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The context of violence in Mexico and its impact on women human rights defenders

Location: ,
Date:
Monday, 9 March 2015 from 10h00 to 11h30
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Room XXIII

Together with CMDPDH, OMCT, FIDH, JASS, Front Line Defenders, PBI, Connex, Protection International, the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition, the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative, Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca A.C., the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is organising a timely Human Rights Council side-event on the how the violent context in Mexico is affecting the work of human rights defenders in the country, and of women defenders in particular.

The panel discussion will feature:

  • Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
  • Yésica Sánchez Maya, Founder of the Mexican National Women Human Rights Defenders Network
  • Garrett O’Brien, responsible for human rights defenders, European External Action Service
  • Norma Mesino, Mexican woman human rights defender, Organización Campesina de la Sierra del Sur (OCSS)
  • Videos from 'Haz Que Se Vean', a campaign for the recognition for Mexican human rights defenders

A UN badge is required to access the premises.

More about the event:

Last month, Human Rights Watch claimed that Mexico is facing its 'worst human rights crisis in years', with the situation worsening in the context of the continuing 'War on Drugs'. Yet as the human rights defenders double efforts to mitigate the crisis, their own situation is deteriorating apace, with cases of murders, disappearances, threats and criminalisation well-documented by both UN experts and independent NGOs.

In this context, the risks facing women defenders are distinct and exacerbated, with threats posed by both State and non-State actors, as pannelists Yésica Sánchez and Norma Messino will explain.

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 ISHR participated.

This event will be webcast live at www.ishr.ch/webcast.

For more information, contact Ben Leather at [email protected] or +41787794859