Those affected receive legal advice from the state government with interpreters, since most are senior citizens and speak a native language
Oaxaca de Juárez.— At least 300 Oaxacan artisans, mostly monolingual women, who are part of native peoples, were defrauded by a subject who asked them to deliver artisan pieces with promises to sell them abroad. The victims now receive legal advice through interpreters.
This legal guidance is provided by the General Directorate of the Public Defender of Oaxaca in coordination with the Oaxacan Institute of Handicrafts (IOA)
According to the authorities, the 300 artisans are originally from 12 different communities and were defrauded by a male person, who promised to sell their products abroad on the condition that he would give them the payment when all the pieces were sold.
Governor Alejandro Murat announced that the Public Defender’s staff were instructed to personally go to the communities and provide the artisans with legal support through interpreters and bilingual lawyers.
“We must prevent that people outside the community from profiting from our assets in an undue manner,” said Murat, adding that from now on we are seeking to provide them with legal support when signing agreements or contracts for the sale of their assets, products, and dissemination of its activities.
In addition, he announced that a campaign will be launched in 60 linguistic variants, to alert those who live off their crafts throughout the state and “prevent agreements and contracts that violate their interests.”
The man identified as alleged fraud is linked to the process with the precautionary measure of preventive detention, after coordination between the Public Defender’s Office and the State Attorney General’s Office, since “for several months he has operated in various communities collecting handicrafts and defrauding and the artisan masters ”.
Source: eluniversal.com.mx
