Vijesti ROMI.HR

U Bogoti, u Kolumbiji, 1981. godine, održani su prvi latinoamerički i karipski feministički skupovi (Encuentros). Organizatorice su postavile cilj uspostaviti transnacionalnu mrežu za raspravu o ugnjetavanju žena i nasilju u regiji i potencijalnim načinima da se to prevlada. Tokom ovih sastanaka je donijeta odluka o proglašenju 25. studenog simboličkim datumom za podizanje svijesti o nasilju nad ženama. Ujedinjeni narodi su 1999. godine službeno donijeli Rezoluciju kojom se priznaje ovaj datum i od tada ga UN pokušava promovirati. Priča koja stoji iza ovog dana se prisjeća ženskog doprinosa demokraciji i ljudskim pravima.

1930. godine je slabljenje pozicije predsjednika Dominikanske Republike Horacia Vásqueza pružilo idealnu priliku njegovim političkim protivnicima da se dokopaju vlasti. Uz pomoć čelnika Republikanske stranke Ureña glavni vojni zapovjednik Rafael Trujillo je upotrijebio svoju vojnu moć, svrgnuo Horacia Vásqueza i zauzeo dužnost predsjednika. Sljedećih 31 godinu je njegova diktatura koristila svaku priliku kako bi podrivala demokraciju, koristeći prisilu, nasilje, korupciju i cenzuru u zemlji. Sve to je rezultiralo gubitkom političkih i građanskih sloboda.

Revolucionarni pokret 14. lipnja (14J) osnivan je 1960. godine kao politička organizacija koja koordinira otpor Trujillovom režimu. Organizacija je dobila svoje ime u čast pobunjeničkim aktivnostima do kojih je došlo 1959. godine pod vodstvom gerilaca koji su se borili protiv Trujilla i oružanih snaga Dominikanske republike. Sestre Mirabal (Minerva, Patria i María Teresa) su bile duboko upletene u osnivanje i rukovođenje pokretom 14J. Postale su poznate kao Las Mariposas (Leptiri), politički pseudonim koji je Minerva često koristila. Njihova aktivna uloga u javnom osuđivanju Trujillovih zločina i pružanju revolucionarne podrške protiv diktature je imala snažan utjecaj i predstavljala je prijetnju koju Trujillo nije mogao ignorirati.

Sestre Mirabal su nekoliko puta bile privedene i zatvorene zbog svojih političkih aktivnosti. U svibnju 1960. godine su Minerva i María Teresa, zajedno sa svojim muževima, suđene u Santo  Domingu, proglašene su krivima za zločine protiv nacionalne sigurnosti i osuđene su na kaznu zatvora od 3 godine. Dok su bile u zatvoru, Minerva i María Tereza su mučene i silovane od strane Trujillovih vojnika.  

Mada je to bilo iznenađujuće, nekoliko mjeseci kasnije sestre Mirabal su bile puštene na slobodu. Ovo je mogao biti pokušaj režima smiriti rastući pritisak i gnjev u dominikanskom društvu, odnosno lažni prikaz Trujillove “velikodušnosti“. To je također poklopilo s vremenom oštre međunarodne kritike diktatora nakon njegovog organiziranja pokušaja ubojstva predsjednika Venecuele Betancourta. Čak je i katolička crkva okrenula leđa režimu s obzirom na razmjer provođenih represija. Nakon puštanja iz zatvora, sestre Mirabal su se ponovno pridružile revolucionarnom pokretu još odlučnije pokušavajući svrgnuti Trujilla i sudjelujući u prikupljanju oružja za potencijalnu pobunu.

Dana 3. studenog 1960. godine u intervju za časopis ”El Caribe” Trujillo je izjavio: ‘’Jedina dva pitanja kojima se trenutno bavim je katolička crkva i Minerva Mirabal“. Postalo je očito da popularnost sestara Mirabal predstavlja prijetnju stabilnosti režima. 25. studenog dok su Minerva, Patrija i Marija Tereza putovale automobilom kako bi posjetile svoje supruge u zatvoru, bile su zaustavljene od strane pripadnika Vojne obavještajne službe (SIM) i zvjerski ubijene na licu mjesta po Trujillovoj naredbi. Pripadnici SIM su smjestili mrtva tijela u automobil i gurnuli su vozilo niz brdo.

U potpunosti kontrolirana od strane diktatora nacionalna štampa je izvjestila javnost da je njihova smrt prometna nesreća, ali je malo tko u to povjerovao. Ubojstvo sestara Mirabal je izazvalo široko protivljenje naroda jer je ogolilo razinu okrutnosti režima prema svojim političkim protivnicima. Visoka razina mržnje i gubitak vojne potpore su se pretvorili u zavjere za svrgavanje diktatora. Sve je kulminiralo atentatom na Trujilla 31. svibnja 1961. godine.

Zbog burnih desetljeća koja su uslijedila nakon Trujillove smrti u Dominikanskoj Republici, tek mnogo kasnije je prepoznata borba sestara Mirabal za demokraciju i pravdu. Postale su simbol otpora protiv autoritarizma kao i simbol žena koje su podigle glas protiv nasilja i ugnjetavanja.

