Guide: Feminist Practices for Challenging Repression

Why apply the feminist perspective to address repression?

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We present the guide: “Feminist practices to confront repression”.”, by Iridia with the support of Calala Women's Fund. This report forms part of our project “Dones defensores segures. Building democracy and promoting human rights in Mesoamerica”.”, funded by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation of the Generalitat de Catalunya in the 2017 call for applications.

The purpose of this guide is to study and deepen the way in which the application of a feminist perspective can guarantee the defence of human rights and the protection of those who, through their social action, demand and defend them.

The guide is based on the application of the feminist and psychosocial perspectives present in the models applied by women human rights defenders in Mesoamerica in contexts of repression and political persecution. Thus, the report details a series of tools for protection and action applicable in times of repression that may be useful for other socio-political contexts and for organisations and groups dedicated to the defence of social, civil and political rights in Catalonia.

The main axes are:

• The relevance of a feminist and psychosocial perspective in addressing repression
• Main objectives and impacts of repression
• Psychosocial and healing, legal, advocacy, communication and protection strategies and tools
• Existing resources, collectives and organisations that can play a key role in addressing repression and rights abuses

We have Lolita Chávez at the presentation of the report.

After the presentation of the guide, we had the amazing and critical intervention of the Guatemalan indigenous leader and human rights defender, Aura Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic.

Lolita Chávez shared the experiences and knowledge of the struggles in Mesoamerica for the defence of land and territory and women's rights; as part of the Council of K'iche's Peoples for the Defence of Life, Mother Nature, Land and Territory (CPK) of Guatemala, which emerged to confront transnational extractivist companies that are committing crimes against the human rights of the communities in the territories.