2016-2018

Strengthening the Defence of the Human Rights of Indigenous Women

Presentation and objectives

The project was carried out as part of the Québec International Development Program (PQDI). It set up an internship and mentoring program for Guatemalan law students of indigenous origin in human rights law firms.

The objective of the project is to train the next generation that will be able to directly support organizations working on cases of strategic litigation of human rights violations. It aims to increase the quality of the provision of legal representation services for indigenous communities and to ensure more effective implementation of their individual and collective rights under international law.

Therefore, lawyers trained and involved in these cases will have their capacities strengthened by the sharing of good practices by Quebec and Canadian experts, whether through training in strategic litigation or international human rights law. The project also provides for psychosocial support to be made available to indigenous victims of serious violations of their rights

PHOTO GALLERY

Achievements

Over the course of the project:

• cases of criminalization of indigenous leaders who oppose the arrival of megaprojects on their territories, a case of extrajudicial executions of indigenous peasants during a police operation of forced eviction were supported;
• draft laws affecting the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly in relation to the right to their territory, were analyzed;
• through the presence of international experts, training on the Inter-American human rights system, as well as on ethics and professional conduct, were provided for the benefit of the interns and lawyers involved in the project;
• interns developed their professional skills within our partners' litigation teams and contributed to promoting access to justice for indigenous individuals and communities who are victims of human rights violations.

Local partners

Bufete de Derechos Humanos (BDH)

Asociación de Abogados y Notarios Maya de Guatemala (AANMAG)

Bufete Jurídico Popular de Rabinal (BJPR)

Financial partner

Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie du Québec (MRI) - Québec International Development Program (PQDI).