Human Rights in Nicaragua

I just attended a really interesting talk about how U.S. foreign policy affects the lives of people in Latin America, specifically Nicaragua in the context of human rights. The speaker was a part of a program called "Witness for Peace." He started off by telling the origin story of his program. During the 1980s, a group of Americans traveling through Nicaragua stopped near a group of people who had just recently been attacked by the contra guerrillas (this occurred during the Nicaraguan period of civil war). The people were convinced that the contras would come back to kill the rest of those who had survived. Since the contras were being funded by the U.S., the people hoped that if the Americans on the bus stayed the guerrillas wouldn't attack them. Unfortunately, the Americans were forced to leave the area and later discovered that those Nicaraguans they had left behind had been killed. The "Witness for Peace" program began then as a means for Americans to view the adverse effects of their government's foreign policy toward Central American nations and motion for change. In essence, the program is a measure of U.S. foreign policy upon the conditions of those living in countries like Nicaragua through the eyes of American citizens.

The speaker emphasized that the U.S. violates the human rights of those who still remain in their country of origin as well as those who seek refuge in America. The premise of the argument is that American exploitation of the Central American people essentially leads them to lead very difficult lives at home or forces them to migrate to the U.S., which causes untold hardship and misery. Because of the civil war in Nicaragua that the U.S. incited, there existed death, rape, economic turmoil, and divisiveness among the Nicaraguan people. Even after the war ended, the Nicaraguan people could not look past what had happened in order to work together. The speaker pointed out that there were universal problems that all Nicaraguans faced such as the lack of a proper education system, clean food and water, and adequate health services. The Nicaraguan people would have been able to position themselves to overcome these challenges if only the civil war hadn't dismantled their national identity and willingness to cooperate with each other. Also, the U.S. negotiated unfair trade agreements in NAFTA and CAFTA, which allowed for unequal competition in the global market. Since there were free trade zones, the U.S. could export food such as corn that had been substantially subsidized in the U.S. and sell it in Nicaragua at a price below the cost of domestic production. This trade eliminated the ability of farmers in Nicaragua to provide for their families or buy the commodities that they need for everyday life. According to a fact sheet handed out afterword, one statistic stated that in the first year after CAFTA was implemented 11,457 people lost their jobs. Also, with the entrance of multinational corporations into Nicaragua, those lucky enough to acquire a job in one of the plants or Maquillas were treated harshly, given minimal pay, and even then faced employment instability. For example, women who were pregnant were forced to work right up until they went into labor and were not given any maternity leave afterword. Clearly, these are conditions that make survival unduly difficult.

The speaker went on to explain the treacherous conditions faced by migrants from Central America. He stated that since 1998, 5,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, women who tried to cross were raped by border guards, and that the present militarization of the border forces Latinos to brave the most dangerous terrain to find entry into the U.S. Those lucky enough to make it to the U.S. face constant discrimination. From 2003 to 2006 hate crimes against Latinos increased 35%, immigrants face harsh U.S. law like the one in Arizona, they encounter the constant threat of deportation, and do not have access to basic public facilities like schools, hospitals, or police assistance for fear of being discovered. These are not just unfair practices, the speaker went on to say. Since U.S. foreign policy was the direct perpetrator of oppression against the Nicaraguan people, their forced migration to the U.S. cannot be considered illegal and their exploitation both in their home country as well as in the U.S. cannot be considered unfortunate, but rather a violation of human rights.

I really felt that the speaker had a convincing argument. Most times Americans are simply upset about illegal immigration into their country, but rarely inquire as to why these people would risk so much to get here. In fact, the best way to solve immigration disputes seems to be to go to the source of the problem: the U.S. itself. If the nation could revise its foreign policy to allow for fair trade and equal opportunity, atone for past injustices, and work for a stronger and sustainable Central America, it would surely find border control less of an issue.