London's Latin Americans 'face exploitation at work'

More than 40% of Latin Americans in London face "discrimination and work place abuse", a report has claimed.

The study commissioned by the charities Latin American Women's Rights Service and Trust for London found that 85% of the 113,500-strong community had jobs.

But it said half of these workers were stuck in low-skilled jobs and 11% were illegally paid below the minimum wage.

The study by Queen Mary, University of London, said the needs of the community were being "ignored".

The report - No Longer Invisible - said the community was comparable in size to the Polish community in London and had grown four-fold since 2001.

Researchers spoke to focus groups and 1,000 people in the city who have roots in 20 Latin American countries.

The study found that more than half of the population were employed in low-skilled jobs such as cleaning, catering and hospitality, although they had qualifications
in teaching, accountancy, engineering and social work.
More than four out of 10 workers said they faced "workplace abuse and exploitation".

Their take-up of public services and state benefits was also low, with one in five saying they had never seen a GP and only 20% saying they had received some form of state welfare benefit.

Almost 70% felt "discrimination to be a major barrier to improving their quality of life".

'Poverty and hardship'

Cindy Sanchez, 22, who came to London from Colombia, said her parents found it hard to integrate. The singer told the study she feels "different" at auditions.

Pedro Quispe who owned a leather business in Bolivia said he found work as a cleaner since coming to London five years ago.

Tania Bronstein, chairwoman of Latin American Women's Rights Service, said: "It is important we are counted, especially by government agencies, so that our contribution and needs are not ignored.

"It is only when we are visible that issues uncovered by this research, such as the low rate of registrations with GPs and dentists by Latin Americans, are identified and can be addressed.

Bharat Mehta, chief executive of Trust for London, said: "Although most of the capital's Latin American community are working hard, many are facing high levels of exploitation and abuse and as a result experiencing significant poverty and hardship.

"We are particularly concerned that such a large number of Latin American workers are being illegally paid below the National Minimum Wage. At 10 times the UK rate there is an urgent need for the government to enforce the law."

Publish post by Myriam Aguilar Hay

"OPERATION HANNAH" Extra Police for Lambeth's Streets

Crime is residents’ number one concern and Police reorganisation strategy, known as Operation Hannah, will go live from Monday February 14th. Over 100 extra police officers will be assigned to six areas, covering the whole borough, that will increase visible policing, get more officers on the beat and provide an even greater focus on local issues such as anti-social behaviour.


Cllr Rachel Heywood Lambeth cabinet member for Communities and Community Safety said “Operation Hannah will go a long way to help the fight against anti social behaviour in Lambeth and significantly enhance local neighbourhood policing at a time when police number are being cut across the rest of the UK. Ensuring safer communities in Lambeth is a key priority for Labour administration and the additional police constables will provide a visible presence and safety net as well as helping reassure residents across the borough.’


Under operation Hannah all 21 wards in Lambeth will be partnered with others to make 6 clusters, called Local Policing Teams, with each cluster receiving at least an additional 14 police constables. The LPTs will also be working alongside, boosting the Safer Neighbourhood Teams, who will remain committed to tackling crime in their wards

ANUAL GENERAL MEETING

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
=====================

We have the pleasure of inviting you to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Portuguese/
Spanish speaking community Safety Forum,which will be held on :

Saturday, 26th February at 15.00 hrs

At the premises of Stockwell Community Resource Centre, 1 Studley Road London SW4 6RA.
The General Meeting will be opened by the Chair Myriam Aguilar Hay. Printed copies of the
annual report and the annual accounts are available upon request prior to the Meeting.
Please write to : Portuguese.spanish@yahoo.co.uk or phone : 079 18 17 66 80.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

LAWR'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WORKSHOP

LAWR’s DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WORKSHOP

The Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWR) is working in conjunction with the Portuguese and Spanish speaking Community Safety Forum in Lambeth, to deliver a workshop on violence against women next Tuesday the 16th of November. The workshop is open to all women from the Latin American community and admission is free.

Living as part of a Diaspora community can make it harder for members of the community to fully understand their rights and access support services. LAWR is a charity that was founded in 1983 to provide support to Latin American female migrants when no such service existed at the time. LAWR’s stated mission is to provide tools for growth to empower Latin American women in the UK to pursue personal and social change.

