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Human rights defenders / Events / Mexico / 2015 / March

Mexico: Side Event at the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council - The context of violence on Mexico and its impact on Women Human Rights Defenders

Monday, 9 March

from 10h00 to 11h30
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Room XXIII



Mexico has attracted international attention in recent months due to the forced disappearance of 43 students and activists in one of the most marginalised regions of the country. This case, which is one of the worst tragedies that has been seen in the country, unfortunately is not an isolated incident, but in contrast, it reflects a broader pattern of gross and systematic human rights abuses and the impunity thereto.

The risk of defending human rights in Mexico, particularly, has increased at an alarming rate. Both national and international civil society organizations have documented numerous cases of murder, threats, harassment and aggressions against human rights defenders.

 

Land and women human rights defenders are particularly vulnerable to intimidations and reprisals. 34 women human rights defenders have been murdered and 82 land human rights defenders have suffered aggressions in the country.

Additionally, the National Commission of Human Rights reported 27 human rights defenders murdered and 8 enforced disappeared from January 2005 to May 2011. On the other hand, civil society organizations registered 104 cases of aggressions against them and human rights defenders. Oaxaca and Guerrero are the states with higher levels of aggressions against human rights defenders in the country.

Impunity has been the rule. None of the aggressions reported have been sanctioned and the alleged perpetrators of those crimes have not been brought to justice.

Being 8th of March International Women’s Day, a wide group of Mexican and international organizations organize a side event within the framework of the 28th Human Rights Council session with the aim to visibilize the situation of women human rights defenders in the context of violence in Mexico.

After launching the campaign #MakeThemVisible women human rights defenders from Mexico will speak up in Geneva to raise international awareness about human rights violations, such as torture, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and forced displacement committed against them.

The panelists will also discuss the current failures of Mexico's Protection Mechanism for human rights defenders in responding to the specific needs of women defenders. The Mechanism was created by law in 2012, but has so far failed to live up to expectations due to political and practical failures, as documented by WOLA and PBI recently.

This event is an opportunity to discuss the impact of violent contexts upon human rights defenders, what the Mexican State can do to ensure that this impact is mitigated in a way which takes into account the specific needs of women defenders, and what is going on with the Protection Mechanism. It is also a chance to discuss the implementation the UN General Assembly resolution on women human rights defenders, in contexts such as Mexico. 

The panel will also discuss preliminary observations from November’s Civil Society Observation Mission to Mexico, in which was organized by the CMDPDH.

 

Structure

 

  • Olga Guzmán, Advocacy Director of the Mexican Comission for Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH) - Moderator
  • Opening remarks by United Nations Special Rapporteur on on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Mr. Michel Forst (10 minutes).
  • Each panellist will have up to 5 minutes for general opening comments.

 

  • The moderator will then open the floor to questions and discussions and guide the discussion.
  • English – Spanish interpretation will be provided

 

Panellists:

 

  • Mr. Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
  • Yésica Sánchez Maya, Founder of the Mexican National Women Human Rights Defenders Network
  • Norma Mesino, Mexican woman human rights defender, Organización Campesina de la Sierra del Sur (OCSS)
  • Representative of the Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the UN Office in Geneva, To Be Confirmed
  • Videos from ‘Make them Visible’, a campaign for the recognition for Mexican human rights defenders.

Co-Sponsors:

 

Organizer of the side event:

Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH)

Co-sponsors:

Federation Internationale des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH)

Front Line Defenders

International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

Peace Brigades International (PBI)

World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)

Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC)

Just Associates (JASS)

Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders

Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca A.C

Deutsche Menschenrechtskoordination Mexiko

Mexican National Women Human Rights Defenders Network

Centro Robert F. Kennedy Para la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos (Centro RFK)

Properties

Date: March 6, 2015
Activity: Human Rights Defenders
Type: Events
Country: Mexico
Subjects: Human Rights Defenders, Women’s rights

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