Project Title: Access to Justice and Due Diligence for Sex Trafficking Victims

Location: Mexico

Grant Amount: $50,000

Grantee Website: catwinternational.org/Home/Article/628-catwlac-selected-as-dining-for-womens-2016-june-featured-program-grantee

Areas of Impact: Safety and Security

Mission of CATW-LAC
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Girls in Latin American and the Caribbean (CATW-LAC) works at the local, regional, national and international level to promote women's human rights, including the right to live free of violence and sexual exploitation. It works with groups in the National Coalition and with civil society organizations to generate public awareness. CATW-LAC designs and applies grassroots models for the prevention, protection and prosecution of those involved in the trafficking of persons for sexual exploitation. It promotes those models to government agencies, policy and lawmakers, and civil society to eradicate human trafficking.

Summary
The victims and their families have the right to access justice and have the authorities of the justice system act under the principle of due diligence, guaranteeing that the crime will not be repeated and including the rights to truth, justice, and integral reparation, as well as for victims. With this project we aim to provide legal assistance and representation to 100 cases of missing and/or rescued/located women or girls. The CATW-LAC Legal Assistance and Representation Program provides legal assistance and representation to bring each case to court and follow it through until the perpetrators are sanctioned and accountable before the law.

Why We Love This
We love this project’s focus on promoting women’s human rights, and the right to live free of violence and sexual exploitation. CATW-LAC does this by developing programs and campaigns to protect and assist victims, provide restitution of violated human rights, prosecute traffickers, and supports the development and reform of federal and state laws, thereby strengthening civil society in the LAC region.