It is estimated that over 4,000 women use LAWR’s services every year. They offer advice, counselling, career support, legal support, workshops and English language classes amongst other services.

LAWR particularly focuses on meeting the needs of women suffering from poverty and abuse. They run a violence against women prevention project where advice, advocacy and practical support are offered to women who are experiencing any form of violence. This consists of telephone and face to face advice, advocacy to secure legal protection and rights, securing safe and emergency accommodation, referrals to LAWR’s own therapy, welfare, employment and language support services.

LAWR’s workshop on violence against women is part of this project. The workshop will discuss domestic violence and what it means, the different forms in can take, the physical and emotional consequences of domestic violence. The workshop will also inform participants of what their legal rights are in the UK.

The workshop will be held at Stockwell Community Centre, at 6 pm on the 16th of November. For more information call 07918176680

From :The Prisma multicultural Newspaper,
Myriam Aguilar Hay: “Por la integración de las comunidades de habla portuguesa e Hispana "
Hace poco más de un año se constituyó en Londres el ‘Foro para las Comunidades de habla Hispana y Portuguesa’ de Lambeth, en el sur de Londres. Myriam Aguilar Hay se encuentra al frente del esta organización que aglutina a varios colectivos entregados a ofrecer su apoyo a la comunidad latinoamericana en el Reino Unido y a luchar por sus derechos.
En qué consiste el foro?
El foro es una organización comunitaria, voluntaria, sin ánimo de lucro ni política que aglutina a varias asociaciones asentadas la comunidad de Lambeth.
¿Cuándo se creó?
En enero de 2009. Antes de esta fecha ya existía, pero realmente se constituyó con unos objetivos y una misión en la fecha que he señalado.
¿Cuáles son sus objetivos?
El principal objetivo es facilitar la integración de las comunidades de habla hispana y portuguesa. Asimismo queremos mejorar la comunicación y el acceso a los servicios públicos que proporciona la Policía y el municipio de Lambeth, conocer las necesidades de la comunidad y buscar las maneras de solucionar los problemas de la comunidad junto con las autoridades. También organizamos eventos, seminarios y actividades para fomentar la seguridad en nuestra comunidad. El foro actúa como los ojos, los oídos y la voz de la comunidad.

¿Quiénes lo conforman?
Ahora mismo somos unas 40 personas. El foro está conformado por varios colectivos, como por ejemplo la Latin American Human Rights, Los Años Dorados, El Teléfono de la Esperanza y el organismo de caridad Girassol, entre otros.

El foro presenta el Consultorio Policial
¿Qué acciones habéis llevado a cabo hasta ahora?
El año pasado participamos en la Peace Week y este año vamos a hacer lo propio los próximos 22 y 25 de septiembre en Brixton Market y en Stockwell Park, respectivamente. El pasado 22 de mayo estuvimos en el Latin American Fun Day y para el próximo 16 de noviembre hemos organizado un grupo de trabajo sobre violencia doméstica para que las mujeres que la sufren tomen conciencia y para que conozcan sus derechos y los recursos que hay a su disposición.

O que é a Violência Doméstica e como combatê-la


Workshop para as comunidades de língua hispânica e portuguesa de Londres.
O Serviço Pelos Direitos da Mulher Latino-Americana (LAWRS)em conjunto com o Fórum para as comunidades de língua hispânica e portuguesa em Lambeth, convidam à participar do workshop de violência doméstica contra à mulher no

dia 16 de Novembro de 2010,

Hour: 6pm.

Stockwell Community Centre

1 Studley Road- London SW4 6RA (Stockwell Underground St)

- As consequências da violência doméstica não só são devastadoras para a saúde física como também emocional, afetando nossa auto-estima e a maneira como enfrentamos o mundo

- A Violência Doméstica é um crime que se comete porta adentro, geralmente sem testemunhas , pode passar inadvertidamente, sem ser denunciado.
- Convidamos a participar num workshop informativo e
proativo que lhe ajudará a revelar mitos acerca da violência doméstica que muitas vêzes legitimam a discriminação e o abuso das mulh.
-