Yésica Sanchez, Deputy Director of Consorcío-Oaxaca
Traducción en español disponible aquí.
Yésica Sánchez Maya is the Deputy Director of the Consorcio-Oaxaca, a women’s rights organization in Oaxaca, Mexico. On October 28, 2011, she was part of a delegation of the Mesoamerican Initiative for Human Rights Defenders that testified at a hearing in front of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about the violence faced by women human rights defenders in the region. After the hearing we had the opportunity to speak with her and learn more about the issue.
Human Rights Brief: Thank you for talking to us today. Can you tell us a little bit about the work that the Consorcio-Oaxaca does?
Yésica Sánchez Maya: We are a feminist organization that is part of the Oaxacan social movement, and that has two big programs. One is our Impact and Social Movement Construction Program and the other is called Community Development Link. The first program prepares public reports, documents cases of women’s rights violations, makes public complaints, and has meetings with the authorities. Through all this it creates an outlet for dialogue between women and state actors, namely between the legislature and women. In terms of community development, we work with indigenous communities. For example there is a project in the Mixe region with an indigenous community where we work in the areas of sensitivity training and capacity-building for indigenous women. Also, with another organization, we are beginning a project aimed at male perpetrators of violence. Additionally, we are part of the Observatorio Ciudadano Nacional del Feminicido de Radar 4 (a network of organizations that defend women’s reproductive rights). We are also involved in the process of linking groups to one another in the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative. The purpose of this process is to incorporate a gender perspective in the security and protection of women human rights defenders, which is obviously a challenge.
Human Rights Brief: What was your objective in coming to the Commission to talk about the women human rights defenders?
Yésica Sánchez Maya: The serious situation in which we are living in the Mesoamerican region. At one point we got together with some other women human rights defenders to discuss, analyze, and reflect on the situation, and we realized that we were isolated from each other and disorganized. So, we made the effort to have a Mesoamerican regional meeting, and from that first meeting national networks were formed and now we’ve had several smaller country-wide meetings. In November the second national meeting of women human rights defenders will be held in Mexico. What we wanted from this hearing was to raise awareness of violence against women human rights defenders, and to give the Commission a gender perspective because often, the same things happen to male and female defenders. So, what’s the difference between us? We’re both killed, we’re both followed, but if you don’t know about the discrimination that women have faced throughout history because of their gender, it seems like the same human rights offenses are happening to both men and when in reality they are distinct. So, that was part of what we wanted. And also, we wanted to call on the Commission to look at the diagnostic report on which we are working and to reconsider some things that could enrich our report, as well as the 2006 report by the Commission on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Americas. Finally, we wanted to ensure that when a woman human rights defender requests precautionary measures, she is given special attention—that she is not belittled or brushed aside, but that her case is considered with special attention.
Human Rights Brief: Can you explain more about the role you would like to see the Commission take in terms of the situation of women human rights defenders?
Yésica Sánchez Maya: Something important that the Commission could do internally would be for the Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and the Rapporteur on the Rights of Human Rights Defenders to link up in order to ensure a gender perspective. In this way the Commission can begin to request that states also protect women human rights defenders with this gender perspective, and not ignore the differences in abuses against male and female defenders. In Mesoamerica, this would be a very important immediate action that the Commission could take. But also, we think that the most important thing today is that this is a good time for the Rapporteur on the Rights of Human Rights Defenders to assume and act with this gender perspective because the Office has begun operating relatively recently. This would really be our immediate demand—that the gender perspective is incorporated and that petitions for precautionary measures in specific cases of women human rights defenders are not taken lightly.
Human Rights Brief: What are some things that civil society organizations can do in their own countries to advocate for a gender perspective in domestic laws?
Yésica Sánchez Maya: In our Impact Program we have established various communication channels with legislators. But also, other feminist and women’s movements have proposed reforms. It seems to me that the vast majority of movements and organizations today have proposed citizens’ agendas, and that through these agendas we have been able to push through the necessary reforms. For example, in domestic violence, intra-family violence, sexual violence, and court processes. The increase in feminicides has also been something very important that we have been looking at as a government mandate. So, we go out and march in the streets, and that activism has contributed to the movement. There are also public policy proposals and legal code reform proposals because we know that many laws are written from a patriarchal perspective—they are not written from a gender equality perspective.
Human Rights Brief: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. Before leaving, is there anything else you would like to add?
Yésica Sánchez Maya: Yes. When we speak about the women human rights defenders, it is not only physical support that we give them. Many times when they receive letters or other messages, it really strengthens them and our work. Through this the governments know that we are not alone in doing this work, that we are not alone in the demands that we are making, that violence against women is a concern that transcends national and community boundaries—this gives us a lot of strength. So in this way it is really a call to defend the women human rights defenders, to join their causes, and there are many different ways to accompany us in this process.
Update: On November 3, 2011, the Consorcio-Oaxaca offices were raided and robbed. The organization has stated that the incident was without doubt an act of intimidation and aggression aimed at the work it does defending women’s rights and especially women human rights defenders. Many valuable objects were left and only computers, USB memory sticks, mini recorders with interviews, cell phones, and the keys to the organization’s truck were stolen—all objects that clearly had information about the work of the organization. To date, the police have not launched a proper investigation into what happened. The Consorcio-Oaxaca implores that the Mexican government and the international community pay attention to this incident and the situation of women human rights defenders in Mexico who, like them, risk their lives to protect their fellow female citizens. So far, no one has been held responsible for this raid and robbery.
