Datum & tijd 19/11/2018, 12:00 - 14:00 uur
Locatie
WO=MEN
Op maandag 19 november bezoekt Diana, mensenrechtenverdedigster uit Mexico, met Peace Brigades Nederland ons kantoor. Leden van WO=MEN zijn van harte welkom onder het genot van een lunch kennis te maken met Diana en ervaring uit te wisselen.
Diana focust in haar werk op verdwijningen in Mexico. Met haar organisatie, waarbij alleen vrouwen werken, spoort zij verdwenen naasten op. Daarin werkt zij samen met andere civiele organisaties en families van gedwongen verdwenen personen. Ook lanceerde haar organisatie een gender Amber-alert.
Diana bezoekt Nederland drie maanden via het Shelter City programma. Peace Brigades coacht haar tijdens haar verblijf. Diana wisselt graag met andere (vrouwelijke) mensenrechtenactivisten ervaring uit. Tijdens de lunchlezing geeft Diana een introductie over haar mensenrechtenwerk in Mexico. Onderwerpen voor gesprek zijn o.a.:
- Wat zijn strategieën voor activisme?
- Wat zijn methoden voor empowerment voor vrouwen werkzaam bij WRO’s? O.a. om mannelijke ambtenaren aan te spreken of om voor zichzelf op te komen tegenover hun echtgenoten.
Meld je snel aan voor deze lunchsessie via a.dekker@wo-men.nl! Geef daarbij ook graag direct je dieetwensen op.
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Diana
Diana is a human rights defender from Mexico who focuses on the issue of disappearances. In 2017 she co-founded a collective. This organisation works alongside civil organisations and families to help track their missing loved ones. This can involve searching media dissemination (press, internet television), extensive research, checking hospitals, asylums and shelters while coordinating with the Institute of Forensic Sciences (Incifo) and Forensic Medical Service (Semefo). Searches can require travelling to different provinces in Mexico and the organisation frequently becomes a family’s first point of contact in the event of a disappearance, as police responses are notoriously slow. In addition the organisation provides workshops, seminars and conferences to help educate the public and has also contributed to the alternative report to the Committee against Forced Disappearances (CED) of the United Nations.
Currently in Mexico kidnappings and enforced disappearances are widespread, particularly among women. According to the National Human Rights Commission, 855 hidden graves were found in Mexico between 2007 and 2016, and only approximately half of these have been identified1. Many Mexicans are dissatisfied with the methods and pace by which national authorities conduct search and investigation mechanisms. Mexico is the country in Latin America with the highest impunity rates.2 On July 1, 2018 presidential elections took place in Mexico. It remains to be seen whether the new government will take on the challenge of ending the severe human rights crisis in the country.
During her stay in the Netherlands, Diana hopes to acquire new tools and knowledge applicable to her pursuit of strengthening human rights in Mexico. Furthermore she wishes to expand her contact networks so she may be exposed to new ideas, projects and perspectives. This acquired knowledge would be shared with the collective’s allies to strengthen and professionalize the collective’s work.
Shelter City
Shelter City is a country-wide initiative by Justice and Peace Netherlands, in cooperation with Dutch cities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which aims to protect human rights defenders. Human rights defenders stand up for their own rights and those of others. This is a difficult struggle. Often, they run great risk: they are silenced, arrested, tortured, and sometimes simply disappear.
When human rights defenders are threatened severely because of their work, they are eligible for a three-month stay in one of the Dutch Shelter Cities. Besides providing rest and respite, their stay in the Netherlands allows human rights defenders to continue their work in a safe environment. In addition, they enlarge their professional network of civil society organizations and political connections in The Hague, Brussels, and elsewhere. Furthermore, the human rights defenders participate in training courses to develop relevant skills. Moreover, through public events and workshops, they contribute to raising awareness about human rights among the citizens of the Shelter Cities.
Sources:
1 https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/06/stark-reminder-mexicos-disappearances-crisis
2 https://www.insightcrime.org/news/brief/latin-america-scores-poorly-in-new-global-impunity-index/
