STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE WOMEN’S GLOBAL MARCH

DEMILITARIZATION OF CIVIL LIFE

The women of the Organizacion Femenina Popular (Women’s Organization of the People) and Ruta Pacifica (Pacific Route) know that to deal with the topic of demilitarization of civil life is not an easy task but none of our challenges has ever been easy. The topic is difficult because militarization of civilian life has become an everyday situation, normal and acceptable and is no longer considered illegal or abnormal. This is the message from the media, the government and the illegal armed actors, both of the right and of the left.

In every news item they cover, be it in reference to the armed political conflict or not, the media couches its message to the civilians in military language: triumph, defeat, victory, struggle, plans, counter-intelligence, enemy, etc.

We civilians have come to accept this language in our daily life because we have heard it so much. It has become a part of our being, such that in conversation, we no longer speak of points of view or of a person as contradicting us, but we speak of the enemy.

The enemies show us that the young daughter of the President, dressed in military attire, pays homage to the soldiers, and then on the day of the brujitos (witches) or the day of the children, we dress our little ones in military costumes.

We see it in the “commando” games played in military installations, where civilians participate (as in Francisco, the mathematician).

We see it in the daily warlike attitudes when we are told stories of war in the most matter-of-fact manner, branding first one and then the other as a bandit or a murderer, but one is never sure if the person is merely recounting a story or expressing a judgment.

Our life has become militarized from dawn on with the war against civilians coming right into our homes and our bedrooms.

THE GOVERNMENT STATE

Our life is militarized when battalions are created to carry out the assignments which, should be the responsibility of the executive branch: mayors, governors and presidents. The military personnel build streets, highways, bridges and schools; they clean the parks and the drainage. We see them in all the places which properly should be for the civilians. We go to the hospital to visit a person who is sick and the first thing we see is a policeman or a military person at the door, his presence justified in the name of protecting national security.

We see them on the highway, and they ask us for our ID cards. They get on our busses, sometimes as passengers or to requisition the bus, but if you didn’t see them on the bus, you’ll see them at the bus terminal. Every terminal has its squad of police or soldiers and you usually see them at airports, as well.

The military personnel go on about how the President should act, how to end corruption, how much more money the need, but they never talk about their plans for beating their adversary.

Military personnel are decorated for doing their job well, obtain soles and instantly become in charge of the means of communication explaining about how many deaths they were responsible for.

In any contest that involves a queen, the escort is always a military person, or police, or member of the FAC.

Military personnel are also judges for contests and give out the rewards and prizes to the civilians.

They make a school field trip out of taking the children and young people to the military and police garrisons. The police, the military and others promote pro-environment campaigns and have time to teach the young people how to plant trees, how to take care of the water, etc. etc. Now the biggest promoters of defending human rights are these very people, the military and the police.

The military organize campaigns for vaccinations, haircuts, dentistry and medical consultations. They have even invaded the places where we have cultural functions and they put on free puppet shows, drums, theater and dance. But, just in case we might forget the military nature of our lives, they remind us every day on the radio, on television and paid political propaganda in the Tiempo and the Espectador. But if you are just one ,more of the masses of unemployed in this country, the military recommend placing you in a job, and, as for religion, in the tall cathedrals they have the best seats because they are the biggest donors and best fulfill the commandments.

Ah! But in the field of education, the military and police replace the teachers or substitute, giving classes in civics, urban living, human rights and social norms.

That is to say, there is no corner where we civilians do not meet with state military personnel, where they show us that weapons are the norm, the daily fare.

The illegal armed actors, on the extreme right and on the left, guerillas and paramilitaries do away with what few areas we have left for civil activities; in the neighborhoods, they tell us how to dress and what color to wear, the hour for bedtime, which neighbors to befriend, which burials to attend, which uniform our school children should wear, what name we should give to our institutions, who works on neighborhood projects and who doesn’t.

The militarization of civil life is a strategy designed to teach us to learn to live with totalitarian, authoritarian and pseudo-civilian governments, led by military personnel or civilians with a military focus, where the game of democracy is like a limited recess, but the militarization of civil life, above all, wants you to think that you and the military are equals, that there is no barrier that separates you other than opting for the armed solution which they, the military have selected.

This is an option that leaves no room for you as a civilian. You do not fit in. It is a world and a universe made for armies.

CHICOS ACERO (Boys of Steel)

PROPUESTA JUVENTUD GUERRA O GUERRA (Statement of the Young People – War or War)