Periodic Reporting for period 2 - VDGSEGUR (Gender Violence and Security in the Interoceanic Industrial Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec: A Critical Examination of Policies and Practices)
Período documentado: 2021-10-07 hasta 2022-10-06
The Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec (CIIT) project is a multimodal road and rail transport corridor that will link the Gulf of Mexico with the Pacific Ocean. It is projected as a viable alternative to the Panama Canal, intended to speed up global trade, and simultaneously stimulate the local economy. The CIIT includes the modernisation and expansion of the ports; improvement of the railway and highway connections; construction of a new gas pipeline and the installation of 10 industrial parks, designed to attract the automotive, agribusiness, manufacturing, transportation and logistics industries.
It is expected that overall the CIIT infrastructure project will entail secondary and tertiary impacts on an area encompassing 79 municipalities in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an area, which is home to more than half a million Indigenous people from 12 different nations, plus Afro-descendants. Some communities are ruled through Indigenous governance systems, and some of the land considered for the construction of the industrial parks is common land – managed and maintained collectively – and in some cases used to sustain the livelihood of local community members. Over the past decade, an incremented presence of organised crime groups has been perceived in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a geopolitically strategic region in the context of drug smuggling and migrant crossing. Both, opposition by social movements and cartel activity in the region were stated as reasons for handing over the CIIT infrastructure project to the Secretariat of the Navy for administration, and increase the presence of the National Guard in the area. Indigenous and civil society groups oppose what they see as a militarisation of infrastructure and of their region.
This research project examines how security dynamics change in the context of the implementation of the CIIT infrastructure project, with a particular focus on the impacts of emerging socio-territorial conflicts on local women. Women in the region experience a series of systemic vulnerabilities, such as economic precarity, gender violence, racism, limited access to education and exclusion from many decision-making positions in both state and traditional institutions. It is therefore important to assess to what extent a large-scale infrastructure project such as the CIIT, which is part of a government programme intended to increase the wellbeing of local communities de facto impacts on women’s lives and their safety in particular, which is the basis for personal development and flourishing.
It is expected that overall the CIIT infrastructure project will entail secondary and tertiary impacts on an area encompassing 79 municipalities in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an area, which is home to more than half a million Indigenous people from 12 different nations, plus Afro-descendants. Some communities are ruled through Indigenous governance systems, and some of the land considered for the construction of the industrial parks is common land – managed and maintained collectively – and in some cases used to sustain the livelihood of local community members. Over the past decade, an incremented presence of organised crime groups has been perceived in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a geopolitically strategic region in the context of drug smuggling and migrant crossing. Both, opposition by social movements and cartel activity in the region were stated as reasons for handing over the CIIT infrastructure project to the Secretariat of the Navy for administration, and increase the presence of the National Guard in the area. Indigenous and civil society groups oppose what they see as a militarisation of infrastructure and of their region.
This research project examines how security dynamics change in the context of the implementation of the CIIT infrastructure project, with a particular focus on the impacts of emerging socio-territorial conflicts on local women. Women in the region experience a series of systemic vulnerabilities, such as economic precarity, gender violence, racism, limited access to education and exclusion from many decision-making positions in both state and traditional institutions. It is therefore important to assess to what extent a large-scale infrastructure project such as the CIIT, which is part of a government programme intended to increase the wellbeing of local communities de facto impacts on women’s lives and their safety in particular, which is the basis for personal development and flourishing.
From 2019 to 2022 over 125 interviews realised with women affected by the implementation of the CIIT infrastructure project, members of NGOs or civil society organisations, public officials, journalists, academics, and Indigenous intellectuals and artists, among others. The interviews were transcribed and the data systematised and analysed with the open source software QDA Miner Lite.
