May Day proclamation from Pacha Aru

The organizations of Aymara rural women of Pacha Aru in the Department of Puno-Peru, which are part of the Women’s International Network for Wages for Caring Work (WinWages), on the occasion of International Workers Day, make public our declaration to citizens as follows:

FIRST – In a country like ours, public and private employees who receive some wage in exchange for their work are considered workers of the society; nevertheless the great mass of workers in the fields (agricultural and livestock farmers) and especially women rural workers (Quechuas and Aymaras) and native women who are the base of Peruvian society, are excluded.

SECOND – We the rural and Indigenous women are the direct and principal generators of farm products and crafts, and with these we support the city. Our daily work is unlimited.  We work from dawn to late at night and our work is of many sorts: we prepare food for the family, we do agricultural work, we care for and maintain the livestock, we wash the clothes, care for the children, carry on the buying and selling of agricultural products in the markets, take care of our husbands, aid in the construction and maintenance of our living quarters and other work.  In summary we can say that women and girls do the work of life-giving.  But this vital work of survival and community is devalued and those who do it are despised in Peru and in the world.  In the hands of big business, only work to make money is valued, and the work that feeds, values and maintains the lives of others is always forgotten. Thus the work of the rural woman is forgotten.

THIRD – Because of all this, organized rural women are raising our voices of protest and demanding of the central government and the relevant authorities the following:

•    Recognition by law of the rural and native woman as the worker at the root of Peruvian society.

•     As workers we demand wage incentives for the mother and the rural woman, assigning to her part of the military budget.  And with justice we demand that the government must invest in life and welfare, not in military budgets and prisons.

LONG LIVE THE WOMEN WORKERS OF THE FIELDS AND THE CITY!
LONG LIVE THE WOMEN WORKERS OF THE WORLD!
DOWN WITH THE DOMINANT MACHISMO!

WOMEN WORKERS IN THE HOME, QUECHUA, AYMARA, NATIVE REMEMBER THAT UNITY IS STRENGTH AND TOGETHER WE WILL WIN OUR SOCIAL DEMANDS!

The Commission

1 May 2001

Centro Cultural Aymara, Comunicación y Desarrollo, “Pacha Aru”
Aymara Cultural Centre, Communication and Development, “Pacha Aru”
Urbanización Fernando Belaunde Terry, Pasaje 20 de Julio No. 159, Ciudad de Puno, Perú

Tel: (054) 356808   
Email: Pacha-puno@yahoo.com