Report on discussions concerning the collective protection of individuals and communities that are defenders of human, environmental, and territorial rights
In 2020, Protection International-PI, the Associação de Advogados de Trabalhadores Rurais- AATR (Brazil), the Centro de Estudos e Ação Social-CEAS (Brazil) and the Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço – CESE (Brazil), organized four virtual conversations to create spaces for critical reflection, through dialogue and exchange, around issues related to the collective protection of human rights defenders in Latin America.
More than 200 people—including human rights defenders from various organizations in Brazil, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico—participated in the discussions along with other key actors. The participants had the opportunity to meet and delve into common felt issues related to collective protection and the right to defend human rights, from a gendered, intersectional, and differential perspective, including race and ethnicity.
In the following reports, we are pleased to present the lessons learned, challenges, and illustrative experiences surrounding collective protection in these different countries and contexts.
Some of the topics addressed and summarized in the reports are:
• Paradigms related to human rights, from a feminist, intersectional, and differential perspective
• Violations of the right to defend human rights
• Communication as a dissuasive and persuasive strategy for the protection of human rights defenders
• Collective protection of defenders and their groups in consideration of the political landscape and how to navigate it
We invite you to learn more about the various experiences of defenders from these Latin American countries to continue deepening the dialogue on the right to defend human rights and collective protection. Find the files in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.