Yésica Sánchez Maya (born 13 November 1977 in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, Mexico) is a human rights attorney who works in

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, Mexico. In 2003, she began serving as president of the Mexican League for the Defense of Human Rights (LIMEDDH) in Oaxaca. In 2006, when a teacher's strike erupted in Oaxaca she was threatened for defending clients and an arrest warrant was issued when she spoke out about the violence and human rights abuses the state was engaging in. In 2008, she left LIMEDDH and founded the Consortium for Parliamentary Dialogue and Equality, for which she serves as Deputy Director, and works on a wide variety of issues including economic and politic inequality,

femicide Femicide or feminicide is a hate crime which is broadly defined as "the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female," but definitions of it vary depending on cultural context. In 1976, the feminist author Diana E. H. Russ ...

, education, and other human rights issues. She has testified at a hearing by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about violence against women in the region, sexual minorities, and indigenous women, including the Mixe and has attended hearings and presented reports to both the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

and the Organization of American States regarding

forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a State (polity), state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or po ...

s, torture, and violence against women. In 2011, Sánchez Maya and other human rights activists were able to pressure Oaxacan legislators to pass Law for the Defense of Human Rights to limit state intimidation and protect citizen's rights. In 2012, she sought the office of state Ombudsman for the Defence of Human Rights of the People of Oaxaca (DDHPO) and had the support of NGOs and citizens, but the appointment went to Arturo Peimbert. Sánchez Maya has been vocal in criticism of the ombudsman for failure to implement the Victims Act and convene the Committee of Victims. In 2015, Sánchez Maya was advocating for laws to protect journalists and human rights defenders from threats and violence. She stated that this year, the number of incidents has risen markedly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez Maya, Yesica 1977 births Living people Mexican women's rights activists Mexican feminists People from Mexico City Mexican women lawyers 20th-century Mexican lawyers 21st-century Mexican lawyers 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers