Chilpancingo, Gro:- On January 23, representatives of the Initiative of Female Nobel Prize Recipients held a meeting with women human rights defenders in Chilpancingo (Guerrero). Jody Williams, who was awarded in 1997 for her work to ban land mines and headed the delegation, heard testimonies from over twenty recognized WHRDs from the Costa Chica, Costa Grande and Mountain regions of Guerrero. The main topics were the context of violence and insecurity in the country, the impact of militarization, especially on indigenous women, and the threats and risks they face.

The women who participated in the dialogue have a wide range of experiences promoting and defending human rights, some of them are accompanied by Peace brigades International: Tita Radilla, vice president of the Association of Relatives of Disappeared and Victims of Human Rights Violation (Asociación de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos y Víctimas de Violaciones de Derechos Humanos en México, AFADEM) Obtilia Eugenio, leader of the Organization of the Indigenous Mephaa People (Organización del Pueblo Indígena Mephaa, OPIM) and Celsa Valdovinos, coordinator of the Women Ecologists of Sierra de Petatlán (Organización de Mujeres Ecologistas de la Sierra de Petatlán, OMESP), among others.

Apart from hearing from women HRDs, the delegation met with Mexican authorities in Mexico City to present them some of the cases of serious human rights violations and request information about the protection of WHRDs, among others issues. The results of the meetings will be incorporated into a report with recommendations to the state government.

The mission, led by Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú and in partnership with Just Associates (JASS), started in Mexico on January 22 and will continue in Honduras and Guatemala through the end of January. Its aim is to obtain direct information about the experiences of violence against women, particularly sexual violence, and communicate it to decision-makers in the region, especially in the United States and Canada. Furthermore, it seeks to make WHRDs work more visible.

More informationcencos.org/node/28306

Press Release Consorcio, JASS y Tlachinollan, Difusión CENCOS, 24 de enero de 2012 (in Spanish)

Premio Nobel exige se esclarezcan ataques a defensoras (in Spanish), CIMAC Noticias, 25 de enero de 2012

Visit the website of the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center (in Spanish)

PBI's accompaniments in the state of Guerrero