This research found widespread discontent regarding the information about the Interoceanic Corridor infrastructure project that was disseminated by state agencies. Local residents felt they received more adequate and reliable information through social networks or civil society organisations. Whilst a series of information events regarding the project was carried out by government agencies, in 2019 and 2020 especially, there were reports of procedural flaws, violations, and exclusions of rights holders. Thus, these events cannot count to fully comply with the ILO standards for Indigenous consultations according to C169. There was a strong sense among a large part of the population in the Isthmus region that there would not be any concrete benefits for them from the project. Local business owners and unions with connections to the political elite were seen as principal future beneficiaries. There was a diverse range of negative impacts that were already experienced by some residents, among them eviction and displacement, loss of livelihood resulting from removal of vegetation, and disruptions of herding schemes through the construction work. A range of conflicts have emerged between different population groups, some to do with access to work or supplier contracts, and others with disputes over changes of land use, the latter leading to the most serious clashes. Even in its initial stage, the infrastructure project has caused security-related impacts among particular communities and actors. In particular, oppositional actors and social movement leaders suffered from verbal and physical threats, as well as rights violations. There were fears around the social, cultural, economic and environmental changes that this infrastructure project will entail. Among them were, in particular, the industrialisation and urbanisation of the region, which could lead to contamination and water scarcity, an increase in extractive megaprojects, and possibly even to cultural extinction of Indigenous populations. Different communities have existing, previous and historic grievances that they want addressed and remedied before agreeing to a new development project. These include oil spills, contamination from sulphur-mine waste, untreated wastewaters from a refinery, and loss of land and displacement resulting from past infrastructure projects.
Respondents expressed a range of desired infrastructures and community visions. Among them were, in particular, a desire for improved basic and agricultural infrastructure, but also investment into health, education and housing fit for climate change. Overall, there was a strong aspiration to establish infrastructures that allow stewardship (of nature) and care (for others). Community infrastructures have the greatest chances of acceptance and sustainability. As genuine community infrastructure, we understand those that are designed, realised and maintained by the community, and of which the entire community benefits. Community infrastructures, based on diverse social, cultural and economic life projects, can enhance humanity’s overall resilience in the face of climate change.
This research found widespread discontent regarding the information about the Interoceanic Corridor infrastructure project that was disseminated by state agencies. Local residents felt they received more adequate and reliable information through social networks or civil society organisations. Whilst a series of information events regarding the project was carried out by government agencies, in 2019 and 2020 especially, there were reports of procedural flaws, violations, and exclusions of rights holders. Thus, these events cannot count to fully comply with the ILO standards for Indigenous consultations according to C169. There was a strong sense among a large part of the population in the Isthmus region that there would not be any concrete benefits for them from the project. Local business owners and unions with connections to the political elite were seen as principal future beneficiaries. There was a diverse range of negative impacts that were already experienced by some residents, among them eviction and displacement, loss of livelihood resulting from removal of vegetation, and disruptions of herding schemes through the construction work. A range of conflicts have emerged between different population groups, some to do with access to work or supplier contracts, and others with disputes over changes of land use, the latter leading to the most serious clashes. Even in its initial stage, the infrastructure project has caused security-related impacts among particular communities and actors. In particular, oppositional actors and social movement leaders suffered from verbal and physical threats, as well as rights violations. There were fears around the social, cultural, economic and environmental changes that this infrastructure project will entail. Among them were, in particular, the industrialisation and urbanisation of the region, which could lead to contamination and water scarcity, an increase in extractive megaprojects, and possibly even to cultural extinction of Indigenous populations. Different communities have existing, previous and historic grievances that they want addressed and remedied before agreeing to a new development project. These include oil spills, contamination from sulphur-mine waste, untreated wastewaters from a refinery, and loss of land and displacement resulting from past infrastructure projects.
Respondents expressed a range of desired infrastructures and community visions. Among them were, in particular, a desire for improved basic and agricultural infrastructure, but also investment into health, education and housing fit for climate change. Overall, there was a strong aspiration to establish infrastructures that allow stewardship (of nature) and care (for others). Community infrastructures have the greatest chances of acceptance and sustainability. As genuine community infrastructure, we understand those that are designed, realised and maintained by the community, and of which the entire community benefits. Community infrastructures, based on diverse social, cultural and economic life projects, can enhance humanity’s overall resilience in the face of climate change.
Through local community researchers, the project was able to access a wide scope of populations, including affected women in very remote, rural areas, which could have not been achieved through the researcher alone. Therefore, we were able to assess the importance of common land for (especially older) women’s livelihoods (they extract fruit and wood, and trap game), but also understand the infrastructural visions of younger women, who desire infrastructures that would allow them to generate prosperous lives – not detached from the land – but combining the benefits of rural and urban ways of living, improving agricultural infrastructure, whilst simultaneously investing in ecotechnologies to improve water quality and energy efficiency, and build climate-adapted housing. It has become clear from this study, that women were largely excluded from (both traditional and state) decision-making institutions relevant to the project implementation. Future infrastructure projects must ensure that women’s visions, desires and needs regarding their work and life plans are consulted and considered for any intended infrastructure project. Special efforts to promote women’s participation should be mandatory for all future infrastructure projects.