

Colombia: the Culture of Peace Advances in Caldas

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An article from Eje 21

130 teachers of public educational institutions, cultural managers, librarians, social leaders, police, members of the Red Cross and members of the municipal councils in the Department of Caldas, including Samaná, Chinchiná, Pennsylvania, Riosucio, Salamina and surrounding areas, have become peace promoters through the diploma “Rural education as a scenario in peace building.”

The training is received from the Academic Working Group Culture of Quality in Education at National University of Colombia with headquarters in Manizales. It offers tools for daily work in the construction of peace and for the recovery of the emotional, psychological and social fabric of the society that was devastated by the years of armed conflict.

Professor Germán Albeiro Castaño Duque, director of the Group, recalled that the post-agreement does not mean that there is a definitive and lasting peace, especially in the Colombian municipalities affected by the conflict.

“With training, we seek to make these people more proactive, so that they become peace educators both in schools and in other areas. In this way, coexistence can be achieved and violence can be ended in their communities”, said the teacher Castaño Duque.

Aspects of the diploma include: education and the University Peace Program; human rights and international humanitarian law; the 1991 Constitution and its contribution to peace; construction of citizenship in the post-agreement period; Art, culture in the post-agreement; the Law of Victims; and application of the agreement between the Government and the FARC.

Peace in daily life

The teacher Luz Mary Zuluaga Salazar, of the Educational Institution José María Carbonell, in Palestina (Caldas), affirmed that “more than thinking about peace as a university program, one must think about it as the experience of daily life. As classroom teachers, we must make the links with other topics such as the arts, culture and the post-conflict period.” She added that in these areas it is unknown what should be done after 52 years of war.

“What we are learning with the National University has helped us to go beyond the traditional classroom mentality. Violence destroys communities and we must ensure that students do not attack or intimidate people, not only in the classroom, but in the broader community,” said the teacher.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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Professor Julio Alexander Argoti Álvarez, of the Naranjal Educational Institution, in Chinchiná, pointed out that “we are not sufficently disturbed by the death of someone or by the suffering of an entire community. We need to be more connected with empathy to the population. The more training and vision tools we have, the more it will be possible to achieve changes”.

In this regard, Professor Emanuel Márquez, one of those responsible for conducting the training of the graduates, said that with this the students have not only been able to analyze the history of the armed conflict, but also to overcome their fears and contribute in their daily lives to the peace of the country.

“Teachers in rural areas, fearful and displaced from their leadership, are vulnerable to groups that may come to intimidate them and the communities. It is precisely with the tools that they have gained with the diploma that they can reunify and reconstruct the social fabric in the areas where they are teaching,” he said.

Experience

The National University of Colombia with headquarters in Manizales includes in its curricular and pedagogical program projects related to the construction of peace, the analysis of the variables of the Agreement between the Government and the FARC, and the history of the armed conflict.

One of the most important contributions is the University Chair of Peace, in which 120 students from the 11 undergraduate courses from the Headquarters participate every six months, and the project “Peace Building: the role of the United Nations in the post-agreement”, with extension programs such as the diploma “History, peace building and post-agreement in Colombia”, attended by teachers, officials of the judicial branch, uniformed members of the armed forces and the National Police, social leaders, members of the Red Cross and professionals from different areas.

In addition, extension training programs are carried out with different sectors, in workshops, seminars and other academic and pedagogical activities that seek a greater contribution and closer relationship with the communities.

The Ministry of National Education has relied on the National University to carry out the diploma course “Rural education as a scenario in peace building”, which aims to allow citizens, from the regions, the classroom and the scenarios of coexistence, through an open, dynamic and respectful dialogue to take on the challenge of overcoming the ideological and political differences that affected the country for the 54 years of the armed confrontation.

The training is free and takes place over 120 hours. It aims to strengthen the pedagogical and didactic strategies of teachers of social sciences and other areas in the implementation of the University Chair of Peace in educational institutions, as provided by Law 1732 of 2014. Issues include the history of the armed conflict , the peace agreement between the Government and the FARC, and what country should be like in the post-agreement.

The diploma will be certified by the National University of Colombia with headquarters in Manizales, with the endorsement of the Ministry of National Education.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Honduras: New health clinic in gang-ridden suburb of San Pedro Sula rebuilds community

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees / Canada

On a sweltering afternoon, an elderly couple sit in the waiting room at the free health clinic holding hands, while a young mother waits for a medical appointment with her toddler napping in her lap.

