Meet the defenders: Diana from CONTEC
Last month, PBI interviewed Diana Villalobos Diaz, Director of the Consultoria Técnica Comunitaria, A.C. (CONTEC) during her advocacy tour in the UK and Spain in October 2022.
PBI has accompanied CONTEC in Chihuahua, Mexico since early 2022.
Please can you start by briefly introducing yourself?
My name is Diana Villalobos Dias, I was born in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. I’ve been working for over 30 years defending human rights and accompanying indigenous people from the Raramuri and Odami communities. I am currently the Director of the Consultoria Tecnica Comunitaria, CONTEC.
Tell us a bit about the human rights situation in the Sierra Tarahumara?
“People have a way of seeing the Sierra as a region from which to squeeze everything - its natural resources, its human resources”
The context throughout Mexico and Chihuahua is diverse, but I would focus on two issues: insecurity and social deprivation. Drug cultivation is an extremely complex issue for the Sierra. It began in the ‘70s, and at the time drugs were just another crop among many. But in 2016, when Felipe Calderon was elected president of Mexico, he declared the “war on drug trafficking” and public security changed. Since then, there have been many security operations based on who won political office in which state - but none have resulted in more security for the region. Subsequent Presidents have doubled down on this strategy despite its failures.
During his campaign, [current president] Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised that he would focus on repairing the social fabric and giving more opportunities to young people. He said using the National Guard for public security would be a temporary measure while local police forces received training. That was in his governing plan. But the distribution of funds to poor communities has been more of a political stunt. Young people don’t receive much. It’s not enough to live on. Other programs which were intended to pay communities to grow pine trees have generated conflict in local communities.
There has been no evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs. Despite the criticism and demonstrable failure, Lopez Obrador insists that they are successful and should continue. The same thing has happened with the militarization of public security - the strategy is to increase the number of soldiers or national guard, without any evidence that this will solve the problem. Homicides have continued, and organised criminal groups continue to control the region.
Armed groups (usually associated with organised crime) often threaten communities with violence in order to get them to leave their land. People leave everything behind because they are afraid. They have to start over and adapt to new customs and find new work, which is extremely difficult. Public security policy has failed to address these issues, and the increase in violence has resulted in the forced displacement of communities in the Sierra and around the country. This is a widespread problem in Mexico, and yet there is still no public policy or legislation to address or stop mass displacements.
The Tarahumara (photo from Teresa Camou - Director of Cruz)
Another issue is the devastation of the local environment. On the one hand, (criminal groups) illegally log the pine forests. They put the logs on trucks, and then they torch the area they have logged. You can see them driving around in broad daylight. Occasionally they are stopped, and the illegally logged wood is confiscated, but those responsible are often not detained or charged, and even fewer are ever convicted. The Federal government also issues logging permits. There is illegal logging, but there is also legal logging, both of which create enormous environmental issues for the Sierra, and the government has done nothing to stop it. The environment is also damaged through so-called development projects, including forestry, mining, tourism and the construction of a gas pipeline that crosses the mountains of Chihuahua.
The tourism project was initially implemented by the State and Federal governments, but eventually, many tourism companies also got involved to increase local tourism infrastructure. They did this without consulting the local communities - which was necessary because what they sell is the scenic beauty, but also the Tarahumara culture. These projects were never agreed to by the local communities, and they have not benefited from them. On the contrary, they are negatively impacted, because [these projects] produce a lot of rubbish, they contaminate the water, and they use the springs on which communities depend to survive for tourism.
The Indigenous communities of the Sierra also suffer from social deprivation and discrimination. There has been a long-term lack of investment - in health, education and training, and in environmental protection. There are massive investments that arrive without any consultation and affect the local population, but without offering them any benefits. The good jobs go to people from outside the community. Local people are only able to get work as cleaners or in construction. There is no investment in training people for the jobs that come with these projects.
The traditional way of life of the people of the Sierra has focused on agriculture - which has also been disrupted by climate change - sometimes it rains a lot, sometimes not at all, and sometimes very late. So before they were able to produce enough for their own subsistence for perhaps six or seven months of the year, now what they produce is not enough. They have to leave the community to find work. This is convenient for agribusiness, as it provides them with a cheap source of labour.
How does CONTEC’s work address these issues?
CONTEC has four programmes:
We carry out legal and environmental defence, through litigation and by bringing cases to the State or Federal human rights commissions. Through this work, we have managed to obtain a few key verdicts in favour of the local communities, but these have not yet been completely implemented.
