The June event at the National Theatre in San José was particularly significant because INAMU is just emerging from a critical period under the former government administration with Minister Georgina Vargas Pagán, who not took over 40 punitive actions against employees and fired 10 feminists from the institution.  She also had declared that she did not have to implement the Beijing Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), or the Program for Action of Cairo’s UN Conference on Development and Population (1994), which were signed by the Costa Rica government, but only abide by the national constitution.  Vargas also rejected anything related to reproductive and sexual health rights for women.

In protest of these alarming developments, the women communicators who had been awarded the Angela Acuña Braun Award attended a prior awards ceremony on April 23, 2006, but refused to go up to the podium when their names were called by Minister Vargas, and returned their awards to the institution. 

In a press release issued by the three feminist media award winners, they stated that they would not accept the awards until the INAMU and the government responded to concerns raised by the Ombudsperson’s Office of Costa Rica about the anti-feminist situation in that institution.   That office called attention to the INAMU about their responsibility to respect and implement all national and international agreements, and called for review of the punitive actions taken against women employees as possible violations of national labor rights law.

In her public comments on behalf of FIRE at the June ceremony, María Suárez noted, “Of the four awards, three were given to women’s media organizations that are autonomous, independent and professional, and who are committed to the advancement of women’s human rights as part of the promotion and defense of social justice, peace and the environment here in Costa Rica and worldwide.”    A statement issued by FIRE in April on behalf of the award winners said that accepting the award with the antifeminist political climate in INAMU at that time contradicted their principles and the principles of the women’s and feminist movements who had inspired and supported their work. 

Recent positive actions by the new INAMU President Carrillo prompted the Angela Acuña Braun Award winners to agree to attend another ceremony on June 15 and accept their awards.  At the event, Suárez noted that FIRE had recently interviewed Carrillo, and “she made an explicit commitment to review the organizational climate that had paralyzed the institution.” 

In the FIRE interview, Carrillo also declared that she regards as her undeniable responsibility to implement national and international agreements related to women’s human rights.  She also declared a priority of establishing a human rights-based approach in the INAMU, and will work to promote understanding that the issue of women’s rights is not an issue of religion and morality but of human rights, including in the area of women’s reproductive and sexual health services.  

Carrillo told FIRE that she is also reviewing studies of the impact of free trade and neoliberalism on women.  “I am committed and have the responsibility that the road of development does not have a bad impact on women…it’s an issue of distribution of wealth, of justice and equality….We have to defend the previous gains here and in the world, but we have new challenges.”

Suárez noted that although these are all signs of positive change in the INAMU that represent steps toward reinstating the mission of the institution, she expressed concerns about disturbing developments in the institution taken by the new President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias.  At the beginning of his administration in 2006, Arias took away the title of “minister” from the presidency of INAMU, which parallels recent backlashes against women’s achievements by other governments around the world.

Suárez also linked what is happening in Costa Rica regarding neoliberal economic policies and the heated debate over signing the free trade agreements.  She expressed her outrage at the recent challenge of President Arias about whether Costa Ricans will dare to become rich or remain complacent about being poor.   In an extremely close election, Arias won as a strongly neoliberal candidate who supports signing the free trade agreements involving the US government and corporations.

Suárez continued, “The real challenge for the nation is if we are going to continue trying to become and build an inclusive nation or if we are going to resign ourselves to become a simple appendix of the insatiable USA government administration that does not know and does not recognize the limits of international human rights, of ethics, of peaceful living and relations and passion for life in its determined resolve to meet its own commercial interests.” 

At this recent Angela Acuña Braun Awards ceremony, Gina Valituti, Area Coordinator for Specialized Information at INAMU, and speaking on behalf of the other women employees, thanked the women communicators for their solidarity and courage during the prior difficult period.  She said, “We want to recognize their work on behalf of women in this country on behalf of equality and justice.”  Valituti also commended the women communicators for their courage in raising their voices and giving women a voice. 

The communicator awards were decided after a long deliberative process by an independent jury, comprised of Lidiette Camacho of the Colegio de Periodistas (professional association of journalists), Sonia de la Cruz of the University of Costa Rica, Liliana García of the Cámara Nacional de Radio (National Radio Chamber), Ana Incer Arias of the Foro de Mujeres (Women’s Forum), and Fressy Solano of INAMU (National Institute of Women). 

15 June, 2006

San José, Costa Rica

RIF/FIRE