Honduras

Every day more women all over the world are taking action to promote equality, peace and justice. It is these women who, whether they mean to or not, are transforming traditional gender roles and power structures, by dedicating their lives to defending fundamental human rights. More and more, these extraordinary women are identifying themselves as human rights defenders. In general, it is said that women are doubly vulnerable, for being women and for defending human rights, however, they are strengthened by their determination to create positive change in our societies.

In October 2013 PBI established a field presence in Honduras following exploratory missions to the country in 2011 and 2012. Since then, the project has provided international accompaniment to over 10 at-risk human rights organisations and defenders in Honduras.

During three days, 40 human rights defenders from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia came together in Brussels to exchange experiences and knowledge about holistic protection. This meeting allowed us to analyse the global tendencies that impact our risk as well as identify our common needs as a collective of human rights defenders.  The sessions allowed us to construct a common narrative and key messages and recommendations to political actors in the European Union and it´s member states.

Being a human rights defender is a job that implies a lot of risk, often in contexts of socio-political violence and an increase in criminalisation. The stress and constant concerns that this work brings with it generates a series of impacts on both physical and emotional levels that do not only attack the human rights defender personally, but also weaken their collective organisational processes of resistance.

Many people know that according to Global Witness,¹ Honduras is the most dangerous place in the world for environmental rights defenders, a fact that was reiterated by Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in his recent visit to the country,² however, the situation is even more serious if the defender is a woman.

PBI-Honduras has been accompanying the LGBTI organisation Arcoíris since 2015. Donny Reyes, the current coordinator since 2016, was also the coordinator between 2006 and 2008, and one of the organisation’s founders some 15 years ago.