January 20, Mexico City.- On Tuesday, January 19 in Mexico City women human rights defenders and organizations launched the report Women Human Rights Defenders in Mexico. 2010-2011 A diagnosis of the conditions and risks they face in their work (Defensoras de derechos humanos en México. Diagnóstico 2010-2011 sobre las condiciones que enfrentan en el ejercicio de su trabajo).
Mexican organizations promoting women’s human rights and responsible for the project, Just Associates (JASS), Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equity Oaxaca (Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca, A.C) Women Table of Juarez City Network (Red Mesa de Mujeres de Ciudad Juarez, A.C) showed during the event held at the headquarters of the Commission on Human Rights of the Federal District (CDHDF), some of the awareness about the risks and needs of the WHRDs in Mexico. The information was gathered during three national meetings where an average of fifty prominent women of Mexican civil society participated. It is an initiative that has been done successfully since 2010.
The publication "seeks to make visible the work of WHRDs and provides qualitative information about the violence they experience, its effects on the defense of human rights, conditions in which they work and what is useful to protect and strengthen their activism". From October 2010 to November 2011, the period covered by the report, nine women human rights defenders and five women journalists were killed in the context of their activities, and only 4% of women defenders had never reported any violence or obstacles related to their work.
Another significant finding is that 76% of the WHRDs claim that violence against them has special characteristics because of their gender. Women especially face sexual assaults, threats against their family members, defamation and exclusion, even in their own working environment. Moreover, being indigenous, young or transsexual are condition that make women defenders more vulnerable.
The opening ceremony was led by the president of the CDHDF, Luis González Placencia, who mentioned Norma Andrade, founder of the Organization Our Daughters Return Home (Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa), who was attacked on December 2 in Ciudad Juarez, to illustrate the current situation experienced by WHRDs.
Following the introduction of diagnosis by Andrea Medina, coordinator of the project, and Theres Hoechli, member of Consortium, showed a video with testimonials from several women defenders throughout the country. The presentation concluded with a table in which representatives from Mexican sivil socitey pooled the challenges and obstacles of their work as advocates. Graciela Ramos (Women in Mexico in Chihuahua), Felicitas Martínez (Regional Coordinator of Community Authorities), Valeria Scorza (PRODESC AC), Blanca Velasquez Diaz (Worker Support Centre AC), Ana Karen Lopez (AC Trans Tamaulipas Viihvida Diversity ) and Rangel Yunuhen Medina (Communication and Information for Women AC) were present at the table.
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