State obligations to protect WHRDs
of representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the State Attorney Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Human Rights Commission, Public Security and other State institutions. The Board also includes representatives of the Consultative Council, which is made up of human rights defenders and journalists.121 The law foresees establishing protection measures for both individuals and collectives at risk. Measures include a wide variety of services such as temporary relocation, provision of bodyguards, radio and phone equipments and armored cars.122 Despite the adoption of the law, WHRDs have raised concerns about the adequate implementation of the measures granted so far and the insufficient focus on prevention. For example, the law does not include a specific mechanism to guarantee adequate investigations and prosecution of perpetrators, which is the best way to prevent violations and protect defenders.123 The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has expressed concerns about the risks faced by WHRDs in Mexico and “about information alleging that most of the cases involving violence against women human rights defenders and journalists have been committed by state agents, and that there have been no efforts to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators.”124 Civil society organizations have stressed that it is important for the authorities not to “assume that their responsibilities are restricted to establishing a protection mechanism. Impunity for threats, fabricated criminal charges, attacks and killings of human rights defenders and journalists remain the greatest obstacle to improving the safety of these vital social actors.”125 WHRDs have also expressed concerns about the lack of a gender perspective in the mechanism to look at the specific problems faced by WHRDs. They have underscored that a key problem is that the information collected is not disaggregated by sex or gender. The mechanism does not incorporate a system that identifies the different threats as well as the measures implemented to protect WHRDs. To ensure its effective implementation, WHRDs have pointed out the need to develop gender indicators to grant protection measures and adequately train staff and officials tasked with carrying out the program to ensure that they understand the specific characteristics of WHRDs.126 121 Casa
de los Derechos de Periodistas, Boletin de Prensa, Se instala el Consejo Consultivo del Mecanismo para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas, 30 October 2012. Available at: http://periodistas.org.mx/se-instalael-consejo-consultivo-del-mecanismo-para-la-proteccion-de-personas-defensoras-de-derechos. 122 Ley para la Proteccion de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas, Capítulo VII Medidas Preventivas, Medidas de Protección y Medidas Urgentes de Protección Artículo 29 al 34. http://www.derechoshumanos.gob.mx/work/models/ Derechos_Humanos/Resource/182/1/images/ley.pdf. See also Anayeli García Martínez, Cimacnoticias, Triplican presupuesto a Mecanismo de Protección, México, DF, 23 de enero de 2013. Available at: http://www.cimacnoticias.com.mx/node/62433. 123 147th IAHRC Period of Sessions. Situación General de Derechos Humanos en México. Marzo 2013. Report elaborated by: Asociadas por lo Justo, JASS; Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental; Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional; Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez; Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan; Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas); Ciudadanos en Apoyo a los Derechos Humanos; Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos, Fundar, Centro de Investigación y Análisis; y Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos “Todos los Derechos para Todas y Todos.” 124 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, (CEDAW/C/MEX/CO/7-8), 7 August 2012, para. 24. 125 Amnesty International, Transforming Pain into Hope, Human Rights Defenders in the Americas, AMR 01/006/2012, December 2012, page 57. 126 Information provided by Jass Associates. See also the report presented by Jass Associates, Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca and Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en Mexico for the Universal Periodic Review Second Cycle. Web. 4 February 2014. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMXStakeholdersInfoS17.aspx, (JS10 - Joint Submission 10). See also Summary prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to Council resolution 16/21, A/HRC/WG.6/17/MEX/3, 31 July 2013, paras 67 to 69. This report includes many concerns expressed by Jass Associates, Consorcio para el Diálogo Parlamentario y la Equidad Oaxaca and Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en Mexico.
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