The Forest Rights Act.

In 2006 the Indian parliament adopted the Forest Rights Act. This law was passed to protect the indigenous people of India against forced expropriation of forests and to compensate them for past injustices. However recently the Supreme Court of India has ruled in favor of wildlife organizations, who claim that the presence of indigenous people in the forests is harmful to the protected forests of India. This court ruling also has significant consequences for the indigenous people of other states in India. Due to this court order, indigenous communities of other states can also be forced to leave the forests where they have existed for centuries.

Unfounded

The claim of the Indian wildlife organizations, about the presence of indigenous communities supposedly threatening the Indian forests, is groundless. The biggest threat to the forests and wildlife in India are still the Indian government and companies, who are cutting the forests for their natural resources.

Protest

On 11 August, the group is organizing a cultural event where they will sing traditional songs to protest against the planned eviction of the Adivasi communities from the forests of Jharkhand.

By mid-2018, 123 social leaders had already been killed: the majority of them belonged to indigenous or campesino groups, and were engaged in the fight for natural resources and territories. The Tejuntas organization (Tejido Juvenil Nacional Transformando a la Sociedad) is taking action. Founded in 2011, the group is the result of a meeting of around 300 young people in Marinilla, all of whom wanted to fight for democracy and peace.

The aim of the action “La paz está en rojo” (Peace is colored red) is to raise awareness of this desperate situation, and demand that human rights be respected in the country. The conflict situation renders any democratic process of peace and social justice in Colombia impossible. The justice system makes no effort to adequately investigate the murders.

To generate media attention, the activists are taking direct action in the public space of Medellín, in a very creative way. They’re making dolls that are clearly recognizable as social leaders, and hanging them on traffic lights throughout the city. This way they reach the millions of people who pass these traffic lights every day.

This is part of a national campaign called “Ser Líder Social No Es un Delito” (It is not a crime to be a social leader). Taking action against these tragic crimes is desperately needed. According to a study conducted by the National Consulting Center and Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement, between January 2016 and June 2018 no fewer than 311 people were killed for their commitment to human rights and peace. Het Actiefonds supports Tejuntas, because social leaders and human rights defenders must be free and safe to do their important work!

Poisoned soil

Around 1500 families – mainly women – depend on the mussel capture and processing in the area around the Muros-Noia estuary. The mining industry pollutes the soil with heavy metals. As a result, thousands of hectares of seabed have already been closed. The consequences for the community are disastrous: no livelihood without mussel capture. Meanwhile, Sacyr Group is taking legal steps to block environmental groups from taking water samples in sites where illegal discharges of toxic substances are taking place, in order to keep their harmful practices under wraps.

Forced expulsion

The communities living around the mine are not only in danger of losing their income. They are also threatened with eviction from their homes and the loss of even more of their land. Residents complain of intimidation by the Sacyr Group. Despite massive protests, the regional government continues to support the mining activities.

Regaining the ground

With the help of Het Actiefonds, local communities are reclaiming the land that has been taken from them. They do this by planting endangered, native tree species in the old mine shafts and mining holes. Many families with children are planting trees in the soil, thus getting right of use to the trees and its fruits. The goal is to restore the affected areas and reclaim the lost ground.

Help out

Do you agree that it’s unacceptable that the interests of multinationals take precedence over the rights and health of local communities? Show your solidarity with the residents of Galicia and donate now!

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A great action, and desperately needed. 88 procent of the Amsterdam streets named after a person are named after a man. And of the women’s names used, most are “wives of”, according to the action group. So De Bovengrondse took to the streets in August to hang up alternative street name signs. This happened simultaneously in ten other cities in the Netherlands. The original street names were crossed out with pink tape.

The action group made a diverse selection of twelve extraordinary women to honour with this action. Representation matters: if all streets are named after men, this stimulates the idea of only men doing relevant things for society.

Cluy-Napoca, or Cluj in short, is the second largest city in Romania. The city is known for its ethnic and religious diversity. But nevertheless, it is the least tolerant city in all the EU member states when it comes to LGBTQI+ people.

