By Courtnie Higgins
A group picture with staff members from Casa Amiga, a center that responds to gender violence.
Fourteen students participating in the semester programs Crossing Borders: Gender and Social change in Mesoamerica and International Business and Global Citizenship gathered on Friday in El Paso, Texas to begin our semester with a Border Awareness Experience. We spent the week at the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border where we visited and spoke with businesses, organizations, and academics about issues in Mexico, the U.S., and between the two countries, and all the while
getting a taste of the culture in Mexico.
Two events particularly stood out to me. The first is when we spoke with an individual from Casa Amiga, which provides violence prevention and intervention programs. What specifically caught my attention are the preventative methods provided by Casa Amiga, which brings nonviolence to communities by giving presentations surrounding issues like domestic abuse, sexual harrassent, and gender issues. Furthermore, the organization reaches out and brings awareness to people of all ages. Casa Amiga´s preventative methods range from presenations given to adults who work at maquilas, which are factories under preferential-tariff programs established from the North American Free Trade Agreement, to showing muppet theatre to young children.
The second event I found most interesting was when we spoke with an individual from CETLAC, which is a center for labor issues and workshops located in Ciudad Juarez. I found this to be powerful because a large population in Mexico struggles to make ends meet financially and this organization is working with academics, politicians, and other organizations to examine the roots of economic situations, like why unions do not form. In addition, CETLAC works directly with individuals for their labor rights.
One issue that was presented to us is the labor dilemma. We were informed about salaries and what is needed for a living wage which is a salary high enough so that families can survive comfortably. While the legal minimum wage is 52 pesos/day, an equivalent of 4-5 minimum wages is necessary to raise a family of four. Therefore, people often work more than one job and once children turn 15 they begin working in maquilas to help their family.
Another issue brought to our attention was unions. The federal law allows for unions to exist, but in reality they don´t happen. Also, many people who work in maquilas had once lived and worked in the center-region of Mexico where the salary was less than it is now in the maquila. Because some people make more money now, although it’s still not a living wage, they have no motive or interest in organizing a union.
Another issue brought to our attention was unions. The federal law allows for unions to exist, but in reality they don´t happen. Also, many people who work in maquilas had once lived and worked in the center-region of Mexico where the salary was less than it is now in the maquila. Because some people make more money now, although it’s still not a living wage, they have no motive or interest in organizing a union.
Speaking with Casa Amiga and CETLAC was both educational and inspiring. While it may be challenging to grasp the social contexts and laws in another country and to understand the conditions individuals undergo inside the realms, it’s inspiring to hear that organizations are working for people in a positive context.
A student observes graffiti at Casa Amiga, which invited neighbourhood youth to show expression through graffiti. In this way the center could become acquainted with the community members while the community members could learn about the services being offered.
4 comments:
Organizations like Casa Amiga sound like exactly what is needed to push peoples’ movements forward in Mexico. It sounds like their methods of education cover a large range of people, which can help them understand the importance of non-violence and recognizing acts of violence, in addition to understanding the rights they have as Mexican citizens. Here in Thailand, the one issue that seems to be underlying in all other issues is the lack of education of projects, issues, or even basic rights. If these issues are common in Mexico as well, I know the fight is not an easy task. On the other hand, meeting with CETLAC sounds like it was provided hope. Understanding the economics of countries that are in the process of still developing or have a large lower class population has proven to be rather difficult in Thailand and sounds as though it is complicated in Mexico as well. Through understanding the issues, and with the help of organizations like Casa Amiga and CETLAC, the future of Mexico looks promising!
Suzanne Haggerty
CIEE Thailand
After reading your post, I am curious as to what else you have been learning in Mexico about labor and methods of reducing poverty in Mexico.
I have been to Juarez on a missions trip once, building a home in a local slum area. It certainly opened my eyes to a different definition of poverty than the one we hold back in the States.
As Suzanne said, it seems to education is a massively important component to change. I have observed that reality over and over again here in Thailand. This has made me examine education's role in my life, in my faith, and in learning experiences aside from the local classroom.
On a side note, has your program studied the impact of microcredit or microloans in Mexico? I have read a little about how it has helped certain communities, and I am curious if you have learned anything regarding such ventures? Sounds like Mexico has been wonderful!
Like Courtney, the first week en la frontera was a huge impact for me. Looking back on that experience now that we have only weeks left in the program makes me realize that much of what we have learned thus far is intrinsically connected to the ways in which the border manifests itself as a physical, metaphorical, and symbolic space in the lives of so many people. While Mexican immigration in the U.S is bounced around in political speeches as a "pressing" issue its realitites are constantly lived in the experiences of immigrants who don't have access to education, healthcare, fair wages and are constatnly denied their personhood. In Mexico, migration stories from relatives left behind are countless. La frontera gets even more complicated when considering born border crossers whose home is la frontera. De-hyphenated Xicanas like me, grown among strong brown faces and white faces of disdain, inhabit multiple spaces simultaneously. To many here in Mexico I
am just another gringa coming to carelessly spend my dollars. To the U.S I'm the unwanted "legal" citizen- the offspring of the "other." La frontera for me is not just a place of violence and exchange, it's a place of history and stories, where I gather strength. The more I interact with people here the more I understand my role as a Xicana and now more than ever I embrace La frontera as my home.
-Tannia E.
As Tannia commented, our program is now coming to a close. On Sunday we will be packing our bags and most of us will be headed back to the United States. Looking back it is so clear to me, how much of what we observed at the border stayed with us for the rest of the semester and became even more personal. Courtnie wrote about how it takes four to five living minimum wages for a family to survive, later on in the semester we lived with families. As we spent that week at the border, we have spent our time here in Mexico with many who have crossed that border. As Courtnie wrote fourteen weeks ago "it may be challenging to grasp the social contexts and laws in another country and to understand the conditions individuals undergo inside the realms" this is what we have been working to do in these fourteen weeks since.
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