VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #2065/01 2921503
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191503Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9513
INFO RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6845
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6513
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6635
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0849
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 1661

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR PAULA DOBRIANSKY, G/IWI 
DEPT FOR TOM SHANNON AND CRAIG KELLY, WHA/BSC AND WHA/PPC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN SNAR KCRM PHUM ASEC AR
SUBJECT: MOTHERS AGAINST PACO: ARGENTINE NOMINEE FOR INTERNATIONAL 
WOMEN OF COURAGE 
 
REF:  STATE 126072 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary.  Below is Post's nomination for the 2008 
International Woman of Courage Award.  In Argentina, women have led 
a number of social and political causes, such as struggles against 
trafficking in persons, human rights abuses, poverty, and drug 
abuse.  AmEmb Buenos Aires' nomination recognizes a group of mothers 
known as the "Mothers Against Paco," who have risked their lives 
confronting drug traffickers operating in shantytowns and talking to 
drug addicts about the dangers of using the highly addictive, 
destructive cocaine derivative known as "paco."  Their efforts have 
brought national public and official attention to Argentina's 
domestic drug problem with little more than cell phones and the 
collective will to fight the drug traffickers that prey on their 
children.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) Full legal name of nominee: Mara Rosa Gonzalez 
 
Job title/association: President, "Mujeres por la Vida" (Women for 
Life) also known as "Madres del Paco" (Mothers Against Paco) 
 
Date of birth: July 21, 1963 
 
Country of birth: Argentina 
 
Citizenship: Argentine 
 
Address: Eva Persn 6378, Manzana 3, Casa 39, Buenos Aires, 
Argentina 
 
Telephone: (011) 15-5492-2833 
 
E-mail: mariarosacontraelpaco@yahoo.com 
 
Passport number: No passport 
 
¶3.  (U)  At 19, Maria Rosa Gonzalez's son, Jeremias, became an 
addict to "paco", a highly addictive, life-threatening chemical 
byproduct of cocaine. Like many paco users, he would rob from his 
own family in order to support his drug habit.  Ms. Gonzalez's older 
son, Jose, also became addicted to the drug.  Because the drug is 
smoked rather than sniffed, the physiological impacts are addictive 
and usually cause lasting physical damage.  The Buenos Aires 
provincial government says that intense paco consumption can cause 
"cerebral death" in as little as six months.   Formerly considered 
lab trash, paco originally sold for just one peso per dose, about 30 
cents (USD), and spread rapidly through Argentina's impoverished 
neighborhoods after the country's 2001 financial collapse.  The 
local press estimates that paco consumption in the city of Buenos 
Aires has increased by 300-500% since 2005. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Paco use in Argentina is very similar to the crack epidemic 
in the United States, with the same collateral damage to users and 
their families.  Considered a "poor man's drug", paco only delivers 
a two-minute high, and users look to repeat the experience 
immediately.  The local press reports that users will often do 
50-200 hits a day.  The drug is killing and maiming poor Argentine 
youth in epic proportions, with the local press estimating that one 
person a day dies from paco-related causes, such as suicide or 
murder.  The Mothers Against Paco have seen children in their 
neighborhoods as young as nine fall victim to the addiction.  A 
recent study shows that paco is increasingly making its way out of 
the shanty towns into more middle-class areas. 
 
¶5.  (U)  In an effort to save her son, Gonzalez courageously staged 
a street protest in 2005 and blocked a major road to highlight 
attention to the problem.  Her objective was two-fold: to obtain 
from the government proper treatment to save her son from paco 
addiction, and to bring attention to the fact that drug trafficking 
took place in her neighborhood.  As a result of the protest, the 
Argentine drug agency responsible for drug prevention and the fight 
against drug trafficking, SEDRONAR, agreed to place her son in 
long-term drug rehabilitation.  He has since recovered, but suffers 
from non-reversible side effects from paco usage.  Gonzalez did not 
stop there.  Unable to watch so many children waste away as a result 
of the drug, Gonzalez decided in 2006 to work with other mothers 
from the shantytown of Ciudad Oculta, or "the Hidden City", to form 
the group "Women for Life" (Mujeres por la Vida).  The group is made 
up of more than 150 women and is also known colloquially as the 
"Mothers Against Paco" (Madres del Paco).  The Mothers began meeting 
once a week to share their experiences and devise strategies to 
prompt the government to step up its efforts to fight illegal drug 
trafficking. 
 
¶6.  (U)  Although the Mothers Against Paco are made up of women of 
 
humble origin, they are indeed women of courage, as they take to 
mean streets at night to talk to addicts about the dangers of using 
the drug.  This is an act of profound courage. They and their 
families live in marginal areas with virtually no government 
presence, where police fear, or do not bother, to patrol.  They have 
put their lives at risk by denouncing known drug traffickers who 
have preyed on their children.  Thanks to their efforts, in February 
2007, drug lord Isidro Ramirez was charged with drug trafficking and 
given eight years in prison for selling drugs to minors as well as 
possession of illegal weapons.  The Mothers hope their fight will 
eventually help break the cycle of fear and silence surrounding the 
illicit drug trade so that others will begin to denounce dealers and 
users. 
 
¶7.  (U)  The Mothers, furthermore, have pressed the government to 
revamp hospital and drug treatment centers, as they are currently 
ill-equipped to rehabilitate paco addicts.  According to Gonzalez, 
these centers receive a limited amount of government funds based 
strictly on admission rather than the number of days a patient stays 
at the center.  As a result, the centers have no incentive to keep 
the patients longer than a day.  Experts state that treating and 
reversing paco addiction requires long-term hospitalization and 
psychiatric rehabilitation.  Once the Mothers have identified a paco 
user in need of drug rehabilitation, Gonzalez has successfully 
lobbied SEDRONAR to ensure that public hospitals admit the paco 
users immediately, so that they do not lose what might be the one 
chance to save these addicts.  In May, the Mothers marched in front 
of the Casa Rosada and presented a petition to Argentine President 
Nestor Kirchner calling on the government to open drug 
rehabilitation centers that specialize in the recovery of paco 
addicts. 
 
¶8.  (U)  Ms. Gonzalez recounts tragic experiences with young addicts 
on the verge of suicide, some of whom she has been able to save and 
others not.  The Mothers are Argentina's leading experts on the 
impact of paco on addicts, their families, and society.  They have 
launched and continue to manage targeted programs for prevention and 
healing with no resources at hand, save for powerful reserves of 
maternal affection, intuition, and intelligence.  As the need for 
their services grows rapidly, they are responding as quickly as 
their capabilities permit. 
 
¶9.  (U)  The Mothers Against Paco have brought national public and 
official attention to Argentina's domestic drug problem with little 
more than cell phones and the collective will to fight the drug 
traffickers that prey on their children.  Argentina has long been 
considered a transit country for drugs destined primarily for the 
European market.  As such, Argentine society has tended to view drug 
trafficking as a European or U.S. problem.  The Mothers Against Paco 
have helped to raise awareness in civil society that Argentina is 
now a destination country with ever-increasing domestic consumption 
and accompanying social ills.  Recognizing their efforts will 
elevate the profile of the Mothers Against Paco's cause, and may 
enhance prospects for strengthened counternarcotics cooperation from 
the Argentine government. 
 
¶10.  (U)  Buenos Aires emboffs for women's issues are Heidi Gomez, 
gomezhn@state.gov and Mara Tekach, tekachmm@state.gov. 
 
WAYNE