“We welcome anyone in this clinic, we don’t turn anyone away,” says Wendy Espinoza, the health centre’s nurse, who knows everyone in town.

Keeping doors open to all may sound like a simple achievement. But it is a feat in some of the high risk neighbourhoods in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second city.


Local residents visit the medical clinic at the UNHCR-backed Holy Trinity Comprehensive Support Centre in Chamalecon, San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

The patchwork of streets in Chamelecón has for years been an arena for rival street gangs MS-13 and 18th Street, who control their respective territories with an iron grip, destroying communal spaces and severing neighbourly bonds.

Since opening its doors April 30, the Holy Trinity Comprehensive Support Centre has assisted roughly 100 patients per month, most young or elderly and suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and respiratory illnesses. But this space, which is located between the gangs’ fiercely contested territories but beholden to none, is more than just a health clinic.

“We don’t just want to cover basic medical services and medications,” says Father Luis Estévez, the local Catholic priest behind the project. “We want this to be a holistic support center for the community.”

Such support is very much needed in Chamelecón which came to world attention in 2004, when gang thugs sprayed a bus with automatic weapons fire, killing 28 passengers as they returned from the centre of San Pedro Sula, just ten minutes’ drive away.

The clinic – founded by Father Estévez, community leaders, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency – has a key role to play in rebuilding this community, as part of a comprehensive regional support and protection plan.

Known by its Spanish acronym MIRPS, the plan developed by regional governments with UNHCR’s support, seeks to tackle the root causes of displacement in crime-wracked neighbourhoods, as well as strengthening asylum systems and working on durable solutions.

“It’s a place where people can feel safe, where they can be open with each other and they can be protected,” says Yolanda Zapata, the head of the UNHCR office in San Pedro Sula.

As an important first step, the clinic welcomes anyone, regardless of what part of Chamelecón they are from or whether they or their family have any gang affiliation.

This inclusivity is important for nurse Espinoza, who has lived in the area her whole life and splits her work hours between the clinic and the trauma unit of a major public hospital. Gang members and their victims are regular patients there.

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Questions for this article:

How important is community development for a culture of peace?

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The clinic provides comprehensive primary care, including help to address the mental health needs of the countless local residents who have suffered or witnessed violence.

Since opening its doors earlier this year, it has an on-site psychologist on Saturdays, who now has a dozen local youth as patients. The waiting list to see the psychologist is now more than a month because of such high demand.

“Our patients often have some kind of trauma they are dealing with,” says Karina Ugarte, the young resident physician at the clinic. “Sometimes it’s severe but sometimes it’s just a little frustration they want to get off their chest. But there’s no other space for them to just talk around here.”

Living with violence, or the constant threat of it, has made many residents fearful and reluctant to open up. The clinic prioritizes privacy and discretion.

“Everywhere else there’s always a fear you’re being listened to so you constantly censor yourself,” says nurse Espinoza. “That barrier is broken inside here.”

For the fragile community, the Support Centre is seeking to play a wider role than simply providing comprehensive primary care. Upstairs offices and meeting rooms are quickly becoming a hub for rebuilding the community of Chamelecón from the inside.

As part of a push to reverse years of gang rule, the centre has also begun to reach out to local youth, who are particularly affected by high crime and poverty, and are under constant pressure to join one or other of the criminal groups.

“Young people really aren’t allowed to express themselves because from a young age you learn to stay quiet, and that bleeds over into every aspect of life,” explains Angel Sandoval, a teacher at a local school and the coordinator of the center’s budding youth program. “They need a place where they can express themselves and feel free.”

In their first youth outreach, leaders brought together 1,200 young people and organized a talent show in the park. It was the biggest community event in Chamelecón in recent memory.

Community workers and youth leaders are also organizing technical skills training, art and dance classes, and reproductive health workshops at the centre for young people.

And the leaders – Father Estévez, Sandoval and others – are building a growing network of protection for locals since gang control means victims have nowhere to turn when they are at risk.
“People will come to us and say ‘The gang told us we have 48 hours to leave’ but we as community leaders didn’t know what to tell them,” says Father Estévez.

In response, community leaders are using the support center as a training site to teach local leaders how to refer those in need to UNHCR and other support groups that can assist those who have been displaced from their home.

