The collective manifesto of six women activists from Latin America and the Caribbean

The collective manifesto of six women activists from Latin America and the Caribbean

Washington, D.C., March 6, 2026—On February 19, six women activists from Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic gathered for a virtual meeting that we at Race and Equality called “When Women Create, Memory Endures.” For an hour and a half, they shared who they were, where they were fighting from, and the realities they were facing in their territories. From that exchange, a collective manifesto was born that takes on special meaning today in the context of March 8, International Women’s Day.

Participants in this space included Eva Rafaela Calça, from Rede Trans Assis in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Andrea Ceballos, from the Indigenous Organization of the Pasto Territory in Colombia; María Camila Zúñiga, from the Movement of United, Diverse, and Emancipated Women (Mude), also from Colombia; Lourdes Esquivel, member of the Damas de Blanco organization in Cuba; Daniela Islas, from the Afrocaracolas collective in Mexico; and Estefany Feliz Pérez, from the Reconoci.Do youth movement in the Dominican Republic. For many of them, it was the first time they had shared a common space among such diverse struggles, but all driven by the same urgency: dignity.

The exercise culminated in the writing of a manifesto that reflects their collective voice and their main demands:

We, the women of Latin America and the Caribbean, unite in a powerful cry to demand equality and justice. Love and strength are what sustain us in this daily struggle.

From yesterday and today, we recognize the strength and determination of our history. We are the driving force. We are treasures of the world.

We fight to feel safe and equal, to be recognized and treated with dignity, from an anti-racist and decolonial perspective.

Today and always, we demand respect and freedom in all spaces!”

This call does not come out of nowhere. Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be marked by structural violence against women. In the last five years, at least 19,254 femicides have been recorded in the region, according to ECLAC’s Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (OIG). In most cases, violent deaths are perpetrated by partners or ex-partners, demonstrating that gender-based violence continues to be present in everyday spaces.

Femicide Violence in the Region

Brazil tops the most alarming figures. In 2025, it recorded 1,470 femicides, the highest number in the last decade, an average of four women murdered per day, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. In this context, Eva Rafaela Calça insisted that violence is not limited to murder: it is also expressed in exclusion and overload. For her, there is an urgent need for “a public space that values childhood as a responsibility of society as a whole, and not just of the mother,” because often “the mother is overburdened,” as well as policies that expand job opportunities for trans women “beyond informality and prostitution.” Her reflection connects femicide violence with the lack of care policies and the structural marginalization of trans women.

In Colombia, where the Colombian Observatory on Femicide reported 973 cases in 2025, impunity remains an open wound. María Camila Zúñiga recalled that, in addition to demanding justice for the murders, it is essential that “the work that women do with children, from the territories, be recognized” and that their lives be dignified. “We know that when a woman is murdered, justice does not always come,” she added.

In Mexico, where the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System recorded 721 femicides in 2025, violence is intertwined with structural racism. Daniela Islas warned that for Afro-Mexican women, recognition is also urgent: “What we need most urgently is recognition of our rights, more public policies for Afro-Mexican women, where we are guaranteed medical care.” She also referred to what she most desires: “We imagine a world without racism, without discrimination, where our rights as Afro-Mexican women are recognized and protected.” Gender-based violence in her territory cannot be separated from racial discrimination.

In Cuba, independent organizations such as the Alas Tensas Gender Observatory (OGAT) and Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba (YSTCC) recorded 48 femicides in 2025 and warn that these crimes are the result of prolonged violence. Lourdes Esquivel expressed it from the harshness of her reality: “In Cuba, all women’s rights are violated. They imprison our children, they kill them, they beat us. We go hungry. There are children who have nothing to eat.” Her testimony reminded us that violence also manifests itself in hunger, repression, and daily pain.

In the Dominican Republic, where 59 murders of women were recorded last year (according to the Vida Sin Violencia Foundation), these figures coexist with policies and practices that particularly affect migrant women and women of Haitian descent. Estefany Feliz Pérez reported that, without identity documents, “they do not receive health care, nor can they study,” and that there is “persecution against Haitian women and Dominican women of Haitian descent” that even involves arbitrary detentions and undue payments.

Globally, women have only 64% of the legal rights that men have, according to UN Women. At the current rate, closing the gaps could take centuries. Against this backdrop, the virtual meeting on February 19 was more than just a symbolic space: it was a commitment to regional coordination.

