Latin America Regional Training Workshop

Dates: June 13-20, 2004
Location: Lima, Peru
Partner: Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos

Participants

Luis Fondebrider, Equipo Argentino de Antropologos Forenses (Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropologists), Argentina
Using forensic science to advance human rights, especially in the context of political and ethnic violence.

Damián Ferrari, Memoria Abierta (Open Memory), Argentina
Coordinating the archives of several human rights organizations.

Homero Fuentes, COVERCO: La Comisión para la Verificación de Códigos de Conducta (Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct), Guatemala
Establishing an independent, local NGO that contracts with international corporations to verify that codes of conduct are being complied with in their factories.

Sofia Macher, Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), Peru
Bringing dignity to victims of human rights abuses through public hearings.

Francisco Soberon and Erika Bocanegra, Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos (National Coordinator for Human Rights), Peru
Creating and sustaining a strong national human rights coalition.

Marcos Fuchs, Instituto Pro-Bono (Pro Bono Institute), Brazil
Creating a new tradition of free legal service to aid victims of human rights abuses.

Amanda Camilo de la Ruta Pacifica de Putumayo, La Ruta Pacifica de Mujeres (The Women’s Pacifist Route), Colombia
Mobilizing mass protests to open roads closed by conflict.

Miguel Angel de los Santos, La Red de Defensores de Derechos Humanos (The Network of Human Rights Defenders), Mexico
Strengthening the ability of rural human rights defenders to act autonomously.

Paulino Montejo, Coordinadora das Organizações Indígenas da Amazonica Brasileira (The Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon), Brazil
Including indigenous representatives in governmental commissions to have an impact on the creation of public policies.

María Batch, Fundación Poder Ciudadano (Foundation of Citizen Power), Argentina
Popular legislation initiative.

Luis Fondebrider, Equipo Argentino de Antropologos Forenses (Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropologists), Argentina

Using forensic science to advance human rights, especially in the context of political and ethnic violence.
Forensic science has been a powerful tool in the scientific documentation of human rights violations around the world, and especially in Latin America. Equipo Argentino de Antropologos Forenses has been in the forefront of efforts to train human rights NGOs to use forensic tools to advance their investigations, to provide more support for victims and to strengthen the credibility of their work against impunity. EAAF uses independent investigations to mobilize and persuade both local and international audiences. The information obtained can also provide useful evidence for future prosecutions. This workshop addressed how human rights organizations can make optimal use of forensic science to advance their work for justice and against impunity and forgotten history.

Damián Ferrari, Memoria Abierta (Open Memory), Argentina

Coordinating the archives of several human rights organizations.
Memoria Abierta has made all documents, photographs and interviews that are a testament to the horrors of state terrorism in Argentina public and accessible in an online searchable catalogue that anyone with an Internet connection can use. The original materials (documents, videos, photos and other materials) remain in the offices of each of the member organizations. This workshop outlined steps that groups of NGOs can use to systematically organize and make accessible human rights information. It also included details on Memoria Abierta’s software to help other organizations create similar databases.

Homero Fuentes, COVERCO: La Comisión para la Verificación de Códigos de Conducta (Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct), Guatemala

Establishing an independent, local NGO that contracts with international corporations to verify that codes of conduct are being complied with in their factories.
The Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct (COVERCO) does social auditing in factories and agricultural production centers. They monitor and verify the fulfillment of labor rights standards, with the strategic objective of creating a universal standard of labor rights and helping to strengthen democracy in Guatemala. COVERCO establishes a transparent dialogue with multinational companies or international institutions that want to ensure that the factories in their entire chain of production are meeting labor standards. Dialogue is the first step in developing social auditing agreements with the multinational companies that wish to carry out independent, intensive, long-term audits of labor rights. A methodology is then developed with each company to collect objective information through interviews with workers within and outside the factory, analyze workers’ documents and papers, and inspect other aspects of the factories. COVERCO writes reports on its findings and outlines the criteria that the corporation must meet in order to bring its factories up to legal standards. This presentation focused on the way to set up an effective monitoring and reporting system to pressure management to address individual workers’ complaints.

Sofia Macher, Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), Peru

Bringing dignity to victims of human rights abuses through public hearings.
The Truth and Reconcilation Commission studied the work and video footage of many truth commissions before choosing the exact methodology for their process of public testimony. This workshop included methods for ensuring that the public testimony process empowers and dignifies the victims who testify to the greatest extent possible – rather than simply gathering evidence at the expense of the victims who must relive the trauma. The process of public hearings designed by the Commission brought public and official recognition to the victims’ situations. Every step was designed with the victims in mind: from the use of local indigenous languages and translators to the location and physical arrangement of the hearing spaces to the procedures used. This workshop focused on using a public testimony process to allow people to tell their stories and provide official recognition of the human rights abuses suffered by individuals and their communities.