U današnje vrijeme svaka treća žena širom svijeta doživljava fizičko ili seksualno zlostavljanje. Romkinje su posebno izložene nasilju. Zbog njihovog marginalnog položaja Romkinje su u većim riziku od uznemiravanja, zlostavljanja, obiteljskog nasilja
i trgovanja ljudima. Rijetko su informirane o svojim pravima i o tome što mogu učiniti kako bi se zaštitile i prijavile incidente. Osim toga, nedostatak pristupa odgovarajućoj zdravstvenoj zaštiti čini njihovu izloženost nasilju opasnijom.

Nasljeđe sestara Mirabal bi nas također trebalo podsjetiti i na one skupine žena koje su u većoj mjeri izložene nasilju. Ne bismo trebali zaboravljati da je borba za zaustavljanje nasilja nad ženama i kršenja ljudskih prava ključna i još uvijek nije završena.

Violence against women continues

This day commemorates the long-lasting battles fought all over the world to end violence against women, and the on-going challenges that lie ahead of achieving equality and guaranteeing female safety. Violence against women has received considerable attention over the past 20 years and is now a common policy objective both at national and international level. Unfortunately, violence against women remains an on-going issue, and greater efforts are needed to address the problem. The story of the Mirabal sisters, one of unrelenting commitment against oppression and violence, is worth looking into today.

In 1981, the first Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentros (Meetings) took place in Bogotá, Colombia. Their goal was to establish a transnational network to discuss female oppression and violence in the region, and potential ways to overcome it. One of the decisions taken there was to mark the 25th of November as a symbolic date to raise awareness on violence against women. In 1999, the United Nations officially delivered a resolution recognizing the date, and has since made efforts to visibilise it. The story behind this day commemorates women’s contributions to democracy and human rights.

In 1930, the weakening of Horacio Vásquez’s presidency in the Dominican Republic provided an ideal opportunity for political adversaries to access power. With the help of Republican Party leader Ureña, Commander-in-Chief Rafael Trujillo used his military power to overthrow Horacio Vásquez and establish himself as President. For the next 31 years, his dictatorship would actively seek to undermine any attempts towards democracy, engaging in widespread coercion, violence, corruption and censorship in the country. The loss of political and civil liberties was considerable as a result.

In 1960, the 14th June Revolutionary Movement (14J) was established as a political organization coordinating resistance to Trujillo’s regime. Its name paid homage to the 1959 insurrectionary activities led by anti-Trujillo guerrillas which were defeated by the state’s military and air forces. The Mirabal sisters (Minerva, Patria and María Teresa) were deeply involved in the creation and management of the 14J movement. They became known as Las Mariposas (The Butterflies), the political pseudonym Minerva frequently used. Their active role denouncing Trujillo’s crimes publicly and raising revolutionary support against the dictatorship was highly influential, and it posed a threat that Trujillo could not ignore.

The Mirabal Sisters were detained and imprisoned several times for their political activities. In May 1960 Minerva and María Teresa, together with their husbands, received trial in Santo Domingo, where they were found guilty of crimes against national security and given 3-year long prison sentences. While in prison, Minerva and María Teresa were tortured and raped by Trujillo’s soldiers.

In what seemed like a surprising event, several months later the Mirabal sisters were released. This might have been an attempt by the regime to pacify mounting pressure and indignation in the Dominican society, a false display of Trujillo’s ‘generosity’. It also came at a time of intense international criticism of the dictator, following his attempt to murder Venezuelan president Betancourt that summer. Even the Catholic Church had turned its back against the regime given the level of widespread repression. After their release, the Mirabal sisters again joined the revolutionary movement with renewed energy to overthrow Trujillo, engaging in ways to gather weapons for a potential insurrection.

On the 3rd of November 1960, when interviewed by journal ‘El Caribe’, Trujillo said: ‘’My government’s only two issues right now are the Catholic Church and Minerva Mirabal’’. It had become clear that the sisters’ popularity actively defied the regime’s stability. On 25th of November, while travelling by car to visit their imprisoned husbands, Minerva, Patria and María Teresa were stopped by members of the Military Intelligence Service (SIM). Following orders from Trujillo, they were brutally murdered on the spot. They placed the dead bodies inside their car and threw the vehicle down a hill.

The national press, fully under Trujillo’s control, told the public their deaths had been an unfortunate accident, but few believed it. The Mirabal sisters’ killing sparked increased popular opposition as it revealed the regime’s complete ruthlessness against dissidence. Faced with a high level of domestic animosity and the loss of military support, plots to overthrow the dictator began to take shape. This culminated with Trujillo’s assassination on the 31st of May 1961.

Given the turbulent decades that followed Trujillo’s death in the Dominican Republic, it was not until much later that the sisters’ fight for democracy and justice was recognized. They have become a symbol for resistance in the face of authoritarianism and for women who raised their voice against violence and oppression.

In current times, 1 in 3 women worldwide experience physical or sexual abuse. Roma women are particularly vulnerable to violence. Their marginalized position implies higher risk of suffering harassment, abuse, domestic violence and trafficking. They are rarely informed about their rights and the course of action to follow in order to report incidents. Besides, lack of access to adequate healthcare makes their exposure to violence more dangerous.

The legacy of the Mirabal sisters should remind us of those groups of women who are more vulnerable to violence in modern society. We should not forget that the struggle to end violence against women and human rights violations is an essential one, and also far from over.