Three out of every four female human rights defenders in Mexico have been violently attacked for their work, according to the book “Human Rights Defenders in Mexico: A Diagnostic of 2010-2011 on the Risks of Performing their Work”, which was presented on 19 January this year. The report, which was researched by organizations such as the Association for Justice and Women´s Network of Ciudad Juárez, say that the activists are the target of persecution and threats, regardless of whether they work defending the environment, sexual health rights or against violence against women. Between 2010 and 2011 nine Mexican women who worked in human rights were killed. “In recent years, the risk and attacks against women human rights defenders has increased in the entire country,” said the report.
Journalists, indigenous leaders, and LGBT activists are among the main persons at risk.
The human rights defenders tend to be targets of violence just for being women, and for being women who promote and defend human rights, which breaks with the traditionally accepted female identity, said the report. In other words: “Sexual violence is the main threat to women activists”. For the full report, in Spanish, go to: http://issuu.com/cencos/docs/diagnostico-defensoras-imprenta-final
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
February 9, 2012 at 21:35
why has the danger become greater in recent years?
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February 13, 2012 at 19:56
difficult to say whether the danger has become greater as the same kind of research was not done so systematically , best Hans
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February 21, 2012 at 17:41
[…] Mexican report confirms: sexual violence against women HRDs is rampant (thoolen.wordpress.com) […]
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