Human Rights Defence and advocacy for Honduran communities

General

During last years there has been a significant increase in the number of human rights defenders killed, threatened, stigmatised and criminalised in Honduras, highlighted as the most dangerous country of the world for the defence of the environment. Only during the last 10 years 123 land rights defenders were murdered. This initiative aims to support and protect human right defenders at risk working on land and environmental rights across the country. The partner has worked with national and international networks in advocacy initiatives to raise the awareness through reliable evidence. The lawyers Team has carried out strategic litigation work at the Inter-American Human Rights System on cases of criminalisation of defenders working on land rights. There is a renewed local and young leadership within communities accompanied by the partner promoting a “popular sovereignty” concept, which has been scaled to a national and regional level. Alliances with ecumenical organisations, parishes and social movements will be relevant in the implementation and the care of the common home is a media content production cross-cutting topic. ERIC-RP has a relevant leadership within the Commission for Social Apostolate of the Jesuits in Central America (CPAS). In particular this mission is accomplished through the development and diffusion of social, theological and cultural analysis and reflection. Context update 2022 In January, the first woman president in history, Xiomara Castro, took office with a programme that included an explicit mention of the need to incorporate comprehensive protection policies for human rights defenders. The ratification of the Escazú Agreement by the Honduran Congress could open the door to greater transparency by the private sector and recognition of land and environmental defenders. This is the first binding instrument in the world to include specific regulations on land and environmental defenders.