Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA

For Women's Right to Live
Speaking Tour

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2007 Speaking Tour
April 16 - 20, 2007

From April 16 - 20, 2007, GHRC welcomed María Elena Peralta to Washington DC for a speaking tour about violence against women in Guatemala. María Elena is a women's rights activist for Fundación Sobrevivientes (Survivors Foundation) in Guatemala.

Since the vicious murder of her sister in 2002, María Elena Peralta has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the increasingly brutal killings of Guatemalan women and girls and to urge the authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible for gender-based violence. María Elena spoke with the US Congress about this issue in 2005 and has participated in several solidarity events around the world to shed light on the cases of femicide. Due to her efforts, she has received numerous threats.

The Survivors’ Foundation is a social service organization that strives to help the primary and secondary survivors of gender-based violence to obtain psychological treatment and legal counsel. The Foundation’s objectives include: the prevention, sanction and eradication of violence against women and children in Guatemala; justice on behalf of women and children who have been victims of violence; and the creation of a center specializing in the support of women and children who have been victims of violence. Read more at the Foundation's website.

On the speaking tour, GHRC and María Elena met with Congressional Representatives, Senators, the US Department of State, various human rights organizations, local high schools and universities, and local churches. Her personal stories along with her expertise in women's advocacy touched hundreds of people.

Read an interview with María Elena in El Tiempo Latino (English translation).

 

 

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