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| Malú García Andrade, awarded the Per Anger-prize 2023. Photo: Cristopher Ordoñez |
Mexican human rights defender Malú García Andrade bravely and tirelessly fights femicide, the murder of women simply because they are women. She is awarded the 2023 Per Anger prize – the Swedish Government’s international prize for human rights and democracy.
Human rights defender and lawyer Malú García Andrade from Ciudad Juárez in Mexico heads a support organisation for families victimized by the deadly violence, which too often is directed towards women in Mexico. For over 20 years, she has demanded judicial authorities and lawmakers to act on crimes against women, investigate the murders, and punish the perpetrators.
– Families need to know their rights so they can demand reparation, and the state must bring the perpetrators to justice and stop widespread impunity. Not until then can girls and women live without violence and fear, says Malú García Andrade.
Mexico is a country steeped in patriarchal structures and marked by corruption. On average, ten women and girls are murdered every day. Many of these are femicides – the genderbased killing of women. On top of this, Amnesty documented significant shortfalls in investigations of crimes committed against women and girls in the country.
In 2001, Malú García Andrades younger sister was murdered. For several years, her family demanded justice and redress, but in vain. Today, Malú García Andrade is one of the prominent figures of the Mexican human rights movement and wages a tireless struggle against femicide. She refuses to turn away, despite being subjected to death threats and attempted kidnapping.
– Malú García Andrade is a very brave human rights defender in one of the most dangerous countries for women. Every murdered woman is a horrible strike on their family in many ways. Not only are they deprived of a family member, but also deserted in their search for truth and justice since the authorities are not acting sufficiently against these crimes. Amnesty calls for the Mexican authorities to prioritize acting against femicide, says Anna Johansson, Secretary General of Amnesty Sweden.
The Swedish Amnesty Fund is a part of Amnesty’s human rights relief. In cooperation with Amnesty Mexico, the fund has provided families with support such as legal aid to push investigations forward, trauma therapy and safe relocations. When there was a hightened threat scenario around Malú García Andrades, the fund supported her emergent relocation to a safer place.
– Malú García Andrade being awarded the Swedish government’s international prize for human rights and democracy hopefully contributes to a positive change for her and everyone who are subjected to and fights against femicide in Mexico. Amnesty continues to stand by their side, says Anna Johansson, Secretary General of Amnesty Sweden.
Interviews in Stockholm and the prize ceremony
The Per Anger Prize is awarded at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 27.
To schedule an interview with Malú in Mexico, please contact Amnesty International Mexico’s press officer, Alejandro Juarez Gamero, at +52 55 2265 4331, or by e-mail at prensa@amnistía.org.mx
To schedule an interview in Stockholm, please contact the Living History Forum’s press unit by telephone at +46 702 59 38 19, or by e-mail at press@levandehistoria.se.
Background
The Per Anger Prize is the Swedish Government’s international prize for human rights and democracy. The prize was established in 2004 in memory of the efforts of diplomat Per Anger during the Second World War, when he saved Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. The Living History Forum has been tasked by the government to award the prize annually.
María Luisa García Andrade, known as Malú, is the founder and leader of the support organization “Bring our Daughters Back Home” (Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa). The organization supports families who fight for their disappeared, violated, and murdered daughters. Malú García Andrade was nominated to the Per Anger Prize by Amnesty International Sweden.
The jury’s motivation to the Per Anger prize 2023: “María Luisa García Andrade shows enormous courage in her fight for all the women who have disappeared and been murdered in Mexico. In an extremely violent environment, she demands that the state investigates femicides and that the guilty are sentenced. She works tirelessly to provide support for affected families, pushes for legal reforms, and refuses to give up even after she and her family have been forced to live in hiding. Her determination and unconditional courage are an inspiration and provide hope for change.”
Femicide denotes systematic abuses and murders committed against women, simply because they are women. Such crimes are defined as femicide in Mexico, to distinguish them from the overall high numbers of murdered women in Mexico. In 2020, 3723 women and girls were murded in Mexico by both known and unknown perpetrators. 940 of those murders were investigated as femicide. The criteria to classify a crime as femicide is a murder committed in combination with sexual violence, mutilation or desecration of the body, previous threats and violence, a confidential relationship with the perpetrator, and if the victim has been held in isolation or her body exposed in public.
The Amnesty Fund is a part of Amnestys human rights relief. The Amnesty Fund can act fast in emergency situations and supports threatened, harassed and persecuted human rights defenders around the world. The human rights relief is an important complement to Amnesty’s investigations, advocacy work and activism. The Amnesty Fund was founded in 1966 on the initiative of Swedish actors Hans Alfredsson and Tage Danielsson, and the fund has since then supported thousands of human rights defenders.
For further information, please contact:
Amnesty International Mexico
email: prensa@amnistía.org.mx
tel.: +52 55 2265 4331
Amnesty International Sweden
email: press@amnesty.se
tel.: +46 704 33 09 16
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