Women's Organizations Under Attack in Nicaragua
By Jennifer Webster

On the 24th of February, President Arnoldo Aleman presented a proposal for a new Ministry of the Family to the National Assembly of Nicaragua. The new proposed Ministry would have devastating consequences for women's rights, children's rights and NGOs concerned with women's issues. The new Ministry would supersede the Nicaraguan Institute for Women in overseeing programs concerned with women's issues. Other legislation, introduced around the same time, requires prior government approval for NGOs to solicit funding from sources outside Nicaragua. Together the two proposals would signify major setbacks in women's struggles for equality in Nicaragua.

According to Grupo Venancia, a women's NGO located in Matagalpa, the proposed Ministry of the Family imposes the nuclear family as the only legally recognized family structure and states one of the missions of the Ministry as the promotion of marriage. This clearly discriminates against more than 50% of Nicaraguan families which represent 6 other family models including: unwed mothers, homosexual couples and common-law couples. In addition, the proposed Ministry declares procreation as the mission of the couple, states that there are "natural" psychological differences between men and women, and declares anything that threatens the unity of the nuclear family a "menace" or an "act of aggression." All of these could be used as justifications to eliminate women's reproductive rights, including access to birth control; can be used to justify violence against women, including rape and domestic violence; and could prevent individuals and/or organizations from defending women's and children's rights.

Women's organizations from around the country are up in arms over the President's proposal, arguing that Aleman's proposal not only represents an attack on women's rights, it violates constitutional law and the President's proposal, arguing that Aleman's proposal not only represents an attack on women's rights, but it violates constitutional law and is in clear violation of several international human rights accords that have been signed by Nicaragua.

On April 29th the National Assembly was scheduled to vote on the proposed Ministry of the Family. Some three thousand women (accompanied by approximately one hundred men and children) marched to the National Assembly in Managua. These women came from all over the country, using their own resources to protest the creation of the Ministry. In addition, a group of thirty women, from various organizations throughout the country, presented their criticisms of the Ministry to an ad hoc committee composed of the president of the Commission for women, children and family, deputies from the Sandinista party, a representative from Alianza Liberal (Aleman's party), the president of the National Assembly, and the Minister of Health.

The results of the meeting were mixed. The Sandinistas promised to support the women; the others said they would look into it further and perhaps re-open the debate to the public. The Minister of Health, Lombardos Martinez, said he would consider the women's opinion when he saw a protest that could fill ten city blocks.

As of yet, the National Assembly has not voted on the proposed Ministry (primarily due to being involved in land rights disputes and thus behind on their agenda). Meanwhile, women's organizations around the country are using this time to lobby the government and gather signatures. A second committee meeting was scheduled for May 15th, the results of which are not yet known.

The women's organizations of Nicaragua request your help in fighting the proposed Ministry of the Family. Fax letters of protest to: National Assembly: 505-228-3039; the Supreme Court: 505-233-1418; and External Affairs: 505-228-1279.

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