Speakers Tour & Annual Lecture
Speakers Tour - Regina Fonseca Discua - Reproductive Rights Defender from Honduras
Front Line Defenders hosted Honduran WHRD Regina Fonseca for a series of talks in several cities in Ireland Ireland and in Madrid from 25 to 4 May. Beginning in Queen's University Belfast, Regina talked to journalist Amanda Ferguson about the challenges of defending reproductive rights in a country where abortion is entirely criminalised and the defence of human rights is a dangerous, sometimes deadly, occupation. Members of the audience shared their own experiences of defending reproductive rights in Northern Ireland, where activists have been physically assaulted, and police have refused to file complaints about the same, as well as carrying out raids on the homes of activists suspected of possessing illegal abortion pills. In Northern Ireland, as in Honduras, there is active criminalisation of abortion.
On 26 April, Regina spoke to academic audiences in Limerick and Cork about the current situation in Honduras, where Congress was introducing a new Penal Code. All clauses, except that which criminalises abortion in every circumstance, were to be changed. Regina and her organisation, the Centre for Women's Rights, within a coalition of NGOs, were fighting for this clause to also be subjected to reform. Their arguments were heard by Congress alongside those of the religious elite on the same day. Unfortunately, this bid to protect the rights of Honduran women and girls was ultimately unsuccessful. Regina spoke in Galway on the same subject on 28 April.
In Dublin on 27 April, Regina shared a stage with Anna Cosgrave, founder of the REPEAL project, and discussed strategies for changing the legal framework which gives equal right to life to the unborn, as well as the risks that doing this work entails, in Ireland and Honduras. It was a moving discussion, with Regina emphasising the astounding numbers of girls under 15 (900 every year), pregnant as a result of rape, who are forced to carry through a pregnancy and who frequently become suicidal as a result. She told the audience that these girls are her motivation to keep working despite the threats against her. The discussion was moderated by Ellen Coyne, an Irish investigative journalist.
In Madrid on 3 May, Regina shared the panel with WHRD Marusia López Cruz (JASS – Justice Associates and Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders) and feminist journalist M. Ángeles Fernández (Pikara Magazine). Regina put across how international solidarity between feminist movements can protect WHRDs and help advance sexual and reproductive rights in Honduras and beyond, while Marusia addressed the protection strategies WHRDs are developing in the region and the advancements in identifying and documenting attacks against WHRDs with a gender perspective. M. Ángeles Fernandez gave an overview of the recent successes of the feminist movement in Spain in advancing sexual and reproductive rights, which was followed by an open discussion on strengthening the international articulation between struggles.
As part of the Tour, Regina travelled to Brussels for several advocacy meetings with Members of the European Parliament, EU diplomats and civil society organisations.
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Annual Lecture - Hauwa Ibrahim, Nigeria
Front Line Defenders, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin hosted lawyer and WHRD Hauwa Ibrahim to give the 2017 Front Line Defenders Annual Lecture, held at the Royal Irish Academy on 27 March. Hauwa spoke about her current work "Mothers Without Borders: Steering Youth Away from Violent Extremism" as well as her experience as a prosecutor, defense lawyer and human rights defender.
Hauwa discussed her role in the recovery of the 219 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram some years ago. She said she had been astonished to discover that the mothers of the men who had been imprisoned under suspicion of being involved in this crime had not been contacted about their imprisonment. She insisted that this happen and then described to the audience how one man broke down in tears and confessed to his crimes in his mother's arms.
There followed an interesting discussion regarding pragmatism in the defence of human rights, particularly when Hauwa revealed how she had apologised to leaders of the church in her community so that she could continue to work with their blessing.
The event was well-attended by members of the legal community and was preceded that morning by a private talk for this community at the offices of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, which also drew a very engaged audience.
Hauwa is best known for her work using Sharia Law to defend women convicted unjustly under the Sharia legal system. In 2005, she was honoured with the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Ten years later, on 9 May 2015, she again addressed the European Parliament on the pursuit of a lifetime education. In May 2014, Hauwa was appointed a member of the fact-finding commission regarding the 219 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from Chibok. Hauwa Ibrahim has been a visiting professor in several countries and is currently teaching and conducting research at Harvard University.
The Annual Front Line Defenders Lecture was established in 2013 to provoke discussion and debate about the range of issues affecting human rights defenders as they work tirelessly to bring about changes and build robust civil societies. The lecture is broadly accessible to a general audience with an interest in philosophy, law, human rights or politics.
