Red Lésbica Cattrachas
The Red Lésbica Cattrachas is a network based in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It is an autonomous and independent non-for-profit created in 2000, with the goal to create and develop a communications strategy to respond and effectively communicate from civil society the human rights violations faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and intersex (LGBTI) people in Honduras. The founder was awarded the Visionary Activist Award by the ASTRAEA Lesbian Foundation for Justice.[1]
History[edit]
The network was first established in 2000 as the Lesbian Respond Network Cattrachas (Red de Respuesta Lésbica Cattrachas). It was created to develop a communications strategy to respond and effectively communicate from civil society the human rights violations faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and intersex (LGBTI) people in Honduras.
The permanent documentation of information received by the activists from the victims allowed Cattrachas to evolve and, in 2003, it was already a network to do communications and advocacy, in addition to support LGBTI victims of violence and denouncing human rights violations at the national and international level. With time, the organization established important alliances with other activists, organizations and networks nationally and internationally.
During the military coup of 2009 in Honduras, Cattrachas documented the participation of women to fight against the repression from the state. Women from all walks of life joined the resistance, including feminists, academics, young women, sex workers, housewives, teachers, unionists, workers, black women, Indigenous women, farmers, lesbians, political activists, politicians, old women, business women, pensioners, and many others).[2]
Description[edit]
Cattrachas is a lesbic-feminist organization, dedicated to do research and communications for political advocacy and the defense of human rights of LGBTI people in Honduras.
Currently, Cattrachas has the following strategic lines: national advocacy to achieve gender equality, inclusion and recognition of sexual orientation and gender identities, advocacy at international human rights mechanisms, defend the human rights of LGBTI and women victims, and others.
Cattrachas conducts a press monitoring, both printed and audiovisual, as a way to defend human rights and promote civic participation of people of different sexual orientation. Through the press monitoring, they contribute to the registration and analysis of official decisions, human rights violations, the LGBTI community and public opinion with regards to the legal, political and economic context.
Cattrachas has conducted several strategic litigations at the Honduran Supreme Court of Justice and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, giving a particular emphasis to ensuring access to justice for LGBTI people.
Cattrachas has submitted alternative reports before regional and international human rights mechanisms, getting these mechanisms to issue recommendations with regards to the rights of LGBTI people, including in the Committee Against Torture, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council and others.
Observatory of violent killings of LGBTI people[edit]
Cattrachas established an Observatory of violent killings of LGBTI people in Honduras, conducted since 1994.[3] This is a daily register based on information available in the press, social media and official complaints. Every death is verified and reported to the "High Impact Killings Taskforce" (Fuerza de Tarea de Muertes de Alto Impacto) of the police, in case the task-force has not documented the case before and initiated an investigation. The cases are also compared with data from national judges and the forensic observatory, and they document the response of every agency throughout the investigation until there is a conviction.
The organization has also established the "Tmis System", a database to register statistic information of violent killings of LGBTI people and has kept a file for each case that is constantly updated. Tmis has been replicated in countries like Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the rural zone of Bajo Aguan, Honduras. Thanks to this system, the organization has been able to document violence against LGBTI people and produce trusted data about violence against LGBTI people in Honduras.[4]
Threats and attacks[edit]
On 29 January 2010, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights granted precautionary measures for several members of Cattrachas because of the risks to their lives.[5]
Notable members[edit]
Indyra Mendoza[edit]
Indyra Mendoza is the general coordinator and founder of Cattrachas. In 2017, she was awarded the Visionary Activist Award by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
This article "Red Lésbica Cattrachas" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Red Lésbica Cattrachas. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ Designs, RocknRolla. "Astraea 40th Anniversary Gala". www.astraeafoundation.org (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- ↑ "Asesinatos en el marco del golpe de estado de la comunidad LGTTBI Honduras" (PDF). line feed character in
|title=at position 49 (help) - ↑ "Observatorio LGBTIQ+ | CATTRACHAS". www.cattrachas.org (in español). Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- ↑ "Observatorio LGBTIQ+ | CATTRACHAS". www.cattrachas.org (in español). Retrieved 2018-07-12.
- ↑ OAS (2009-08-01). "OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". www.oas.org. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- ↑ "40th Anniversary Gala: Indyra Mendoza's Speech - Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice". Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
