Blog

From Survivors to Defenders: Violence Against Women on the Rise in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala

by Ella Kirchner on August 01, 2012

"The war on drugs in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala has become a war on women," say Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú. Women in these countries are at an increased risk of gender-based violence, including murder, rape, forced disappearances, and arbitrary detention. Violence is on the rise in all three countries, due to many factors, including the war on drugs. The vast majority of violent crimes are not investigated or prosecuted in these countries, which has created an atmosphere of impunity for the perpetrators. More than 95 percent of crimes against women in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala go unpunished. This lack of justice discourages victims from reporting crimes when doing so is unlikely to result in convictions. In addition, victims may be targeted if they attempt to bring charges or to call attention to the problem. In particular, women human rights defenders, journalists, indigenous activists or women who are otherwise advocating for change in their communities are targeted.

:2012, Blog Posts, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Promote Justice for Mexico and the Borderlands

Obama and Florida Legislators Come to an Empty Agreement on Cuba, For Now

by Alivia Tison, LAWG intern on July 12, 2012

One of the most misunderstood issues in U.S. foreign policy is our policy towards Cuba. During the last election season, President Obama made clear his intentions to open a discussion about improving U.S.-Cuba relations.

Despite Obama's Visit, Afro-Colombian Communities Surrounding Cartagena Lack Titles

by Lisa Haugaard on July 10, 2012

In old city Cartagena, Colombia, elegant colonial buildings with verandas and wooden shutters contain trendy restaurants, a Benetton store and expensive shoe shops. But the Afro-Colombians selling strands of pearls on the sidewalks, who add life to this tropical tourist haven, may have come from Urabá, Carmen de Bolivar, Marίa la Baja or other areas where threats and clashes between all the armed actors, paramilitaries, guerrillas and the armed forces forced them to flee the violence.

:2012, Blog Posts, Colombia, Lisa Haugaard, Stand by Colombia's Victims of Violence

Florida Lawmakers overstep Obama on Cuba policy: Where’s SCOTUS?

by Alivia Tison, LAWG Intern on June 28, 2012

These days, current United States policy towards Cuba seems to be maneuvered by a strong backbone called Florida, who appears to be standing a little taller. With recent news of stiffer laws that Florida state legislators have backed to their 90.5-mile away neighbor, could the state of Florida be overstretching its rights and treading upon the federal government by creating its own foreign policy?

:2012, Blog Posts, Cuba, End the Travel Ban on Cuba

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator Airing on PBS

by Omar Martinez on June 25, 2012

Granito: How to Nail a Dictator will be nationally broadcasted on June 28, 2012 by PBS as part of the Documentaries with a Point of View (POV) program.

In a stunning milestone for justice in Central America, a Guatemalan court recently charged former dictator Efrain Rios Montt with genocide for his brutal war against the country's Mayan people in the 1980s -- and Pamela Yates' 1983 documentary, When the Mountains Tremble, provided key evidence for bringing the indictment. Granito: How to Nail a Dictator tells the extraordinary story of how a film, aiding a new generation of human rights activists, became a granito -- a tiny grain of sand -- that helped tip the scales of justice.

:2012, Being Better Neighbors towards Latin America, Blog Posts, Guatemala, Omar Martinez