NICANET HOTLINE -- 6/14/99 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Nicaragua Network Hotline June 14, 1999 Topics covered in this hotline include: US intensifies its twar on drugsv in Nicaragua; FSLN-Government negotiations resume; prostitution on the rise in Nicaragua; number of poor in Nicaragua increases by 1.2 billion in ten years. Topic 1 Last week, to the alarm of human rights activists in Nicaragua and the United States, the US government signed an agreement to provide $400 million to the Nicaraguan National Police for its drug-fighting efforts. This is an increase from $145 million in 1997 and $230 million in 1998. This sudden increase represents a clear decision on the part of the US to tmilitarizev its anti-drug policy in Nicaragua, the same path it has taken in countries such as Colombia and Mexico. This strategy has already proven to be a wholesale failure: there has been absolutely no reduction in the production, trafficking, or consumption of drugs, despite $25 billion spent on international anti-drug efforts since the mid-1980Fs. Moreover, the US twar on drugsv has been responsible for gross human rights violations in Latin America, as the recipients of counternarcotics aid are generally the same forces waging brutal counterinsurgency campaigns against their own citizens. The Nicaraguan police, while more respectful of human rights than many of their Latin American counterparts, have committed a growing number of abuses in recent years - especially those units which have received training from the Spanish and Venezuelan police. Although drug trafficking and consumption is a significant problem in Nicaragua (and, in particular, the Caribbean Coast), the only strategy that will lead to a true solution is one that addresses the nationFs overwhelming poverty and unemployment. We encourage all solidarity activists to contact their Congresspeople to express their outrage with the allocation of $400 million to counternarcotics programs in Nicaragua, especially given the desperate need for programs that would provide credit, training, and technical assistance - not to mention basic social services. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) has put together an organizing packet on US drug control policy, an excellent source of information, sample letters, and talking points. Contact WOLA for a copy: (202) 797-2171 or wola@wola.org. Topic 2 The controversy within sandinismo over the FSLN - Liberal tpactv intensified last week as official talks between the two parties resumed for the first time since Hurricane Mitch hit last October. The two agenda items for this round of talks are the reform of the Electoral Law and of the Constitution. FSLN Secretary General Daniel Ortega had given the impression earlier last week that the property issue and other economic matters would be addressed in these sessions, but President Aleman refused to broaden the agenda. FSLN National Assembly Deputies Monica Baltodano and Victor Hugo Tinoco have been quite vocal in their opposition to the pact, and to the idea of reforming the Constitution. Baltodano has called for a referendum to let the public decide whether or not the Constitution should be reformed, but both Aleman and Ortega have rejected this idea. They argue that because together they received 90% of the vote in the 1996 elections, they have the right to make bilateral agreements on matters of national importance. Most other small political parties in and outside the legislature are against the pact, as it would clearly pave the way for a two-party system. The leaders of the Homeland Movement (a grouping of several small parties) and about 30 non-governmental organizations have come together to set up an anti-pact movement called Citizen Action and are calling on all political parties and civil society to organize a march against the "shameful" pact. One leader also called for civil disobedience. Vilma Nunez, president of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) and a well-known FSLN member, has also called for an anti-pact movement. CEPAD (the Council of Pro-Denominational Alliance of Evangelical Churches) has expressed its grave concern about the bipartisan nature of the discussions and the exclusion of other sectors. Many have criticized Ortega's abrupt flip-flop from calling Aleman a "Somocista" one week to defending his record the next. Topic 3 Newspaper reports this week highlighted the growing problem of child prostitution in Nicaragua. Separate studies have been done by the Ministry of the Family and the non-governmental organization TESIS. They point to the existence of sex tourism in some Pacific coast towns and Granada, as well as prostitution catering to truck drivers at the northern and southern border-crossing towns. TESIS found that in Managua there about 1000 prostitutes, at least 40% of whom are under 18 years of age. They argue that while poverty is one of the causes, so is a family history of sexual abuse. The Ministry of the Family surveyed 300 adolescent prostitutes and found that 67% of their parents are unaware of their activities. Half of them take more than 5 clients per day and 96% consume drugs, and half sniff glue. The Ministry of the Family, known for its extremely conservative views on womenF s issues, has no strategy in place to address the problem. TESIS is calling on the government to strengthen a recently created network of several NGOs working on the issue. Topic 4 A report issued last week by the European non-governmental organization tRedd Barnav indicates that between the years 1989 and 1999 the number of Nicaraguans living below the poverty line increased by 1.2 million. The report states that 44% of all Nicaraguan families are currently living on US$1 (roughly 11 cordobas) a day. Meanwhile, in the past seven years, the cost of the tbasic basketv of goods for a family of five has increased by 100%, to approximately $175. The government, however, continues to focus solely on macroeconomic indicators when evaluating the countryFs economic health. In its Annual Report, the Aleman administration boasted that the economy had grown by 4% despite the global financial crisis and the destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch. The government also claims that 80,000 new jobs were created in 1998, and that the country's financial reserves increased by $350 million. Recent reports by UNICEF and the World Food Program confirm that NicaraguaFs socioeconomic situation continues to deteriorate, despite the governmentFs claims. Last year, Nicaragua had the highest mortaility rate of children under 5 in all of Latin America. Fifty seven of every 1000 children die before the age of 5, and 44 of every 1000 children born die before their first birthday. Twenty four percent of Nicaraguan children under the age of 6 suffer from malnutrition. _______________________________________________________________________ This hotline is prepared from the Nicaragua News Service and other sources. To receive a more extensive weekly summary of the news from Nicaragua by e-mail or postal service, send a check for $60.00 to Nicaragua Network, 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. 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