This manifesto is also proof that it is possible to build agreements amid diversity. Six women from different backgrounds, with their own stories and struggles, managed to come together without having met before, listen to each other attentively, and recognize each other in their differences. In this exercise in honest and respectful dialogue, they identified common needs and forged a collective voice. This virtual space not only allowed them to share complaints, but also to demonstrate that regional coordination is a powerful tool when it is based on listening, respect, and the awareness that no struggle is isolated.

At Race and Equality, we reaffirm our commitment to giving a voice to those who resist from the territories and to supporting their demands. Because when women create together, memory endures; and when memory endures, the future is also built.



Cuba’s independent civil society, ready for a democratic transition

For more than a decade, we have been fortunate to work with Cuba’s independent civil society. We have seen their commitment to human rights, their dedication to documenting the violations that happen in the country, and their courage in exposing them. We have witnessed—through urgent messages and calls that lead to reactions by our legal team—arbitrary detentions, summary trials, surveillance, harassment, raids, forced exile, and, more recently, blackouts and food and medicine shortages. We have also faced our own negative impacts from this work – personal and institutional attacks, as well as skepticism on the part of former allies who have questioned our human rights work in general because of our work exposing the Cuban reality.

As a capacity building organization, we have trained independent activists on and off the Island on civil society engagement with human rights protection mechanisms. Through systematic documentation of human rights violations – analyzed according to the international legal standards to which the Cuban State has adhered – we have supported them to denounce cases of torture, enforced disappearance, censorship, and discrimination before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and United Nations Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures. By advocating for Cuba’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, our partners have been laying the groundwork for democratic transition for years. Their work is not merely opposition; it is preparatory governance.

While Washington and Havana negotiate the future of the island nation, the work, dedication, and perseverance of independent activists, journalists, and artists on the Island and in exile to fight for human rights and promote democratic ideals should not go unrecognized. They are the ones who have been collecting and sharing the evidence of the Cuban regime’s atrocities and this documentation should serve as a key element of any future government transition. While the Cuban government has maintained a monolithic façade, a diverse and resilient independent civil society has been quietly building the architecture of a free society from the ground up. The future of Cuba cannot happen without them.

The international community has recognized that in any transitional justice process, five elements must be considered: truth, justice, memory, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition. It is not possible to achieve any of these without records of what has occurred during the undemocratic era and Cuban human rights defenders have been preparing already, as independent journalists break the state monopoly on information (truth); independent lawyers file habeas petitions before Cuban courts and cases before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (justice); activists document patterns of abuses committed by State actors (memory); community groups provide aid where the State fails (reparation); and organizations like ours provide the tools to foster civic dialogue and democratic norms (non-repetition).

The most profound preparation lies in the commitment to the historical record. By creating databases of human rights violations and preserving the testimony of victims, independent groups are preventing the “erasure” that often follows authoritarian regimes. They understand that you cannot have justice without a record of the crime, and you cannot guarantee non-repetition if the history of the past is allowed to vanish into state archives. This is not just protest; it is the fundamental administrative labor required to restore the rule of law.

The international community must stop viewing Cuba as a passive recipient of history. The groundwork for a democratic transition—the human capital, the legal theories, and the civic courage—is already in place. The transition will not be a gift from the top down; it will be the formal recognition of a reality that independent civil society has been living for decades. Cubans are not waiting for democracy to be handed to them; they have been building it, brick by brick, in the face of immense adversity. It is time the world starts paying attention to the foundation they have laid.

Statement written by:

Carlos Quesada, Executive Director

Christina M. Fetterhoff, Director of Programs

  • Learn more about our work in Cuba over more than a decade here.



Freedom with exile: the case of Cuban activist Aymara Nieto

Washington, D.C., November 11, 2025 – Three months ago today, Aymara Nieto Muñoz began rebuilding her life in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she has been living since August 11, 2025, after being released and exiled along with her husband, Ismael Boris, and two of her daughters. After more than seven years of political imprisonment in Cuba, the 49-year-old activist, a member of the Ladies in White and the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), is trying to adapt to a new reality far from the island.

