PAVING THE WAY FOR RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN MEXICO

MORE THAN

1,000

EDUCATORS

trained on

HUMAN

RIGHTS

MATERIALS

Mexico’s Youth for Human Rights Chapter was established following YHRI’s 2004 World Educational Tour, during which representatives met with officials of the United Nations, government agencies, educational institutions and orphanages.

To address severe human rights violations amid the country’s drug war between security forces and drug cartels, YHR Mexico has continually widened its scope. It has participated in rock concerts to increase awareness, aired public service messages on state television and produced a special edition of the What Are Human Rights? booklet featuring Mexican celebrities promoting the human rights message.

In Ecatepec, one of Mexico’s highest-crime areas, YHR Mexico conducted seminars for school principals who, in turn, implemented the curriculum in their districts.

The National Commission of Human Rights partners with Youth for Human Rights and has used YHRI materials in more than 300 seminars attended by 15,000 teenagers.

On June 9, 2011, the President of Mexico signed an amendment, ratified by all states, officially incorporating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into the Mexican Constitution.

The Mexican Ministry of Environment also adopted the Youth for Human Rights campaign materials to supplement its own education program.

YHR Mexico’s advocacy significantly contributed to the incorporation of the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into the Chiapas State Constitution, making human rights education mandatory throughout the state.

YHR Mexico also provided briefings and materials to members of the Chiapas legislature and trained 1,000 students and educators for the Agency of Family Development, headed by the wife of the governor.

Growing grassroots awareness helped elevate the issue, leading the National Congress to pass a constitutional amendment, ratified by the states and signed by the President of Mexico on June 9, 2011, officially incorporating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into the Mexican Constitution.

This unprecedented event marked a renaissance for human rights in Mexico.

“I want to express my gratitude for The Story of Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights material, which has been of great use in my daily work, giving lectures about human rights to groups ranging from migrants to the federal police.” —‍Executive, National Migration Institute of Mexico