Women and minority rights activists around the world are working to create positive change in their communities. Women human rights defenders face many of the same challenges as their male counterparts. However, many face additional obstacles and threats because they challenge the status quo twice over – through their work and by challenging (by their very existence) accepted norms, traditions, perceptions and stereotypes about femininity, sexual orientation and the role and status of women in society. As a result, they are vulnerable to threats, stigma, rejection by family and community, and violence.
On April 11, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted on its Facebook page an IM-Defensoras media release about a virtual meeting of women human rights defenders that took place on Monday, April 6.
As part of our global network of activists, you are not alone. In this time of uncertainty, fear, and instability, Peace Brigades International USA extends our support to those of you struggling to remain optimistic in this challenging time.
Article by Julia Lowis, Barrister, 3 Hare Court
Now more than ever, we must all defend human rights.
In this extraordinary time of uncertainty, fear and instability, Peace Brigades International - USA extends our solidarity to all of you who are struggling to remain optimistic in the face of such unique and global challenges.
“I arrived at PBI a long time ago and I pass by the house a lot to visit. These visits give me the strength to continue fighting for justice – the hugs and conversations with the PBI volunteers are like a vitamin for me that gives me strength”
- Doña Blanca, member of the Victims of State Crimes Movement, MOVICE and victim from La Guajira where paramilitaries killed her husband and daughter.
The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project is drawing attention to the situation of continued violence and threats against human rights defenders during the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting quarantine measures.
Marco Rivadeneira, Ángel Ovidio Quintero, and Ivo Humberto Bracamonte killed
Peace Brigades International has been chosen as a recipient of the Gernika Awards for Peace and Reconciliation for “facilitating the transformation of conflicts and for laying the foundations for future reconciliation processes.”
Women human rights defenders across the world are fighting for positive change in their communities. They share many challenges experienced by their male counterparts but face additional obstacles because they undermine the status quo twice over: through their work in its own right, and through their implicit challenge to accepted norms about the role of women in society.
PBI accompany human rights defenders in different parts of the world who push for social justice and respect for the rule of law. This work often implies considerable risk. PBI supports many defenders who have been criminalised for the work they carry out, meaning the legal system is used against them in order to stop their resistance.
Article by PBI-Mexico
Although the right to migrate is consecrated in article 13 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, it continues to be violated by different actors.
In Mexico, human rights defenders defend migrants by giving them humanitarian, legal and psychological attention which is often the only support migrants receive as they pass through the country that shares a border with the USA; the most transited border in the world.