“We have been very well received in Santo Domingo. I am very grateful. We (Aymara and her family) have already done a series of interviews to regularize our immigration status and be able to work. My daughters are already in school, thanks to the support of the Cuban Association in the Dominican Republic and the government of this country,“ says Nieto, who retains the optimism and faith that accompanied her during the hardest years of her imprisonment. ”My greatest treasure in prison was a Bible that my eldest daughter gave me. It gave me the strength to endure,” she confesses.

Aymara was arrested on May 6, 2018, as she was leaving her home to participate in a peaceful demonstration organized by the Todos Marchamos campaign, which demanded the release of people imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba. She was convicted of the alleged crimes of assault and damage to property and sentenced to four years in prison, which she began serving in the El Guatao women’s prison in Havana.

However, while she was serving that sentence, the authoritarian Cuban regime prosecuted her again, this time for allegedly leading a riot inside the prison. The new trial ended with a second sentence of five years and four months, imposed without judicial guarantees or the right to an effective defense. Thus, Aymara spent more than seven consecutive years in prison, enduring punishments, transfers, and degrading conditions.

Since 2013, Aymara Nieto has been the beneficiary of precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). At Race and Equality, we have consistently denounced the violations of her rights and the inhumane conditions of her imprisonment. Her story is part of the report “Voices in Freedom: Women Political Prisoners in Cuba” and the documentary “Dos Patrias” (Two Homelands), produced in collaboration with Producciones La Tiorba, which portrays the repression, imprisonment, and silencing of three Cuban activists.

From her new place of residence, where she arrived without being able to say goodbye to her eldest daughter because the authorities denied her a final visit, Aymara dreams of studying psychology. “I would like to be a psychologist and help other people. I also want my daughters to be good women,“ she adds. Although she is far from the island, she remains committed to the peaceful struggle. ”The situation in my country hurts me deeply, but I will continue working and fighting for Cuba’s freedom, even from a distance,” she says. 

The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights celebrates Aymara Nieto’s freedom and recognizes her strength and dignity after years of repression. At the same time, we condemn her forced exile, a systematic practice of the Cuban regime to punish dissent and silence voices that defend human rights.

We demand that the Cuban government put an end to these practices that violate international law, and we call on international organizations and democratic states to demand respect for human rights in Cuba, including the immediate and unconditional release of Sissi Abascal, Felix Navarro, Saylí Navarro, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Lisandra Góngora, Maykel Castillo, and all those still imprisoned for political reasons.



Brazil’s misguided public security policy: The systemic racism behind the deadliest massacre in Rio de Janeiro’s history

Rio de Janeiro, October 29, 2025.– The police operation carried out on October 28, 2025 in the Alemão and Penha complexes, in Rio de Janeiro, with 64 people officially confirmed dead[1], was deemed the deadliest in the history of the state, surpassing in scale the Jacarezinho Massacre (2021), which resulted in 28 deaths and was, until then, the most violent action in the capital of Rio de Janeiro. The real number of victims may be even higher, with reports of locals collecting about 60 additional bodies (mostly of black people) that were not initially accounted for in the official toll.

Public security experts already classify the event as “the largest massacre in the history of Rio” and “something completely unprecedented,” which highlights the failure of a public security model based on violent confrontation. This episode is part of a tragic historical pattern of lethal violence in police operations in Brazil, which includes massacres such as those in Vigário Geral (1993, with 21 deaths) and Baixada Fluminense (2005, with 29 deaths), repeating cycles of brutality and impunity that victimize mostly young black people and residents of the peripheries.

Rio de Janeiro, in particular, has been the site of daily police operations and the impact on the city reaches all people, indiscriminately. However, it affects much more intensely the people living in the peripheries – mostly black, women and children – who are forced to cope with multiple forms of violence. The State does not have a plan to combat this violence;  the State itself is seen being one of the main protagonists in the generation of violence and deaths.

Brazil has frequently received visits from experts from the UN and other multilateral mechanisms. These experts have issued concrete reports and recommendations, which indicate ways to combat violence and, at the same time, to establish structuring public policies that, in the medium and long term, can change this scenario of ongoing civil war.

