First Mesoamerican Meeting on Masculinities in Guatemala

From June 26 to 28, 2019, CECI participated in the First Mesoamerican meeting on masculinities in Guatemala, supported by the project “Equal Rights and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls of Guatemala” (DEMUJERES) implemented by CECI and Lawyers Without Borders Canada. 

For the meeting, over 150 participants from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Bolivia and Canada addressed the issue of masculinities, exploring innovative approaches and experiences and discussing their application to indigenous peoples and within the justice sector. The First Mesoamerican meeting set the stage for dialogues, workshops to share experiences and ideas, as well as exhibitions.

This meeting on masculinities is an integral part of the sensitization initiatives carried out within the DEMUJERES project to bring about an environment favourable to the advancement of indigenous women and girls rights, and to the participation and engagement of allied men in favour of gender equality. The project aims to contribute to the freedom, human dignity and empowerment of Guatemalan women and girls, including indigenous people, against gender-based sexual violence and for their access to justice.

The Mesoamerican meeting was organized by various organizations, including CECI, Lawyers Without Borders Canada, Sector de Mujeres, Fundación Justicia y Género, Grupo Sotz’il, We Effect, Trócaire, Plan International, GIZ, Servicio Civil para la Paz and SCP. The Uniterra international cooperation program, implemented by WUSC and CECI, also funded part of the activities with the support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.

On the margins of the First Mesoamerican meeting on masculinities, under the umbrella of the Uniterra program, employees, volunteers and partner organizations of CECI-Guatemala and CECI-Bolivia participated in capacity building workshops on gender equality.

Strategic alliances were formed between the organizations present, and follow-up activities on the impact of the meeting were agreed upon by the participants. We invite you to visit the CECI-Guatemala and CECI-Bolivia Facebook pages to see the photos and videos (in Spanish) produced as part of this thematic meeting, rich in shared experiences.