By Global News Service

Credit Line: from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service

Headlines:

• Boric and Former Chilean Presidents Sign Commitment for Democracy on 50th Anniversary of Coup
• Morocco Earthquake Death Toll Continues to Climb as Rescue Operations Intensify
• Community Health Workers in South Asia Forge Joint Struggle for Rights and Recognition
• Gazan Fishermen in Dire Straits Amid Attacks From Israeli Forces and Border Closing

Boric and Former Chilean Presidents Sign Commitment for Democracy on 50th Anniversary of Coup

Chile’s current president Gabriel Boric and former presidents Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Ricardo Lagos, Michelle Bachelet, and Sebastián Piñera signed a document on September 7 titled “Commitment: For Democracy, Always” as a part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 US-backed coup d’état against the socialist government of President Salvador Allende.

In the document, the leaders committed despite political differences to care for and defend democracy, face the challenges of democracy, defend and promote human rights, and strengthen spaces for collaboration among nations.

This September 11 will mark 50 years since the coup that overthrew the democratically elected socialist government of President Salvador Allende and installed the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. During Pinochet’s autocratic rule between 1973 and 1990, more than 3,000 people were killed, about 1,200 disappeared, over 30,000 were tortured and 200,000 went into exile. 

On September 11, leftist leaders from across the region officially paid tribute to Allende as the first progressive president in modern Latin America and the victims of Chile’s last dictatorship at the La Moneda palace. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and Argentine President Alberto Fernández attended the event.

Several human rights organizations, social movement groups, trade unions, and left parties also marched in the capital Santiago to demand justice and an end to impunity enjoyed by the military officials involved in human rights violations. Their march on September 10 to the tomb of Salvador Allende was repressed by the Carabineros (national police) with tear gas.

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Morocco Earthquake Death Toll Continues to Climb as Rescue Operations Intensify

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday, September 8, has crossed 2,800 as of September 11. Government authorities and rescue agencies are continuing to make efforts to find those alive and stuck inside the rubble as well as recover the bodies of those killed across the country. The government has declared three days of national mourning.

Countries across the world have expressed condolences and solidarity with the Moroccan people. Several countries, including Oman, Spain, Kuwait, Tunisia, the United States, Turkey, and France, have offered or are in the process of dispatching search and rescue personnel, as well as medical assistance and material aid to Morocco.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake is the deadliest to hit Morocco in the last 60 years. It had its epicenter in the High Atlas mountains in the Al Haouz province, about 75 kilometers from Marrakech, Morocco’s fourth largest city. The provinces of Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant provinces have also suffered extensive damage. Dozens of small, remote rural villages and towns in the region have endured massive destruction, high death tolls, and, in some cases, have been completely leveled. It is feared that many people are still trapped inside the rubble in these areas, and rescue agencies have reportedly experienced difficulties reaching some of them.

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Community Health Workers in South Asia Forge Joint Struggle for Rights and Recognition

Approximately 20,000 community health workers in the Indian state of Haryana have been on strike for the past three weeks. Known as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), they are part of a workforce of over one million women across India who are at the frontlines of public health care in both rural and urban areas.

Despite performing critical tasks related to community care, including preventive, reproductive, maternal and child health measures, ASHAs are not recognized by the government as public sector workers. Instead, they are classified as “volunteers,” a precarious category that does not afford these women basic labor rights, including a minimum wage, sick leave, and pensions.

The ongoing strike in Haryana is part of a lengthy struggle waged by ASHA workers for recognition and fair compensation. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have mobilized and participated in five countrywide labor actions and several state- and local-level protests and strikes.

ASHA workers in India are not alone. Other countries in South Asia have seen similar struggles by community health workers on issues ranging from their status as government employees, wages, and protection mechanisms to problems related to sexual harassment and safety.

Community health workers in India, Pakistan, and Nepal have now joined together to release a Charter of Demands calling upon governments and international agencies to recognize and uphold their rights. Beginning with the declaration “Community health work is work!” the document has been supported by the international labor bodies Global Union Federation and Public Services International.

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Gazan Fishermen in Dire Straits Amid Attacks From Israeli Forces and Border Closing

Israeli security forces fired at Gazan fishermen and poured sewer water to stop them from fishing off the Gaza coast on September 8. This is the latest such incident of harassment that the people of Gaza have been facing since the blockade of the Kerem Shalom border crossing on September 4.

The densely-populated Gaza Strip has been under a total blockade imposed by Israel since 2006. The closing of the Kerem Shalom crossing is likely to have an adverse impact on the livelihood of Palestinians in Gaza and its economy. This is because it was the last remaining crossing from where transport of goods was allowed in and out of the territory.

Though no casualties were reported from Israeli fire on September 8, the incident intensifies the economic concerns of the approximately 4,000 fishermen in the besieged territory. They have been suffering due to the recent shutting of the border crossing with Israel. Palestinian fishermen are among the worst affected by the border closure, as their product is perishable. They, along with rights groups, have called the border closure a form of “collective punishment” for around 2.3 million Gazans living in the territory.

On September 4, the Israeli defense ministry and the military claimed in a joint statement that the decision to close the crossing was taken after an alleged attempt to smuggle explosives in a shipment that went through the crossing. The Israeli authorities failed to present evidence to substantiate their claim.