The report issued by the International Mechanism of Independent Experts for the Advancement of Racial Equality and Justice in Law Enforcement – EMLER, in October 2024, highlighted that “police culture and a public security policy based on repression, violence, and hypertoxic masculinity. In the context of police operations that seek to eliminate the public enemy (criminals), people of African descent are often unfairly associated with criminality or as collateral damage operations. The Mechanism has observed symptomatic and widespread erosion and a profound lack of trust of people of African descent in police forces, especially among marginalized communities, mainly due to historical and ongoing police violence, which creates a sense of systemic oppression aggravated by long-standing impunity for these acts.”[2]

The numbers of the operation in the Alemão and Penha complexes show – and evidence – a mistaken policy that, over the last 20 years, has proven to be inefficient in the fight against crime and has generated many deaths, indiscriminately. The EMLER mechanism also considers that a human rights-based approach to policing should be part of the strategy to reverse these gaps. A human rights-based approach to policing is a comprehensive, systematic, and institutional approach to law enforcement that conforms to international human rights standards and practices and that promotes policy and action analysis through the tripartite obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill.

Another highlight of the report is the fact that the numbers and circumstances in which people are murdered by the police in Brazil are alarming. In the last ten years, 54,175 people have been killed by police officers in the country, with more than 6,000 individuals killed every year (17 per day) in the last six years. Deaths caused by police increased significantly: from 2,212 in 2013 to 6,393 in 2023. The most recent data represents 13% of the total intentional violent deaths in the country. Of the 6,393 people killed by police in 2023, 99.3% were men; 6.7% were children between 12 and 17 years old; and 65% were young adults: 41% were between 18 and 24 years old and 23.5% between 25 and 29 years old.

There is no way to dissociate this state of violence from structural and systemic racism in Brazil. The excessive use of force, which leads to thousands of deaths every year, and excessive incarceration, which disproportionately affect people of African descent, are a consequence of systemic racism which, combined with the current policies of “war on crime”, results in a process of social cleansing that serves to exterminate sectors of society considered undesirable,  dangerous and criminal. This is a pervasive systemic issue that requires a systemic and comprehensive response.

The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) renounces the operation carried out by the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday (28), which has resulted, so far, in 64 confirmed deaths, and reinforces that the fight against organized crime must be rethought, as it has only served to generate panic and various human rights violations in favela territories,  strongly affecting the most vulnerable people, who find themselves hostages of this mistaken security policy.

 

 

[1] Bodies are left in a square in Complexo da Penha after an operation that left dozens dead in Rio. Image: Flávia Fróes/Video playback… – See more at https://noticias.uol.com.br/cotidiano/ultimas-noticias/2025/10/29/atualizacao-corpos-mortos-rio-de-janeiro.htm?cmpid=copiaecola

 

[2] Microsoft Word – A-HRC-57-71-Add-1-unofficial-Portuguese-version.docx

MUDE, a shelter threatened for defending the rights of black women and children in Palmira, Colombia

Bogotá, October 20, 2025 – On July 15, 2024, members of the Movimiento de mujeres unidas, diversas y emancipadas (MUDE, by its initials in Spanish) reported that, in the early hours of the morning, several people violently entered the house where the organization’s headquarters were located, in the municipality of Palmira, Valle del Cauca. Through their social media accounts, they made public how computers were destroyed, along with the shelter of more than 300 people, including children, adolescents, and black and diverse women from this region of Colombia who are beneficiaries of MUDE. 

That day, the women of this organization felt that the “last straw had been drawn,” after years of threats, harassment, acts of racism, transphobia, and hate campaigns spread through social media. They were left with a clear message: if they continue to do this work, their lives are in danger.

A year after the raid, the events remain unpunished and the members of MUDE continue to denounce what happened and demand recognition and guarantees of their rights in this area of the Colombian Pacific. “We continue to call on the authorities and other organizations to listen to us and respond to our demands. We want to know that we have support, that our lives matter, that people care about what happens to MUDE, to children, and to diversity,” says María Camilia Saa, a member of the organization. 

The Movimiento de mujeres unidas, diversas y emancipadas was founded in 2019 and, since then, has accompanied and transformed the lives of more than 6,000 children, adolescents, women of African descent, and diverse women, along with their families, in Palmira and other municipalities in Valle del Cauca. Sady Carreazo, another member, affirms that MUDE is a space for “collectivization.” 

