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

Mexico has attracted international attention in recentmonths due to the forced disappearance of 43 students and activists in one ofthe most marginalised regions of the country. This case, which is one of theworst tragedies that has been seen in the country, unfortunately is not anisolated incident, but in contrast, it reflects a broader pattern of gross andsystematic 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 civilsociety organizations have documented numerous cases of murder, threats,harassment and aggressions against human rights defenders.

Land and women human rights defenders are particularlyvulnerable to intimidations and reprisals. 34 women human rights defenders havebeen murdered and 82 land human rights defenders have suffered aggressions inthe country.

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

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

Being 8th of March International Women’sDay, a wide group of Mexican and international organizations organize a sideevent within the framework of the 28th Human Rights Council sessionwith the aim to visibilize the situation of women human rights defenders in thecontext of violence in Mexico.

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

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

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

The panel will also discusspreliminary observations from November’s CivilSociety Observation Mission to Mexico, in which was organized bythe 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 sideevent:

MexicanCommission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (CMDPDH)

Co-sponsors:

Federation Internationale des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH)

Front LineDefenders

InternationalService for Human Rights (ISHR)

Peace BrigadesInternational (PBI)

WorldOrganization Against Torture (OMCT)

Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC)

Just Associates(JASS)

MesoamericanInitiative of Women Human Rights Defenders

Consorciopara el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca A.C

Deutsche Menschenrechtskoordination Mexiko

Mexican National Women HumanRights Defenders Network

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