CONTEC provides long-term accompaniment to communities in resistance. We strengthen the community through workshops and training, particularly for women, and support them when they have to participate in administrative or bureaucratic processes.
Through the “Buen Vivir” programme, we support communities in applying for development and environmental protection funds, so that they can have jobs conserving the environment and the water, for example through reforestation.
We also carry out research and conduct investigations related to our work.
We know that Mexico is among the most dangerous countries in the world for environmental rights defenders. What kind of risks and challenges have you and your colleagues faced in carrying out this work?
In one of the cases that CONTEC brought, we brought a case against the state. And in response they audited us. The audit lasted an entire year. Throughout the judicial process, the auditors would arrive strategically. They launched public smear campaigns to discredit our work. I was also threatened on the highway. It was clear that this was part of the effort to criminalise CONTEC and obstruct our case.
The communities themselves have also faced threats. They do everything possible so that people will stop fighting. There have been more than 20 homicides, especially of people who have stood up to the loggers. These are the risks that the communities face.
What does the Mexican government need to do to change this situation?
There are two pieces of legislation that are important. The General Law to Holistically Prevent, Attend and Repair Internal Enforced Displacement was passed by the Chamber of Deputies but is stalled in the Senate. There is also a proposed constitutional reform which is currently with the Chamber of Deputies regarding Indigenous peoples’ rights. The government must also comply with existing verdicts from Federal and State courts. We hope that the State will carry out existing sentences - one in favour of displaced people, and another which requires consultation with Indigenous communities.
Diana speaking with the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre in London
The Sierra Tarahumara should also be considered a priority region by the State and Federal government, with a budget and specific programmes to combat social exclusion and poverty amongst Indigenous communities.
In terms of security, the government has the obligation to protect the population, especially human rights defenders. It shouldn’t attack us directly, but it should also ensure that we are not attacked by others. It should address the situation of generalised insecurity both in the Sierra and in the cities.
There are several communities in the Sierra that have precautionary measures from the IACHR. These measures are only half-implemented. The community receives humanitarian support, but there has not been justice nor have they been able to return to their communities after more than 7 years. Unfortunately, at this point it is not possible for the families to return, due to the situation of insecurity in the area, but they still hope for justice.
More than 17 investigations have been opened related to enforced displacement, but there have been no advances. The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) and the national courts have told the State it must review if there has been any corruption by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and if so, there should be consequences for that corruption. They have also been ordered to undergo training, because they didn’t know how to investigate properly, and to continue the investigation until they identify those responsible.
How can people or the UK government support the important work you’re doing?
“Investments must also take into account the local population - they cannot just be imposed by agreement with the government.”
Diana with Lady Hooper (and PBIUK’s Ben and Laura) in Westminster Hall
It’s really important to give visibility to what is happening in the Sierra. If no one sees it, they might think everything is fine, and there wouldn’t be any response to the long-term demands of the community. Our intention during this speaker tour that PBI has invited us on is to raise awareness about the situation and see if in their bilateral relationship the UK government can raise concern with the Mexican government and ask why these issues continue unresolved.
Additionally, if the UK invests in Mexico (directly or through business interests), they could potentially make an investment which supports human rights and environmental violations. The government must guarantee the security of its population, which is of utmost importance. But investments must also take into account the local population - they cannot just be imposed by agreement with the government. They have to understand where the investment is going, if human and environmental rights will be respected, if national and international rules are being followed, and if the investment is pertinent to the local community.
What does it mean to be accompanied by PBI?
“PBI’s accompaniment has been important to connect us with international support networks that we wouldn’t have access to or capacity to manage ourselves.”
CONTEC’s work is very local. My work is fieldwork. For me and for the people in the communities it is important to work face-to-face, to see our commitment to one another. Because these communities have been on their own, and sometimes they have been misled. So it’s important to be present in the communities in the long term.
We couldn’t do this while also doing the work that PBI does. We have to choose between working directly with people in the communities or doing professional international advocacy and training. So PBI’s accompaniment has been important to connect us with international support networks that we wouldn’t have access to or the capacity to manage ourselves.
I am very grateful for PBI’s accompaniment and solidarity. PBI always understands what we are talking about; even if they are here in London and have never been to Mexico, they understand our struggles because they are committed to the cause. I am grateful for that.