“Coming together guarantees the lives of Black people; it is another way in which we can be and live in freedom. It is another opportunity to study, work, be, and express ourselves,” adds Carreazo. The organization promotes advocacy, training, and visibility strategies with an ethnic and diverse focus through art and music. One example of this is MUDE’s Agojie group, whose songs address issues such as Afro hair, feminism, and sexual and gender dissidence.

Following the attack, MUDE was forced to relocate its headquarters to another area of Palmira, while its members continue to report ongoing threats and harassment due to their diverse identities and their work defending the rights of their communities.

From the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) expresses its support for MUDE and reiterates its urgent call on the competent authorities to act diligently, guarantee the protection of its members, and ensure that acts such as these do not go unpunished. Defending the lives, diversity, and leadership of Black and diverse women is an inescapable responsibility of the Colombian state.



Afro-descendant activists in the region condemn the effects of racism on Afro-descendant women

  • Five female leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, along with Professor Justin Hansford, a member of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, participated in the discussion “Voices of the Diaspora: Women of African Descent in Resistance and Global Leadership” on September 18 in Bogotá.

Bogotá, September 22, 2025.– Within the framework of the regional consultation of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which brought together more than 60 Afro-descendant activists from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) held the discussion “Voices of the Diaspora: Women of African Descent in Resistance and Global Leadership,” which took place on Thursday, September 18 in Bogotá.

The meeting brought together women leaders from different countries in the region, who shared experiences regarding the multiple forms of violence and discrimination faced by Afro-descendant women, as well as the strategies of community building and resistance that they have implemented.

The president of the Central American Black Organization (ONECA), Afrohonduran Mirtha Colón, highlighted the significance of strengthening cultural identity among members of the younger generation. The coordinator of the Network of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women, Afrobolivian Paola Yañez, emphasized that “we cannot talk about racism without talking about sexism, because they are so intertwined.” Meanwhile, Afromexican Teresa Mojica, president of the Petra Morga Afro-Mexican Foundation, called for the promotion of an Afro-descendant, Afro-centered, intersectional, and decolonial agenda. 

Afrodominican María Bizenny Martínez, coordinator of the Department of Human Rights and Political Advocacy at MOSCTHA, denounced discrimination and xenophobia toward the Haitian population, especially women. Meanwhile, Afrocolombian Luz Marina Becerra Panesso, legal representative of the Coordination of Displaced Afro-Colombian Women in Resistance (La Comadre), noted that the armed conflict in Colombia has exacerbated the vulnerability of Afro-Colombian women, many of whom remain silent out of fear.

After listening to the leaders, Professor Justin Hansford, member of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, highlighted the situation of Afro-Colombian women in Latin America and reiterated some of the recommendations raised by the activists during the discussion.

This dialogue offered a platform for collective construction and exchange, in which the voices of Afro-descendant women from the region and the diaspora illustrated the various ways in which racism and sexism affect their lives and reaffirmed their central role in the defense of rights and social development. It also served as a prelude for the activists, who also participated in the regional consultation of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which was conducted on September 19 at the Colombian Foreign Ministry. They highlighted the need to visualize the reality of Afro-descendant women within the draft declaration, which is currently being developed by some members of the Forum.

Race and Equality remains committed to the promotion of initiatives and spaces that facilitate these types of meetings. Our objective is to continue to denounce the human rights violations experienced by Afro-descendant individuals in the region and to contribute to a world in which the dignity of all individuals is honored and all individuals have the opportunity to fully reach their potential.

United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to hold regional consultation in Bogotá

Bogotá, September 16, 2025. This Friday, September 19, the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will hold a regional consultation for Spanish-speaking Latin America, a space that is part of the process of drafting the future United Nations Declaration on the respect, protection, and fulfillment of the human rights of people of African descent.

This meeting, which will begin at 9 a.m. at the headquarters of the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will bring together more than 60 leaders, is part of the regional consultations being conducted by the Permanent Forum in different parts of the world to gather input and ensure that the voices of Afro-descendant communities are taken into account in the drafting of the Declaration. The meeting in Bogotá will be the second regional consultation, following the one held in December 2024 in Barbados, which focused on the Caribbean.

