Guardians at risk: Confronting corporate abuse in Latin America and the Caribbean
Date of Publication
1-1-2023 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Human Rights
Keywords
Deforestation, Illegal mining, Human rights defenders, Environmental defenders, human rights
Description
Every day, hidden heroes are standing up to big businesses – raising the alarm about how their activities are harming human rights and the environment while advocating for companies operating in their communities to adopt rights-respecting practices. At the same time, they are calling on governments to fulfil their duty to protect human rights and support sustainable development. From fighting deforestation and illegal mining in the Amazon to raising concerns about the impacts of megaprojects in Mexico and protecting sacred Indigenous sites in Nicaragua, communities, workers and individuals are courageously protecting their rights and environments across the region. Unfortunately, in doing this important work, they face significant risks, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean – the most dangerous region in the world for human rights defenders (HRDs). Between January 2015 and December 2022 (inclusive), the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) identified nearly 2,000 attacks against HRDs in Latin America and the Caribbean, representing 42% of total attacks (4,700) recorded worldwide. This included killings, judicial harassment, death threats, disappearances and other forms of intimidation. Indigenous defenders experience a disproportionately high level of attacks and, while defenders of all genders are targeted due to their human rights work, women defenders often face specifically gendered attacks. Given this research is based on publicly available information – and official government data on attacks is extremely limited – the problem is undoubtedly more severe than these figures suggest.
Guardians at risk: Confronting corporate abuse in Latin America and the Caribbean
Every day, hidden heroes are standing up to big businesses – raising the alarm about how their activities are harming human rights and the environment while advocating for companies operating in their communities to adopt rights-respecting practices. At the same time, they are calling on governments to fulfil their duty to protect human rights and support sustainable development. From fighting deforestation and illegal mining in the Amazon to raising concerns about the impacts of megaprojects in Mexico and protecting sacred Indigenous sites in Nicaragua, communities, workers and individuals are courageously protecting their rights and environments across the region. Unfortunately, in doing this important work, they face significant risks, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean – the most dangerous region in the world for human rights defenders (HRDs). Between January 2015 and December 2022 (inclusive), the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (the Resource Centre) identified nearly 2,000 attacks against HRDs in Latin America and the Caribbean, representing 42% of total attacks (4,700) recorded worldwide. This included killings, judicial harassment, death threats, disappearances and other forms of intimidation. Indigenous defenders experience a disproportionately high level of attacks and, while defenders of all genders are targeted due to their human rights work, women defenders often face specifically gendered attacks. Given this research is based on publicly available information – and official government data on attacks is extremely limited – the problem is undoubtedly more severe than these figures suggest.
