Nora

La Cruz, Zontecomatlán, Veracruz

On November 8, 2022, Fomento Cultural y Educativo participated in a community assembly with 78 people, mostly women, as well as the municipal agent. The team presented the results of interviews conducted in other communities in Veracruz as part of the Ambulantes project, speaking about labor rights of jornaleros and jornaleras and how to maintain communication between workers, ranches, and the community.

Fomento shared Information in Náhuatl and Spanish and shared printed materials about labor rights and COVID-19 prevention. These subjects generated interest from the attendees who began to share problems related with their lack of awareness around labor rights, and with the disappearances of families who had migrated to the contracts:

“The most important thing that can be done is that the community tells others where they migrate to, because in the past people have left and have not returned. Women should also have information in order to defend themselves in case something happens to them when they travel to the ranches,” commented Nora.

It was a particularly important assembly because the Municipal Agent had grasped the importance of the information and made the organization of the assembly a priority.

This was because a group of men had recently left to the contracts in Sinaloa and Monterrey, and in several days a group of women would also leave to work in Sinaloa.

It was important that this group left more informed. After the assembly Nora said: “Yes, there can be changes, like reporting to the municipal agent and knowing how to defend oneself or speak to the authorities in cases of exploitation.”

The subjects of the assembly brought up many questions from the participants, above all about how to defend yourself from labor abuses suffered by agricultural workers, and different ways to denounce these abuses.

The utility of the information was also demonstrated when the community asked that Fomento return to hold the same discussion with the group of men who did not attend because they had recently travelled to the harvest.

At the end of the assembly and after having learned about labor rights and basic security protocols, Alma commented: “It’s useful to discuss this topic because in the community many women travel to the harvests. I learned that when I go to the ranches, I should not only inform my family, but also have a physical signed contract.”