According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), around 200 million people of African descent live in the region, equivalent to 30% of the total population. However, structural barriers persist that limit their access to justice, political participation, education, health, and decent employment. These gaps are even greater in the case of women of African descent, who face the intersectional effects of racism and sexism. The regional consultation in Bogotá, aimed at Afro-descendant communities in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, seeks to generate an assessment of the multiple forms of discrimination and structural racism in the region, while consolidating proposals to strengthen the draft Declaration.

The event, which will take the form of a broad and participatory dialogue, will focus on priority issues identified by the Permanent Forum, including: the recognition and addressing of systemic and structural racism; restorative justice in the face of the legacies of colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and genocide; the collective rights of Afro-descendant peoples; sustainable development and the reduction of inequalities; as well as urgent and emerging human rights issues, such as the impact of artificial intelligence, climate change, environmental injustice, and the need to reform the international economic order.

The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) supports the participation of prominent women leaders from the region, who will contribute their experiences and expertise to the discussion. Among them are: Paola Yánez from Bolivia, coordinator of the Network of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women; Mirtha Colón from Honduras, president of the Central American Black Organization (ONECA); María Bizenny Martínez from the Dominican Republic, coordinator of the Human Rights and Political Advocacy Department at MOSCTHA; Luz Marina Becerra Panesso from Colombia, legal representative of the Coordination of Displaced Afro-Colombian Women in Resistance (La Comadre); and Teresa Mojica from Mexico, president of the Petra Morga Afro-Mexican Foundation. Their participation will raise awareness of the specific realities faced by women of African descent in the face of racial violence, forced displacement, and exclusion.

Voices of the diaspora: Women of African descent in resistance and global leadership

As a prelude to the consultation, on Thursday, September 18, at 4:00 p.m., at the Hotel Suite Jones (Chapinero, Bogotá), a dialogue will be held entitled Voices of the Diaspora: Women of African Descent in Resistance and Global Leadership. This meeting will feature the participation of the aforementioned leaders and Professor Justin Hasford, a member of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, whose career in the United States and involvement with Afro-descendant movements in the diaspora will allow for a comparative analysis between Latin America and the Global North.

The event, organized by Raza e Igualdad, will have simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation and seeks to consolidate a space for exchange and collective construction, strengthening the link between the historical struggles of Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and those that are developing in other international contexts.



Race and Equality will hold two Kátia Tapety School meetings in Colombia

Bogotá, September 16, 2025 – The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality), in partnership with the Grupo de Acción y Apoyo a personas Trans (GAAT) and the Fundación Somos Identidad, will hold two meetings of the Kátia Tapety School of Political Training in Colombia, which will take place on September 23 in Cali and on September 26 in Bogotá.

The Kátia Tapety School of Political Training is a project of the Institute created in Brazil in 2022, with the purpose of training LBTI, black, and indigenous women so that they can fully participate in spaces of power and decision-making. Since its creation, more than 60 women leaders in Brazil have participated in these training sessions.

The program is named after Kátia Tapety, recognized as the first transvestite elected by direct vote in Brazil in 1992, whose political legacy is a benchmark in Latin America for the defense of human rights and the expansion of political participation by trans women, transvestites, black women, and indigenous women.

During the meetings to be held in Colombia, sessions will be held on the following topics:

  • Concepts and scope of political participation.
  • Manifestations and consequences of political violence.
  • International mechanisms for the protection of human rights.
  • Exchange of experiences and lessons learned from the School in Brazil.

If you are an LBTI, Black, or Indigenous person and would like to participate in this space, please register at the following link. Space is limited: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/sckf9qMPXt 



Second Decade for People of African Descent: It Is Time for States to Ratify the Inter-American Convention against Racism 

Washington, D.C., March 21, 2025.– Commemorating yet another year of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination leads us to reflect on the events that gave rise to this date, but also on the persistence of this evil and the steps that are necessary to combat and eradicate it, such as the ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance (ICRIID). 

On March 21, 1960, 20,000 black people in South Africa protested against a law restricting their movements, leading to the Sharpeville massacre, in which 69 people were killed. In memory of the victims, the United Nations (UN) designated this date as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  

More than seven decades later, structural racism continues to affect people of African descent and Indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean, resulting in precarious access to education, housing, and work. This is compounded by disproportionate violence by law enforcement and illegal groups. 

