June 2022: 209 aggressions against 54 women defenders.

• In June, transgender woman defender Camila Bolocco was murdered in Mexico.
• During this month, there was an increase in attacks against groups of women defenders and their organizations, representing 32% of the total (compared to 12% in the previous month).
• The highest number of attacks in June were reported against women defenders and organizations working for the right to truth, justice and reparation (21%); women’s rights (20%); journalists defending the right to freedom of expression and information (17%); and defenders of land, territory and natural resources (17%).
• Half of the attacks were carried out by public authorities at all government levels -local, state, federal-, followed by the police (17%). Other perpetrators are unknown persons frequently linked to digital aggressions.

At least 404 women defenders were assaulted during the first half of 2022.

• During the first semester of 2022 we have registered 1,897 attacks against 404 women defenders.

A growing aggression: the use of laws to limit or prevent the defense of human rights.

• Legal or administrative framework instrumentation in order to limit or obstruct the organizations’ and women defenders groups’ right of association, represented 1 out of every 3 of June’s aggressions. This includes the use of national security and international crimes’ legal frameworks linked to the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.
• Harassment (17%) continues to be among the main aggressions experienced by women defenders.
• Other relevant forms of aggression during this month include: surveillance, monitoring, harassment and individual and collective attacks on groups and defenders defending rights (11%) and the right to communication and information (6%).

June 2022 Alerts*.

• NICARAGUA / June’s escalation of cancellations affects 23 feminist and women’s rights organizations. 80 organizations have been illegally canceled since 2018.
• HONDURAS / National Police Agents surveille, harass and threaten compañeras from COPINH and National WHRDs’ Honduras Network.

*Alerts are communicative actions carried out when -from the Holistic Feminist Protection approach- it is considered that giving a public dimension to an aggression situation or risk that a  woman defender or group of women defenders experience, contributes to their protection. For this reason, not all registered aggressions generate alerts, since in some cases this could lead to exposure and visibility that could be counterproductive to the protection strategy.