MAB delivers letter to Pope Francisco

During the visit to Brazil to prestige the World Youth Day, the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB), with the support of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), will deliver a letter to Pope Francisco, in which reports the constant rights violations of affected populations by hydro-power dams. During the meeting with MAB and CNBB in Brasília, last month, the General Secretariat of the Conference, Dom Leonardo Steiner has committed to deliver a letter for the Pope at his coming to Brazil.
For the MAB, the intention of the letter is to inform the church of the situation of those affected and request support at intercession with the authorities to resolve these serious issues.

Read the full letter below:

                                     From Brazil’s Rivers, July 2013.

The Holy Father Pope Francisco,

Holy Father,

With joy, we welcome your presence in our country and take the opportunity to write this letter in order to share the living conditions of the families affected by the construction of dams in our country.

The model of energy production in Brazil, based on the construction of dams has caused forced displacement of thousands of families by systematic violation of economic, social, cultural and environmental rights. Over the past 40 years more than a million Brazilians were evicted from their lands because of the hydro-power dams, territories have been destroyed where livelihoods were produced, were life were produced, as well as culture and religion of residents of the cities, of the countryside, of indigenous peoples, quilombolas, extractive communities, fishers, of traditional and riverside communities.

Because those are populations which live more distant of big urban centres, they are more vulnerable and victims of big projects.

The situation is even worse, with the building of the new hydro-power dams for the next years, it is projected that more than 100000 families will be displaced. More than 40000 people will be affected because of the Belo Monte construction, which is happening at this moment, on the Xingu River, Para state.

The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) have being organizing the affected people, for over 20 years, to struggle for the right to stay in their territories, to survive, for social reproduction, seeking to maintain and/ or restore human dignity, which is violated with the flooding caused by the hydro-power dams.

We know that at this case the struggle in defence of human rights of those affected is a struggle against the interests of the construction companies, which aims to profit from the production of electricity, at cost of a policy of lowest possible social costs for the implementation of the construction.

Workers of the dam constructions are also penalized, they are often submitted to inhuman work conditions. As well as the city residents, who pay expensive prices for electricity. With all this, large companies, especially multinationals, favoured by the policies of the Brazilian State, enrich increasingly and send all profit to their headquarters located at the richest countries in Europe and the United States.

After denunciations of MAB to the Human Rights Secretariat of the Republic’s Presidency, a Special Commission was established which followed in loco the denunciations of human rights violations, in processes involving the planning, licensing, deployment and operation of dams. At the final report, approved in December 2009, the Brazilian State itself recognized the existence of a current pattern of serious and recurring human rights violations; the consequences of those violations accentuate the already severe social inequalities, translating into situations of misery and social, family and individual disintegration.

The committee identified in seven analysed cases, from the 74 accused, a set of 16 human rights which has been systematically violated. Those violated rights are: (1) to information and participation, (2) freedom of assembly, association and expression, (3) labour and a decent standard of living, (4) adequate housing, (5) education, a healthy environment, (6) health, (7) to the continuous improvement of living conditions, (8) the full compensation of losses, (9) to fair trade, isonomic treatment as collectively agreed and transparent criteria; (10) the right to come and go, (11) the practices and traditional ways of life; (11) access to and preservation of cultural, material and immaterial goods of indigenous peoples, quilombolas and traditional communities; (12) special protection for vulnerable groups, (13) access to justice; (14) repair of past losses; (15) family protection, and (16) violation of the right to bonds of social solidarity or community.

The lamentable of this situation is that even that this pattern of rights violation of the affected populations is noticed, the Brazilian state has a strong regulatory framework at the electricity sector, led by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, to ensure the construction of the hydro-power dams and to protect the interests of large companies. Never have had the solicitude to ensure a policy of rights for the affected populations. This, in our view, facilitates the continuing of rights violations at the construction of dams.

In July of 2009, the president at that time, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, acknowledged the existence of a social debt of the Brazilian state with those affected by dams, stating that for a long time dams were build in Brazil and those affected have not received any proper compensation and resettlement. At that moment, the president made a commitment in which the State should meet the demands of those affected to remedy the social debt and at the same time to create policies to prevent new social and environmental problems. However, until now, little have been done.

Holy Father, the humanitarian work on behalf of the poor and oppressed and your coming to Brazil renewed our hopes of pressuring and demanding the Brazilian government and companies to create a legal framework that guarantees the rights of those affected by instituting a national policy for rights for the affected populations by dams. Requiring also that conditions should be created (with the establishment of a special fund and a government agency responsible) to solve the social debt that the Brazilian state has with the affected families by dams and the establishment of recovery and development programs of affected communities.

We took this opportunity and drove to Your Holiness to ask to intercede with the governments so that injustices are recognized and that the rights of those affected by major dam constructions are guaranteed and respected. And we also would like to ask that you keep alive in your memory and words the fight of all those affected by hydro-power dams in Brazil, Latin America and the world who fight in defence of the right to a life with dignity.

We want water and energy with Sovereignty, Wealth Distribution and popular participation.

Water and energy are not merchandise.

With all our respect, faith and hope, we desire happiness on your mission.

Fraternal greetings of all affected by dams in Brazil.

Ivanei Farina Dalla Costa e Joceli Andriolli.

P / Coordination of the National Movement of People Affected by Dams in Brazil.

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Access to the report of violation of human rights of people affected by dams: http://pfdc.pgr.mpf.mp.br/temas-de-atuacao/populacao-atingida-pelas-barragens/atuacao-do-mpf/relatorio-final-cddph