Legal defence for poor communities

Hna Consuelo Morales Elizondo [CAFOD]

Consuelo Morales Elizondo, director of a human rights centre run by CAFOD partner CADHAC, explains how it defends the rights of prisoners and supports Mexico’s “forgotten” people

In Monterrey, northern Mexico, wealth and power is concentrated in the hands of the few. As poverty has increased so has repression.

Many cases of human rights abuses are reported, especially among the peasant farmers, shanty-town dwellers and others who suffer as a result of the corruption and brutality of the police, prison and judicial systems.

Citizens in Support of Human Rights (CADHAC) is a group of human rights activists based in Monterrey, who provide legal defence to poor communities in the region.

The team helps to raise public awareness about different cases in the local press and provides free legal aid to the victims of human rights violations.

Director Consuelo Morales Elizondo says the group is worried about local, state and national police abuse of power and impunity.

She says: "There is no way for citizens to defend themselves. When someone does something wrong, he must be judged by the authorities, not hit or killed before they are judged.

"Dignity is being stamped into the ground in some cases.

“The challenge is to live as seriously and with the dignity we have even if we lose some cases. It is important that you have the right to speak aloud, to express your views, to walk where you want.”

Much of CADHAC's work is focused on campaigning for improvements in the prisons and calling attention to the torture of prisoners and sexual harassment of female visitors.

Standing alongside

“Although we talk a lot about the rights of women, women do not yet have their right place in society.

"If a man beats a woman he can get out of jail by paying just 5,000 pesos. If someone is caught driving after drinking a beer, they have to pay 15,000 pesos.“

The group also works with women in a campaign against hunger, many of whom had been beaten by their husbands. Consuelo was alongside them.

“We help them not only to assure they have something to eat, but also to realise they have dignity and suffering is not what God wants.

”If people are able to eat they are able to think and find other ways to act.”

The centre also runs human rights workshops, linked to issues of Catholic social teaching.

Staff are employed for their specialist knowledge in areas such as law, psychology, social work and communication.

But, although her work is motivated by her belief, Consuelo doesn’t mention God or religion directly. Respect for all people is what is crucial.

“We just try to be good sisters and brothers to them as God asks us, then they discover God. That for me is very important.”

Relationship of trust

This respect has also helped build a relationship of trust with those in political authority, and the centre is careful to ensure that all their work is based in the rule of law - local, national and international.

“When we first started this work the authorities did not listen to us, they paid no attention.

“But, for 15 years, we have lived day by day saying what we believe – that we don’t care which political party people belong to, we don’t care what religion they have, we don’t care if they have any particular sexual orientation.

"That we are all sons and daughters of God and must be treated with dignity, especially people who are unable to take care of themselves.

"Now they listen to us.”

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