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Saturday 10 December marked International Human Rights Day, with a special emphasis this year on human rights and social media. Over this past year, the British Embassy here in Guatemala has been active in using the social media available to us to put several human rights cases in the spotlight, by attending crucial hearings at the courts together with EU colleagues and then publishing the results in the Ambassador’s blog and/or the Embassy’s Facebook page. We’ve also featured on our website statements from UK Ministers on human rights issues, and made use of the internet and social media channels to keep abreast of key cases in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Our Political Officer Lisa was in Honduras last week, checking out the current human rights situation in the country though visits and meetings, and here are her thoughts:
Visiting Honduras this week, it was clear that there are a number of Human Rights issues still facing this country. With national security and internal policing issues at the forefront of conversation and media coverage, this week the Honduran authorities approved a measure to grant the military temporary policing powers in the towns and cities of Honduras. We’ll be monitoring the situation closely, as whilst extra security is needed at this time in Honduras, it’s important to make sure it’s provided in a way that truly protects and supports individuals and communities.
Elsewhere, concerns about freedoms of media continue, with the toll of journalists and communications personnel being killed rising steadily over the past 2 years. The EU has just issued a statement on freedom of expression in Honduras, which you can find here. The persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and mistreatment of women and children also continues in some families and communities. Those who speak out openly to denounce Human Rights situations can find themselves in danger, and those with cases to bring against authorities or individuals cannot always be certain of thorough and independent follow through by local or national bodies.
Lisa Barrett visiting the Progressio project in Honduras
It’s for that reason that as an Embassy we’re supporting a project in Honduras this year run by the NGO Progressio, providing support to the Maya Chorti community in the Copan region of western Honduras. The project seeks to support the community in articulating their human rights and needs in dialogue with the authorities, to strengthen their voice in government policies and structures to ensure these discussions are fair and their rights respected. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK Goverment as a whole has been getting better at interaction with civil society bodies such as non-governmental organisations and lobby groups, to help with the formation of policies and projects to benefit communities at home and abroad, and this interaction is something we hope to see develop in Honduras and the region too.