es http://www.alcnoticias.org/ Information and analysis about the social-ecclesial reality, development and human rights in Latin America and other regions of the world englisheditor@alcnoticias.org http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16372_688 Science fiction blockbuster Avatar was the big loser in the Oscar awards ceremony - not only a blow for director James Cameron but also seen as a symbolic reverse in the struggle to recover Amazon rainforest areas in Ecuador from the effects of oil pollution. Several environmental organisations, like the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and the Amazon Defence Coalition, had asked Cameron to "let his legions of fans know that while Pandora is fictional, what is happening to (indigenous) communities in Ecuador is as real as it gets." 2010-03-11 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16371_688 In Guatemala, violence against women has reached staggering levels in recent years. Since 2000, over 4,700 Guatemalan women have been brutally murdered with almost no accountability for a single perpetrator of these crimes. On March 3rd, 2010, American University hosted an event with the Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) called “Stop Femicide in Guatemala!” Internationally acclaimed human rights advocate Norma Cruz spoke with students and professors about the increasing rate of violence against women in Guatemala. 2010-03-11 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16370_688 A greater presence of women in decision-making roles in the church might have helped remove the "veil of masculine secrecy" that covered priestly sex abuse cases, a front-page commentary in the Vatican newspaper said. The article said that despite calls by popes and others for welcoming women into equal, though diverse, roles in the church, women have generally been kept out of positions of responsibility. As a result, the church has failed to take advantage of the many talents and contributions that could have been provided by women, it said. 2010-03-11 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16351_688 On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) calls upon churches to recognize the gifts of women, to celebrate the fruits of their labour and to increase efforts to remove barriers to equality and partnership. In June, an anticipated 250 women from as many as 100 countries will witness the impact of the financial crisis on the American city of Grand Rapids when they take the Jesus Bus sponsored by local churches. The women, members of Reformed and Presbyterian churches, will be meeting 14 to 17 June in the northeastern state of Michigan which has been hard hit by job loss, homelessness, and hunger. The theme of the event is: “Come with Jesus to the Streets.” 2010-03-09 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16350_688 The state news media in Cuba reported Monday on the case of dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who has been on a hunger strike for 13 days and refuses to go into exile in Spain. An article titled "Cuba will not accept pressure or blackmail", published by Granma, the mouthpiece of the governing Communist Party, says that "as a result of successive hunger strikes, Fariñas' body is in a process of significant deterioration" and he is only alive "thanks to the skilled medical care he has received". 2010-03-09 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16336_688 When we intentionally make connections between all water and the water of baptism, we can then find the sacredness of every encounter with this basic element of life and death. On the other hand we may find the defilement of God’s sacredness when water is polluted, deprived to humans, used as a means of wealth, or used for torture. 2010-03-08 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16324_688 Amidst allegations that Canadian mining companies operating in Latin America have been complicit in the murders and harassment of activists, several positive developments in Canada are seen as a source of hope that firms may begin to be held accountable on human rights and environmental questions. The Canadian parliament is currently considering Bill C-300, "An Act Respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas Corporations in Developing Countries", aimed at ensuring that Canadian extractive companies follow human rights and environmental best practices when they operate overseas. 2010-03-07 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16314_688 Advanced new legislation and constitutional reforms on women's rights are paving the way for equal opportunities for women in Latin America and the Caribbean. But application and enforcement remain a distant goal. That gap between paper promises and reality has a very real impact on the daily lives of millions of women in this region, where "poverty has a woman's face," in the words of Laura Chinchilla, who is about to become the first female president of Costa Rica. 2010-03-05 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16312_688 As the global community, including Church World Service, honors the work, struggles and achievements of women on International Women's Day, March 8, one way to spotlight the status of women is to look at recovery efforts underway in earthquake-stricken Haiti. To women like Saint Elene Alcidonis, 52, newly widowed and the mother of seven children, ages 10 to 24, the immediate issue is how to take care of families in crowded displacement camps. Alcidonis' case is typical of many people in the camps: Alcidonis' late husband, Jean-Claude Bien-Aime, 53, a mason and carpenter who perished in the quake, was the principal breadwinner in the family. 2010-03-05 http://www.alcnoticias.org/interior.php?codigo_lang=16313_688 The Rev. Charles Harper, emblematic figure of the struggle for human rights in the ecumenical movement, was decorated with the Orden de Bernardo O'Higgins by the Republic of Chile. "With this award, my country wants to thank you for your work in defense of human rights and, fundamentally, for everything that you and the World Council of Churches did for so many people who suffered during the military dictatorship", said the Chilean representative to the international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Carlos Portales at the ceremony that took place in Geneva, Switzerland on 4 March. 2010-03-05