Threats and Murder of Women Leaders
Women also have come under special fire from the Shining Path because they belonged to women's groups or were feminists. The reasoning behind these attacks is rooted in the Shining Path's ideology. As a Maoist insurgency, they believe that anything not related directly to the class struggle is a diversion. Other struggles, for instance, those to abolish racism or sex discrimination, are to be postponed until after a guerrilla victory.
In fact, Shining Path literature argues that feminist issues like equal work for equal pay and freedom of choice are actually international conspiracies aimed at derailing the revolution. The Shining Path has combined these absolutist beliefs with the systematic use of terror and murder to force women to abandon their activism or join guerrilla ranks. Those who hesitate have been threatened. Those who refuse often have been killed.
Groups like the Flora Tristán Women's Center, the Manuela Ramos Movement, the Women's Center-Arequipa, the Association for the Development and Integration of Women, and Peru-Mujer have been accused of defending the existing order and being government collaborators. On numerous occasions, guerrillas have accused NGOs of "pimping off" the poor.165 Since many NGOs also receive funds from abroad, guerrillas link them to other alleged international conspiracies against their new society.
As a result, in the late 1980s women's groups were forced to take special security measures and curtail projects in shantytowns where guerrillas have a strong presence.166 Since 1992, the security measures have been decreased but still exist. The Manuela Ramos Movement instituted new precautions after receiving suspicious visits by men identifying themselves as journalists interested in writing about a Manuela-sponsored event. Neither turned out to be employed by a media outlet. "A street vendor we know who works nearby told us the pair had been talking about perras feministas (feminist bitches) before approaching the door, which is typical Shining Path language," Dr. Teresa Hernández, a lawyer who directs a Manuela legal aid service for female victims of violence, told Human Rights Watch.167
Disturbingly, the government did not protect women leaders against the Shining Path during this time of increased danger for female leaders. This lack of protection left women vulnerable to harassment and attacks and, consequently, compromised their ability to participate in society by running organizations.
165 "Between Political Parties and NGOs: The untold story of Mother Courage," El Diario Internacional (newspaper of the Shining Path), April 1992, pp. 10-14.
166 Interviews, representatives of various social centers, Lima, June 24, 1992.
167 Interview, Lima, June 24, 1992. For other cases, see Human Rights Watch, Untold Terror, pp. 48-49.
This Web page was created using a BETA Version of HTML Transit 4.0.