Roots of forced migrancy in Central America
“For every square kilometer planted with basic grains in Central America there are two square kilometers controlled by the mining industry.”
Two recent articles delve further into how the global economic model –including mining– and the resultant environmental harm and climate change are linked to the root causes of the forcing 100s of 1000s of Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans to flee into exile, every year.
‘It is the (global) economy, stupid!’
Not only is mining causing forced migrancy. Even as climate change dries ever more lands inhabited by impoverished campesinos, forcing them to flee into exile, the richest lands of Honduras, Guatemala and Salvador have access to ample water, year round, and produce all kinds of products – bananas, pineapples, sugar cane, African plam, coffee, meat cattle – for export to the rich, powerful countries of North America and Europe. The consumption demands and purchasing power of consumers in the wealthy countries are directly causing climate change and forced migrancy.
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Rights Action (U.S. & Canada)
Since 1995, Rights Action has been directly funding community-based human rights, environment and territory defenders in Guatemala and Honduras. We provide relief funds to victims of repression and human rights violations, health harms and natural disasters. We work to hold accountable the U.S. and Canadian governments, companies and investors, international actors (World Bank, etc.) that cause, contribute to and profit from repression and human rights violations, environmental harms and forced evictions, corruption and impunity.
Why Hondurans and Guatemalans Flee
The U.S. and Canadian governments, and northamerican and global businesses and investors (hydro-electric dams, mining, African palm, tourism, cattle, fruit, etc.) maintain profitable relations with corrupt, repressive governments in Honduras and Guatemala, turning a blind eye to and benefitting from repression, environmental devastation, human rights violations, corruption and impunity.
These are “U.S. & Canadian problems”
Keep sending copies of this information, and your own letters, to families, friends and networks, to politicians and media, to pension and investment funds, asking: Why our governments, companies and investment firms benefit from and turn a blind eye to poverty, repression and violence, environmental and health harms in places like Guatemala and Honduras?
Get Informed / Get Involved
- U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
- Canada: (Box 552) 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
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