For example, data from the 2024 Atlas of Violence show that in Brazil, in 2022, 66.4% of murdered women were black, with a total of 2,526 victims, and 76.5% of registered homicides were of black people.  

Meanwhile, in Cuba, extreme poverty mainly affects people of African descent, according to a study conducted between May and June 2024 by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), which details that “of the total sample (1,148 surveys), 61% said they had problems to buy the most essential things to survive, while in the Afro-Cuban population the figure stands at 68%”. 

A Key Opportunity to Combat Racism 

On December 17, 2024, the United Nations proclaimed the Second International Decade for People of African Descent. This marks a key opportunity for the Americas to promote concrete actions to combat the legacies of structural racism, slavery, and colonialism. The success of this initiative will depend on the political will of the States, something that was evident during the First Decade (2015-2024), where, despite significant progress, the lack of commitment of governments prevented transformative change. 

Barbara Reynolds, chair of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD), was clear that the first Decade “raised awareness of anti-black racism but lacked sufficient political will and investment by Member States”. 

In Latin America and the Caribbean, structural inequalities continue to disproportionately affect Afro-descendant and indigenous communities. Education, health, housing, access to economic opportunities and political representation remain significant barriers. In addition, these populations face compounded vulnerabilities due to the climate crisis, digital exclusion and environmental injustice. 

In this context, if the States really want to eradicate racism in the region, a fundamental step is the ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance (ICRIID). 

CIRDI: A Pending Commitment 

CIRDI, adopted by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2013, is a crucial legal instrument for combating racism in the region. However, few countries have ratified it, leaving millions of Afro-descendants and indigenous people without effective protection against racial discrimination. 

Let us recall that ICRIID establishes clear obligations for States, including: the development of public policies to eliminate racial discrimination, the promotion of equal opportunities for Afro-descendant and indigenous communities, the strengthening of justice systems to avoid the disproportionate criminalization of these populations, and the protection of Afro-descendant human rights defenders, among others. 

Despite its importance, lack of political will remains the greatest obstacle. While some countries have taken significant steps with affirmative action laws and racial equity offices, the absence of a binding regional framework prevents sustainable and coordinated progress. 

The New Decade: A Turning Point 

The Second International Decade for People of African Descent cannot repeat the mistakes of the first. To ensure real structural change, Race and Equality believes that States must: 

  1. Ratify and implement ICRIID. Symbolic speeches and commitments are not enough; it is necessary for countries to incorporate its principles into their national legislation.
  2. Design national action plans with the participation of civil society. Without their voice, policies will continue to ignore the real needs of people of African descent and indigenous peoples. 
  3. Collect disaggregated data on the socioeconomic situation of the Afro-descendant population and indigenous peoples. Without accurate figures, there is no way to design effective policies.
  4. Implement affirmative actions in education and employment. 
  5. Protect Afro-descendant and indigenous human rights defenders. Their work in defense of their territories and environmental justice exposes them to constant risks.
  6. Comply with the recommendations of the Inter-American Human Rights System. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has issued key reports on racism in the region, but few States have taken action.

A Call to Action 

Racism and racial discrimination are not abstract concepts, but daily realities for millions of Afro-descendants and indigenous people in the Americas. Combating this injustice requires more than good intentions; it requires concrete political decisions, starting with the ratification of CIRDI. 

Latin America and the Caribbean must lead this fight. There are no excuses for further delaying the adoption of this fundamental treaty. It is time to act. 

11 Latin American leaders strengthen their capacities in Ecuador

Images from a conference held at the end of October in Quito, Ecuador, which brought together 11 leaders from Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Uruguay, who shared their experiences and strengthened their capacities during a series of training sessions facilitated by FLACSO Ecuador, which addressed topics such as human rights in the region and the main challenges facing Latin America. 

This meeting, which took place within the framework of the project ‘Empowerment of emerging leaders’ carried out by Race and Equality, brought together a total of 10 independent civil society organizations, such as the Asociación Panameña de Debate (ASPADE), the Fundación Arias para la Paz y el Progreso Humano, the Fundación Mujer, the Fundación Convive Panamá, the Organización Social Salvador, the Unión Trans, the Centro de Promoción Social (CERPROS), the Centro de Desarrollo de la Mujer Negra Peruana, Mujeres Rímenses, and the Fraternidad Trans Masculina Perú. 

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