Francisco Soberon and Erika Bocanegra, Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos (National Coordinator for Human Rights), Peru

Creating and sustaining a strong national human rights coalition.
Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos (the National Coordinator for Human Rights) is a coalition of 63 of Peru’s leading human rights groups. The Coordinadora, founded in 1985, unites member organizations and adapts to a constantly changing political environment. The mix of both urban and rural members has enhanced the group’s legitimacy nationally and internationally, while constructive engagement of government officials has contributed to its power as a political player. The success and strength of the coalition is based on a number of factors, including clear principles of internal functioning, decision-making by consensus, a clear stance against violence and agreement on priorities. By coordinating their efforts, the Coordinadora has efficiently and effectively mobilized people on a national scale for almost 20 years because together we are stronger.

Marcos Fuchs, Instituto Pro-Bono (Pro Bono Institute), Brazil

Creating a new tradition of free legal service to aid victims of human rights abuses.
Until a few years ago, there were no legal firms in Brazil that offered free services to people in need. The Pro-Bono Institute has created a new legal tradition in Sao Paolo, convincing major law firms to donate their legal services and connecting them with NGOs in need of legal services. The Institute has recruited about 140 lawyers and is offering a variety of free services to all kinds of NGOs, including support for important human rights cases. It has achieved a rapid change in attitude in the legal community and pro bono work has become steadily more popular. This workshop demonstrated how to develop pro bono services in the professional legal community to give NGOs and victims of human rights abuse access to more frequent and better legal services.

Amanda Camilo de la Ruta Pacifica de Putumayo, La Ruta Pacifica de Mujeres (The Women’s Pacifist Route), Colombia

Mobilizing mass protests to open roads closed by conflict.
La Ruta Pacifica de Mujeres’s objective is to use political pressure to protect the human rights of Colombian women and children while educating people around the world about human rights violations in the war-torn country of Colombia. The mass-mobilization movements break down both the physical blockades and the mental blockades of despair. The movements also unite people under the ideas of civility and demilitarization of civilian life. This workshop focused on how to mobilize grassroots action in a way that can confront intense security problems and mobility problems in a conflict zone and break the isolation of communities who’ve been cut-off by the conflict.

Miguel Angel de los Santos, La Red de Defensores de Derechos Humanos (The Network of Human Rights Defenders), Mexico

Strengthening the ability of rural human rights defenders to act autonomously.
Human rights professionals are often not located in rural areas in crisis, where human rights monitoring and defense are most needed. In Chiapas, Mexico, rural indigenous communities in areas of Zapatista activity have faced years of repression and harassment. The local human rights defenders network has trained rural human rights professionals, while responding to the needs and decision of their community. Autonomy is the crucial characteristic: the network has tried to eliminate rural dependence on big-city NGOs. Each pair of paralegals in the network provides direct services to 20-30 communities around them. A small technical team provides advice and some logistical support to the network of paralegals, which is linked to the communities they serve. This workshop outlined the steps needed to maximize the independence and self-sufficiency of these networks and to strengthen the connection to the communities they serve.

Paulino Montejo, Coordinadora das Organizações Indígenas da Amazonica Brasileira (The Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon), Brazil

Including indigenous representatives in governmental commissions to have an impact on the creation of public policies.
Indigenous peoples that choose to be a part of this network actively participate in government activities, ensuring that the indigenous voice is heard when public policies that affect the Amazon are being created. The movement pressures for the inclusion of specific participants on government commissions and builds strong bonds between the participants and the government. The COIAB has helped develop indigenous-friendly policies in the areas of indigenous health, education, and the environment, among others.

María Batch, Fundación Poder Ciudadano (Foundation of Citizen Power), Argentina

Popular legislation initiative.
Poder Ciudadano used a constitutional provision that allows citizens to present bills before the Argentine National Congress to pass two laws. The effort also increased the use of popular initiatives. The organization, in an initiative known as "The Most Urgent Hunger," collected more than a million signatures, which resulted in the creation of a law that guarantees basic meals to those under 14 years of age, pregnant women, the handicapped and poor elderly people. This tactic shows the importance of using strategic alliances and communication in order to achieve public impact. Communication converts its listeners into to active citizens.

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