In this neighborhood, beset by gangs and with a limited government presence, a new generation of local leaders is hoping to change the future.

“Our hope is that in the future when people have any sort of problem or threat, they automatically think of the Support Centre as the place they can come,” he says.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

The UNESCO Chair and the UTPL promote the training of peace managers for Peru, Colombia and Ecuador

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from La Conversación (translation by CPNN)

Through the intervention and support of the UNESCO Chair of Culture and Education for Peace at UTPL, on June 27, 2018 an agreement was signed between the Private Technical University of Loja (UTPL) and UNESCO Quito that will allow the strengthening of education programs so that the future managers of the peace can act from a sensitive perspective to fight against conflict and violence.


130 students and teachers from institutions of higher education and networks for peace, from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, met in Loja with the aim of strengthening the skills of young leaders on issues related to the construction of environments without violence.

From June 27 to 29, 2018, the First Training Program for Culture of Peace Managers was held in Loja, organized by the Private Technical University of Loja (UTPL), the UNESCO Chair of Culture and Education for Peace – UTPL and UNESCO Quito.

The event was developed through lectures and workshops on topics of peace through environmental education, ethics in higher education, nonviolence and culture related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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Santiago Pérez, professor of the UTPL and coordinator of the International Youth Network for Peace, mentioned that this program is an innovative initiative in Latin America, as it is the first time that three countries seek to join together to promote the construction of a culture of peace, and that, thanks to the endorsement of UNESCO Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela and the support of several public and private entities in Ecuador, the quality of the conferences and workshops provided was assured.

Formation of the International Youth Network for Peace

As a result of this program, the UTPL, together with the Colombian and Peruvian universities present, participated in the signing of the commitment for the constitution of the International Youth Network for Peace.

Thanks to this network, young peace managers will be part of programs that will allow them to develop social and productive skills to participate actively in the resolution of conflicts and urban violence. They will study methodologies such as TINI (Land of children and young people for Good Living) of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Ecuador and UNESCO and the models managed by the Futuro Latinoamericano Foundation and the Foundation of the Americas.

Perez affirms that once the training should prepare the young people to be transformers of their communities.

The event for the agreement was attended by José Barbosa Corbacho, rector of the UTPL; Saadia Sánchez, director and representative of the UNESCO office in Quito; and, Mónica Reinoso, vice minister of Educational Management.

Each year, the International Youth Network for Peace will make available a specific number of places for young people interested in becoming peace managers in the three countries.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Peru: Law to promote the culture of peace and non-violence in basic education

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Andina: The Peruvian News Agency (translation by CPNN)

The government has promulgated Law No. 30810, which will incorporate the principle of the culture of peace and nonviolence into Law 28044, the General Law of Education for the Peruvian educational system. The law is published today in the official newspaper El Peruano.


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(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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This principle of culture of peace as described in the mentioned law seeks to promote values ​​and attitudes that reject all types of violence, as well as promote the incorporation into the Peruvian educational system of the teaching of the culture of peace.

For this, the following text is inserted into article 8 of Law 28044, the General Education Law: “I) The culture of peace and nonviolence, which promotes values ​​and attitudes that reject all types of violence and discrimination, affirms life, individual freedom, freedom of thought, solidarity, equality between men and women and in general those rights referred to in Chapter I of the Political Constitution of Peru “.

The new law, previously approved by the Congress of the Republic, was promulgated by the President of the Republic, Martín Vizcarra, and by the Prime Minister, César Villanueva.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Peace Boat returns to Cuba with a message of peace and global solidarity

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An article from Cuba Información (translation by CPNN)

The Peace Boat will arrive in Cuba on July 17 with its message promoting a world free of nuclear weapons, according to the information received from the coordinators of the initiative.

The cruise departed on May 8 from the port of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on its 98th international trip, and will arrive in the Cuban capital, for the eighteenth time, with 1,200 passengers. Of these, 900 are Japanese and the rest of other Asian countries, the organizers said in a press conference at the headquarters of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

In Cuba, visitors will participate in the youth forum on nuclear disarmament and peace, at the headquarters of the Higher Institute of International Relations, where the terrible consequences of a nuclear attack will be described by three hibakushas, ​​as they are called, victims or their descendants of the atomic bombs dropped by the United States in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

They will also visit health centers, education centers and communities, in which they will see the development of the comprehensive health program, mainly with regard to the care of the elderly.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article)

Question related to this article:

Peace Boat: Building a Culture of Peace around the World

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A special activity is the visit to the School in Solidarity with Panama, the only one of its kind in Cuba, responsible for the care of children and adolescents with physical-motor impairments and other special needs.

