If Central America wants to counter racial discrimination, it must change its mindset.
| Autor | Rodriguez, George |
Discrimination, particularly racial, runs deep in Central America, despite the area's diverse ethnic make-up.
Mestizo, afro and indigenous persons make up the majority of the region's almost 45.5 million people, and they are among the most severely hit by poverty and its ills--illiteracy, marginalization, lack of opportunities, and little or no access to basic public services such as healthcare and education (NotiCen, Jan. 24, 2013, and Dec. 12, 2013).
Together, they are just over 35.8 million, according to different estimates for this region, which spreads over some 524,000 square kms. Population density in the region varies from El Salvador's 315 people per square km and Guatemala's 141 to Panama's 46 and Belize's 14.
The specific situation of the region's black population--one of the groups most discriminated against--was debated during a recent two-day conference convened by Quince Duncan,
Costa Rica's presidential commissioner for Afro-Descendant affairs (Comisionado Presidencial para Asuntos de la Afrodescendencia) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
'Open Hands'
The gathering's slogan was Manos Abiertas (Open Hands) and brought together representatives of these ethnic groups from several Central and South America nations. It addressed issues such as affirmative action and policies for promoting equality.
The region's mindset must be changed if the problem is to be countered, both Duncan and Charaf Ahmimed, the program specialist of the UNESCO Office for Central America, told NotiCen. For this to start happening, the affected populations must take action, the two experts said in separate interviews, but each country's legal framework must also be strengthened so as to ensure equal rights for all citizens.
"In Central America, things are not that good," Duncan said. "We [Costa Rica] have made a little progress, Panama has made a little progress, Honduras has been making a little progress, but Guatemala is pretty bad, quite backward. But, well, that's the Central American reality."
In Duncan's view, for that reality to begin changing, "the very first necessary, urgent thing is for the [affected] groups themselves to demand" change. Duncan noted that on Dec. 23, 2013, the UN General Assembly had proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent, covering the 2015-2024 period, with the theme "People of African Descent: recognition, justice and development."
"Well, if the...
Para continuar leyendo
Solicita tu pruebaCOPYRIGHT GALE, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
