ILG 2023 Advances Mentor-Mentee Collaborations
Ana Fátima López Iturrios, ILG 2023, Mexico, collaborated in this new strategic litigation guide against gender political violence in Ecuador with her ILG mentor Mónica Banegas, ILG 2021, Ecuador. This guide aims to support and foster expert networks to continue providing targeted initiatives to reduce violence against women across Latin America.
"It is with great pleasure that I present this guide I developed with my mentor, Mónica Banegas, an alumna of Georgetown University's Latin America Leadership Program. It is an honor to see how networks of experts continue to grow and generate specific actions to reduce violence against women in Latin America. Thank you, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, for joining us; here we continue working for everyone." - Ana Fátima López Iturrios, Founder of Red Abogadas Violetas, ILG 2023, Mexico
Ana Fátima recalls how this idea kicked off.
"(Mónica Banegas), my ILG mentor, invited me to be part of the electoral observation in Ecuador, which resulted in an opportunity to lead the strategic litigation workshop. Mónica's idea was to make an exclusive guide for Ecuador, which we worked on comprehensively in a very short period of time. This guide was free; we did not receive financial compensation; it was simply for the love of what we do and what we both like to do."- - Ana Fátima López Iturrios, Founder of Red Abogadas Violetas, ILG 2023, Mexico
Mónica adds that the initiative arises because, on August 31, 2023, the OAS CIM developed a first strategic litigation guide to be considered by the countries of the region, taking into account the emblematic cases that have occurred in several countries, including Mexico and Ecuador.
"Mexico and Ecuador are the countries that have shown the most progress in terms of having a norm that sanctions gender-based political violence, and that is why we joined forces and created this guide that already exists in Mexico, and, for the first time, Ecuador now has one too". - Mónica Banegas, ILG 2021, Ecuador
The Inter-American Model Law on Political Violence against Women understands gender political violence as “any action, conduct or omission, carried out directly or through third parties that, based on their gender, and that causes harm or suffering to one or several women, and whose purpose or result is to impair or annul the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of their political rights. Political violence against women may include, among others, physical, sexual, psychological, moral, economic or symbolic violence.”(Organization of American States, 2020).
"We reiterate our commitment to guaranteeing women's political rights, to the political participation of our leaders, free of gender biases and stereotypes, who seek the goal of achieving the long-awaited parity democracy. If one is affected, we all respond" - Mónica Banegas Cedillo, President of the Haciendo Ecuador Foundation and the International Network La Política es Asunto de Mujeres, ILG 2021, Ecuador
Collaborations like these are examples of principled leadership and guide the work of the next generations of LALP alumni. Congratulations, Mónica and Ana Fátima, for the work done in this field to support women's rights in Latin America.
"Several books, phrases, quotes can sum up the work between Fatima and me. I think that at this moment, we can say that we understand that, together, we can create a much more impactful effect as women of the region who lead this cause. Indeed, we are both part of the International Network "Politics is a Women's Issue." The National Electoral Council of Ecuador invited us to be electoral observers and provide a gender perspective in the early elections of August 20 and October 15, 2023, where Fatima played a very active role. Now we will be invited as observers to other countries."- Mónica Banageas, ILG 2021, Ecuador
From Georgetown Latin America Leadership Program, we applaud our graduates' commitment to defending women's rights in all areas, and in particular, we celebrate this special collaboration between great regional experts and graduates of our Innovation and Leadership in Government program (ILG).
Click here to view or download the guide
More information at Red La Politica es Asunto de Mujeres