The president of the Cuban Association of the United Nations (ACNU), Fermín Quiñones, added that there will be a meeting between senior citizens of Cuba and Peace Boat, which will be an opportunity to show the progress of the Caribbean nation in the defense of human rights.

Cuban ex-combatants who guarded Havana in 1962 will attend the meeting. They are veterans of the defense at the end of October 1962 when Cuba was threatened with a nuclear aggression by the United States, in what became known internationally as the October Crisis, he said.

Masumi Matsumara, representative of the Peace Boat, thanked the Cuban support for the initiative, through the ICAP, the Cuban Movement for Peace and the Sovereignty of the Peoples (Movpaz), the ACNU and other organizations.

He praised the seriousness and commitment that Cuba has always shown in the campaigns for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, with the signing of international treaties and conventions adopted by the organizations attached to the UN.

Silvio Platero, president of Movpaz, said that the visit of the pacifists is an opportunity for the island to recommence the campaign with Cuban youth for a culture of peace.

He also welcomed the efforts of Peace Boat in promoting a world of harmony, harmony and respect among all peoples.

This voyage, which includes participants from 23 nations, celebrates the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Boat, an international organization with headquarters in Japan that works to promote peace, human rights, fair and sustainable development and respect for the environment.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Tandil, Argentina: Municipal Mediation Center participates in the Provincial Meeting of Mediators

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from La Voz de Tandil (translation by CPNN)

In recent days Tandil was present at the provincial meeting of mediators in Buenos Aires, sharing experiences of the Mediation Center, whose creation in 2004 was one of the pioneer municipalities.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

The delegation from Tandil was headed by the Director of Community Relations Lic. Zulma Ferreyra and the mediator Gladys Thomas, who is in charge of the Mediation Center of the Municipality.

As every year, this meeting aims to strengthen the work of mediation in the province, assuring the training of work teams and the promotion and dissemination of participatory methods to address conflicts as a public policy of access to justice.

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(click here for the Spanish version)

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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In addition, the focus was on the need to disseminate and promote the implementation of non-violent community conflict management programs in the municipalities that have not yet incorporated this tool.

The conference was attended by the National Director of Mediation and Participatory Methods of Conflict Resolution of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of the Nation, Raquel Munt; the Deputy Ombudsman in Human Rights and Health Services, Marcelo Honores; the mediator María Gabriela Rodríguez Querejazu; and the person responsible for Conflict Management of the Ombudsman’s Office, Dolores Ayerdi.

The activity of permanent training and review of the practice carried out since 2016, is provided for all municipal mediators working for the cooperative management of socio-community conflicts.

In addition to the Community Mediation Center of Tandil, representatives from the municipalities of Bahía Blanca, La Plata, San Pedro, Mercedes, Lanús, Florencio Varela, Pilar, Tigre, Mar del Plata and Madariaga attended.

Activity by XIV World Congress of Mediation and Culture of Peace

For the XIV World Congress of Mediation and Culture of Peace, to be held this year in Argentina, our city has been chosen to carry out one of the workshops of the Pre Congress on September 17 and 18.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Colombia: The International Youth Congress for Peace

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An article by Juan Valderrama from the Global Campaign for Peace Education

As Election Day arrives, Colombian youth are still demanding answers to the many questions that arise with every event that still comes out to the public sphere. There are at least 3 common topics that articulate the agenda of all candidates in terms of presidential discourses, which brings encountered feelings among Colombian Youth.

That being said, the order of those agendas will most definitely determine the completion of the peace agreement, the cooperation set of rules with the international community, the migration crisis shared with Venezuela, and yet the successful adoption of a culture of peace among all citizens.


Organizers and participants from Fundacion Escuelas de Paz, IPB, and UNOY. (Photo: Fundacion Escuelas de Paz)

Colombia´s youth have already started paving the way, and there are tiny positive steps that continue to pave a way out of the old conflictive situations.

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Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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One of those tiny steps took place the past 25 of April in Medellin, Colombia.

With participants from Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, The International Youth Congress for Peace gathered around 110 Youth leaders from all political perspectives.

