Project profile — Strengthening the Rights of Indigenous and Other Discriminated Women in Guatemala

• Guatemala (100.00%)

• Democratic participation and civil society:
Democratic participation and civil society (15150) (20.00%)
Human rights (15160) (50.00%)
Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (30.00%)

• Trade development (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (significant objective)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (principal objective)

This initiative supports the enhancement of gender equality human rights programming within the Guatemala Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Women and girls are subject to some of the cruelest human rights violations and yet many organizations specialized in human rights promotion and protection are not prepared to deal with these gender-specific crimes. Project activities include: (1) supporting policy development for and direct accompaniment of women human rights defenders; (2) supporting victims of sexual and gender-based violence; (3) denouncing discrimination especially related to women's economic, social and cultural rights; and (4) strengthening gender-sensitive justice systems through strategic litigation.

Results achieved as of March 2023 include the following: (1) 308 women, including Indigenous midwives and Indigenous weavers and representatives, were directly involved in 3 strategic litigation cases. These women included mothers and guardians of adolescent victims (deaths) and survivors of a fire in a state-run children’s home; (2) the National Movement of Mayan Indigenous Weavers presented Congress with a legislative proposal on collective intellectual property rights, which was prepared by Indigenous women; (3) a social media campaign, involving Guatemalan influencers to end violence against women, reached over 14,000 followers and generated 740 interactions; (4) trained 475 people representing 6 public institutions, including 378 women, in international norms and standards relating to the fundamental rights of Indigenous women and women's rights in general; (5) assisted 40 non state entities, including 169 women, in supporting Indigenous women and other women victims of discrimination through the promotion and protection of their rights; and (6) assisted the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in strengthening its gender mainstreaming, as evidenced by its participation in an internal gender accreditation program.

Results achieved as of March 2022 include: (1) facilitated the direct participation of 386 women in three strategic disputes. These included indigenous midwives, indigenous weavers, mothers and guardians of teenage victims of a fire in a state-run children's home); (2) the preparation of a legislative proposal by indigenous women on collective intellectual property rights. The proposal was reviewed by international experts from the World Intellectual Property Organization for presentation to Congress by the National Movement of Indigenous Mayan Weavers; (3) the launch of a social media campaign, involving Guatemalan celebrities and influencers, to end violence against women. The campaign reached 18,515 followers on Facebook, 14,400 Instagram accounts, and generated 1,602 likes on Twitter; (4) trained 527 representatives (306 of them women) from nine state institutions. The training focused on international human rights norms and standards for Indigenous women and women's rights; (5) assisted 162 representatives from 27 non-state entities (including 111 women) to support Indigenous and other discriminated women in promoting and protecting their rights; and (6) Assisted the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala in strengthening its gender mainstreaming, as evidenced by the office's selection in the Gender Accreditation Program of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

• Proactive disclosure