Indigenous women of the Me'phaa nation from the state of Guerrero, Mexico. In 2002, members of the militia raped and tortured Inés and Valentina, who were 25 and 17 at the time. Since then the two women have courageously struggled to attain justice for the crimes committed against them—all while facing hostility from their own government.
Meet Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú, Mexico
In August 2010, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that the Mexican government has violated the human rights of both Inés and Valentina and denied them access to justice. Both of the women—as well as their families and their supporters at the Organization of the Me'phaa Indigenous Nation—have been the subject of recurring threats and harassment.
This case is an example of the common and flagrant abuse of indigenous women's rights in Mexico.
The Nobel Women's Initiative stands in solidarity with Inés and Valentina. We call on the Mexican government to comply with the rulings of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and to ensure that Inés and Valentina are consulted in the implementation of the sentences. The Nobel Women's Initiative congratulates both women on their courage, conviction and persistence in their pursuit of justice.
Inés and Valentina are leading the way in the fight for indigenous women's rights in Mexico.