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The Chiapas Community Defenders Network (Red de Defensores Comunitarios por los Derechos Humanos, or RED, in Spanish) trains young indigenous community members throughout areas of Zapatista support in Chiapas to monitor and defend their human rights. The extensive military presence in Chiapas, as well as the increasingly paramilitary nature of the conflict between the Zapatistas and the Mexican government, has resulted in widespread human rights abuses in the region. All of the regions in which RED defenders work have suffered violent conflict in recent years. Common human rights issues in the region are illegal detention, harassment of civilians by the military, particularly at checkpoints, illegal killings and detention, and sexual abuse of women by military and paramilitary groups. In 1999, Red trained 14 people representing 7 regions or communities of Chiapas.

In 2001, a second class of defenders began training. The defenders are appointed by their communities, and actively involved community members in their work. Defenders are trained through monthly seminars covering topics on the theories and concepts of human rights work. Practical skills to ensure human rights violations are documented, reported and prevented. They learn about Constitutional and International Human Rights Law, approaches to political work, including media advocacy and coalition-building, as well as legal defense work. They are also trained in the use of computers, video and photographic cameras for use in documenting evidence. The defenders work in collaboration with a team of advisors to coordinate training workshops, gain technical and funding support, and do long-range planning.

RED also provides a measure of protection for the defenders, using its influence to generate a response if a defender is threatened. Back in their home communities, defenders are engaged in a range of work depending on the needs of their communities. Main activities include taking testimony from victims and witnesses of human rights violations and gathering video and photo evidence of abuses. Instead of giving this information to an NGO, as is the goal with many other indigenous rights programs, defenders are trained to manage cases themselves. Defenders present complaints to the government, give information to the press and human rights monitoring groups and seek the release or legal defense of people unjustly detained. The model of RED places communities and local leaders at the center of the struggle from human rights. Outsiders serve only in an advisory capacity.

The approach employed by RED, training a network of local people to independently defend human rights in their communities, can be employed by organizations seeking to strengthen human rights advocacy in any region. It is particularly applicable to situations where conflict happens over time and is regionally dispersed. Indigenous communities in Chiapas, as well as in many other regions, are seeking increased autonomy. A more conventional tactic of getting locals to report human rights abuses to NGOs which then manage cases themselves would create a dependence on NGOs from the perspective of indigenous people. In addition, violations that occur in isolated areas can receive a more immediate response from local monitors.

This approach has led to successes in numerous cases of human rights violations in Chiapas. The tactic of training victims of human rights abuses to monitor and defend human rights can serve to both increase human rights awareness and defense in indigenous communities, as well as strengthening those communities’ capacity to exercise their self-determination and autonomy.