The lead of Fundacion Escuelas de Paz, UNOY and International Peace Bureau Youth, played a crucial role after dialoguing over 4 key areas of common concern: Human Rights, Education and Communication for Peace, Participation in Public Policy, and UNCSR 2250.

All the dialogues held constituted a document, a set of 13th proposals addressed to the Colombian Presidential Candidates, with the hopes to be adopted by the new National Development Agenda (2018-2022).
But more importantly, an opportunity to launch a Youth4Peace Latin Network to support, share, learn and earn knowledge form our own perspectives as responsible citizens for the positive change of today’s glocal world.

The network is continuously and systematically expanding, as most of the leaders consider sharing to be the key aspect to straighten capacity building and resilience in our home countries.

The next step in this process will be the Conference ¨Hablemos de Paz” to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 3-6.

We encourage of all interested youth groups and leaders to participate in the following steps to build the network, straighten existing channels and continue engaged with us on the road to the Summit of Berlin 2019.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

In Latin America, agroecology is a deeply political struggle

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Florence Poznanski for Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia (translation by CPNN)

Agroecology is a new model of development based on farming and land use practices in an ecological and common good perspective centered around traditional and popular knowledge and culture. In Brazil, the National Association of Agroecology (ANA) has brought together several hundred farmers’, women’s, artists’ and activists’ organizations over the course of the last fifteen years. Every four years they organize a national meeting of agroecology (RNA) in order to strengthen this network and share the know-how. The fourth edition was held this year between May 31 and June 3 in the city of Belo Horizonte (south-east Brazil) with the theme of the link between the city and the countryside for the production of a healthier diet. In addition to 2000 participants from different regions of Brazil, there were also about fifty people from 14 other countries.


Martin Willaume, Paulo Petersen and Patrícia Candela Orozco. Photos by Lucas Bois

International networks of agroecology

The Catholic Committee against Hunger and Development (CCFD) was one of the participants who made the trip. The French organization has defended the right to land on all continents for more than 50 years. Its presence is due to the institutional support partnership that was signed with ANA in 2016 as part of a global program on ecological transition based on the knowledge of traditional communities. In Latin America, in addition to Brazil, CCFD supports organizations in 10 other countries including Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Haiti.

“The Latin American experience is of great interest to us because it develops a political approach to agroecology that goes far beyond the sole issue of agriculture. In addition to the debate on organic food production and soil protection, the movement manages to link other central axes such as decent work, gender equality or the struggle for democracy “, explains Martin Willaume of CCFD. “This approach does not exist in other parts of the world, for example in Africa where the movement works in a mainly technical line. We are interested in understanding how this articulation is built to then bring the experience there, “he adds.

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(Click here for the original French version.)

Question for this article:

What is the relation between movements for food sovereignty and the global movement for a culture of peace?

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Willaume reports that there are several agroecological experiences on the continent that intertwine with other political agendas. In Bolivia, for example, agroecology has become a central focus in the process of building indigenous self-government in accordance with the Plurinational State’s legislation. In Peru, the movements build agroecology as a means of fighting against mining, and in Colombia, the agroecological movement combines the issues of the peace process in the struggle.

To face the empires of agribusiness, an international union is needed

Paulo Petersen, member of the ANA Executive Committee, explains how important these international alliances are, especially in the context of Brazil today. “The very nature of agroecology is transversal. If we take the 17 Sustainable Development Goals [adopted by the United Nations], we realize that agroecology covers the majority: climate, water, the fight for gender equality, against poverty, hunger, decent work, etc., “commented Peterson.

Completing Willaume’s reflection on the political dimension of agroecology, he points out that “it is not possible to think agroecology without thinking about the defense of democracy. We are talking about processes that do not correspond to a market logic. Agroecology is linked to the common good. It is a global challenge because the companies we fight are global empires and the answer is more autonomy, more sovereignty to get closer to nature and create new social relationships.”

Peterson explains that several Latin American organizations have contacted the ANA to participate in the RNA and also underlines that these exchanges of knowledge are important to allow the movement to continue to innovate and enrich new ideas. Brazil has a pioneering articulation force on the continent
Among the Latin American representatives was Colombian Patrícia Candela Orozco who went to Brazil to learn about the RNA experience. She represents the Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA), located in the Valle del Cauca region, near Cali, an organization that has been working for 57 years with peasant communities.