Spreading hate

The groep ‘Coalition for Family’, a group of no less than 30 NGOs, has even started a hate campaign against the LGBTQI+ community. This coalition wants to secure ‘traditional family values’. And their goal is to define marriage in the constitution as ‘the unification of a man and a woman’. According to them, there’s no place in Romania for same-sex marriage.

Sabotage

Last year, the organisation of Pride Romania also encountered bizarre sabotage actions at the hands of the municipality. The Pride was denied the use of several public spaces and eventually the mayor declared that these kinds of manifestations are forbidden in the city.

It’s clear that Romania has a long way to go in LGBTQI+ rights and emancipation. For that reason, the group Asociatia PRIDE wants to hold the march in the city center, even without permission. Through this manifestation, they aim to make the oppressed community more visible. They want to reclaim public space and make their voices heard against the continuous discrimination, repression and violence. Because the city belongs to everyone.

Recognition and tolerance

The primary goal of the Pride is to show the city that the LGBTQI+ community can’t just be silenced. They deserve true recognition. Het Actiefonds is supporting the collective in organising the march itself and in purchasing and spreading promotional materials.

This Pride march is only the beginning of a series of actions that put the rights of the LGBTQI+ back on the public agenda. Actions demanding respect and tolerance, actions against hatred. In the coming months a referendum will be held about the constitutional definition of marriage. In the run-up to this, the group hopes to open the eyes of the Romanian people.

You can support this fight for equality and equity. With a one-time donation you can help the group continue their campaign!

It is now possible to simply ban groups that are seen as ‘antagonistic’ to the government. This is at a time when the right to protest is especially important in Indonesia. Farmers are falling victim to land grabbing, the minimum wage has been abolished, and the cost of living is rising more and more due to the foreign debts of the state.

The Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights has spoken out against the Ormas Law, and on International Human Rights Day on December 10, students and farmers took action against the law. LINK-AR, a small grassroots organization, is setting up awareness campaigns, marches and manifestations – supported by Het Actiefonds. This way, they make their voices heard for a free and democratic Indonesia.

The North Mara Gold Mine was opened in 2002 near the Tigithe River, in the Mara region of Tanzania. The Tigithe River is the main source of water for more than 250,000 people. That water source is polluted by the gold mine. As a result, there are health problems in the community, the soil is becoming less fertile, and several households have lost livestock to polluted water. There has been sexual abuse of female mining workers by management personnel. Villagers have to walk for miles to get clean water in another river.

Ten years ago, the Tanzanian parliament already demanded that the mine be closed because polluted water had led to the death of eighteen villagers. A government investigation in 2010 showed that the water is not poisoned. But communities around the North Mara Gold Mine say that corruption is at stake.

The Organization for Humanity Advancement group is taking action, with financial support from Het Actiefonds. They demand that the mining company cease polluting the Tigithe River, respect the human rights of workers, and offer compensation for its negligence. The action group wants the government to set up a fair, objective second water quality inspection. They also want the government to start an investigation into the allegations of sexual abuse.

OHA is organizing a demonstration to the Tarime Rural Constituency office and a blockade of the North Mara Mining office in Nyamongo. Het Actiefonds supports them in this, because the pollution of nature and the exploitation of workers caused by the gold mine must stop!

Chocó

The marginalized Afro-Colombian community mainly inhabits the department Chocó. A small percentage of the Emberá lives here too: the indigenous people of Colombia.  Despite the rich biodiversity and unique history, this region is one of the least developed regions of the country, due to a lack of interest from the Colombian government.

The Golf of Tribugá is one of the few breeding places of the humpback whale.

New port

The Colombian government claims that this megaproject will boost the economic development of this region. However, the residents of Chocó are skeptical: they fear that the arrival of this new port will intervene with their way of life and that it will destroy the unique flora and fauna of this region.

Thirty days of action

Local activist of the department Chocó started the group Colectivo de Comunicaciones en Puja to promote the interests of the people of this fragile region. They are promoting their communities and their endangered environment by using film, music, and art. Throughout the month July the group Colectivo de Comunicaciones en Puja actively will be actively campaigning to stop the construction of a mega port in Tribugá.