SUNS4372 Thursday 11 February 1999

Spain: Foreign debt, "the Mother of all slaveries"

Madrid, Feb 9 (IPS/Tito Drago) -- Spain's Manos Unidos, a non governmental organisation (NGO), called for an end to slavery in all forms Tuesday, including the "mother of all slaveries" caused by poverty and foreign debt in the countries of the South.

"Slavery is found on all continents," said Manos Unidos chair, Consuelo Lobo, from "Brazilian peasants tied to their landlords by debt, to Burmese women ensnared in prostitution in Thailand or children working 12 hour days making carpets."

Spain itself is dealing with "the increasingly desperate situation of African emigrants crossing the Straits of Gibraltar in precarious craft, paying $2,000 for the trip, falling victim to mafias and unjust laws," she added.

Manos Unidas, (literally 'joined hands' in English) an NGO linked to the Catholic Church, has raised 200 million dollars for cooperation in Asia, Africa and Latin America, announced the group at the launch of
its fourth campaign.

The campaign presentation was attended by Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Oscar Andres Maradiaga, Eduard Saint-Jean - a man who was forced into modern day slave labour - and Jose Luis Ferrer, a Spanish missionary
with 30 years experience in Africa.

Most of Manos Unidas funding comes from private concerns (82.7%) and only 17.3 from public sources. Some 92% of its funds go on programmes operating in the South, 4.3 on awareness-raising in Spain, and 3.4
percent on administration.

Lobo stressed that a Jubilee celebration is being planned for the year 2000, which, according to biblical tradition should be "a year of reconciliation when debts are pardoned, slaves are freed and lands shared out." The Old Testament states the Jubilee, which is celebrated every 50 years, must proclaim the liberty of all people and return each their property with no group taking advantage of any other.

Manos Unidas distributed a letter written by Pedro Casaldaliga, bishop of Sao Felix de Araguaia, one of the precursors of Liberation Theology.

Casaldaglia referred to globalisation and stated; "we are united, whether we like it or not, knowingly or unknowingly, by a globality which finally makes one whole out of the human family, be this for survival or for chaos, for fraternity or wholesale suicide."

In reference to the countries of the industrialised North, he added "more consumerism there means greater poverty here." Greater arms production there, more war here. Greater moral meaningless there, more prostitution and drugs here." After listing nine forms of contemporary slavery, the bishop stated "supreme slavery, the mother of all slaveries is foreign debt."

"Foreign debt means domestic death. Because of this debt we cannot carry out agrarian reform, we cannot address health, education, social security, employment, housing, life."

In Latin America, this debt doubles every 10 years and at present stands at $700 billion.

Manos Unidos has come up with a slogan to guide its campaign - "Take the risk, hear their voice," challenging the world to listen to the problems of the South. Their overall objective is "for all these facts
to be known by everyone and for awareness to be raised of the close relation between their working conditions and our lifestyle."Manos Unidas wants European citizens to demand consumer products be manufactured in decent working conditions, lobbying governments to bring in immigration laws which do not make foreigners into second-class citizens and to support development projects.