According to Patrícia, Brazil is a pioneer in the development of agroecology in Latin America. She says she was very impressed with the methodology called “mystic”, which is developed with music, theater and poetry. This is used to welcome meeting participants, to celebrate victories, to strengthen struggles or to introduce or contextualize debates in diverse spaces, in addition to fostering greater interaction with and among participants. “The fact of adding the spiritual part of the people gives more strength to the messages of that struggle. If each one lives this message inside of himself, he will be able to transmit it more easily to the rest of the people”, she says.

The broad participation in the fourth ENA was another point that impressed Candela. In Colombia, the IMCA was involved in the construction of the first national farmers’ meeting, which took place in 2017 and involved various civil society organizations. Patrícia highlights how difficult it is to hold an event of this size. The Brazilian experience in the ENA left her inspired.

(Thank you to Kiki Chauvin, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Mexico: Invitation to study the Master of Science for Peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from El Pulso del Estado de México

With the aim of contributing to the construction of a culture of peace in the educational communities of the State of Mexico, the Ministry of Education, through the Universidad Mexiquense del Bicentenario and the Council for School Coexistence, invites those interested in participating in the admission process for the Master of Science in Peace, school year 2018-2019.


This educational program is based on the formative lines of Conflict Transformation and Peaceful Coexistence in Educational Contexts, Gender Perspective for Security, Development and Sustainable Peace, as well as Public Policies and Citizen Participation for Human Rights and Peace.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

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Graduates can enroll, preferably in areas related to education, social sciences, human rights and humanities, and the educational program will last four semesters, plus an additional one to complete the terminal work and obtain the degree.

The admission process consists of: information session on June 23; pre-registrations from June 25 to July 6; interviews from July 9 to 13; English exam on July 14; issue of results on August 8; registration for the first semester from August 13 to 17; propaedeutic course on August 18; beginning of the postgraduate course on August 24.

The delivery of documentation, entry procedure and definition of venue for the classes will be carried out in the facilities of the Higher Studies Unit Lerma of the Universidad Mexiquense del Bicentenario, located at Av. Industria Poniente s / n, Industrial and Technological Park Doña Rosa, Lerma, State of Mexico, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For more information, interested parties can consult the sites: www.umb.edomex.gob.mx, www.convive.edomex.gob.mx, as well as write to the email: investigación@umb.mx or call 01-728- 284-7310 ext. 134

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Mexico: Tlalnepantla Continues Work to Eradicate Gender Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Ordenador

To raise awareness among citizens about the importance of eradicating gender violence and promoting a culture of peace throughout the municipal territory, the Tlalnepantla government continues to carry out activities of comprehensive attention to women, including a variety of services.

Each month the Municipal Institute for Women’s Equality and Development (IMIDM) carries out an average of 12 days of activities in various communities to prevent more women from being victims of some type of violence.


At their stands, attendees are given information on this topic, and it is expected that they in turn replicate this knowledge among their families and neighbors, to detect situations of violence in their communities.

During conferences, psychologists specialized in this subject offer a talk in which they teach the definition of violence and how to detect it; what is the gender violence alert, and what is the cycle of violence. Attendees are provided with emergency numbers to be called in case of violence.

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(Click here for the original in Spanish.)

Question for this article

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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After the presentation, attendees have the opportunity to participate in a “Workshop to promote self-employment”, which is carried out free of charge, with the purpose of empowering women to generate their own economic resources to access a better quality of life.

Among the activities carried out in this workshop, crafts are taught for the preparation of candy, bags, baskets, portraits and key rings, as well as the manufacture of products for cleaning the home, which can then be marketed to obtain additional income

Those interested in participating in this workshop should contact the IMIDM, gather a group of at least 25 people and have an adequate space for the preparation of food.

It is worth mentioning that these days are carried out in coordination with the Municipal Health Institute and with the Municipal DIF System, which is why services such as eye examinations, pressure collection and vital signs, dental check, among others, are also available.

For his part, Edgar Mauricio Zepeda Montes, a resident of Santa Monica, acknowledged that this type of conference serves to raise awareness among people about gender violence and the way in which it harms the development of society.

Monica Bribiesca Barrera, from Valle Ceylán, said that these activities contribute to improve the environment in their communities “because there should be no violence of any kind, at any age, not even towards animals. Violence denigrates all of us as living beings.”

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY