David Joyce, Congress, met today with two Mexican women human rights defenders - Cristina Auerbach and María Esmeralda Saldana - here on a visit hosted by PBI Ireland.
They are in Dublin to speak to a number of Irish organizations and Government representatives about Business and Human Rights specifically in Northern Mexico where they are based. They are part of an organization called The Family Organization of Pasta de Conchos who are based in the Coal Mining region of Caohuila. They work with miners and other workers on issues of social justice and workers rights in an extremely difficult context where they often come under pressure, or even attack, because of their human rights work.
The Pasta de Conchos Family Organisation has worked for over a decade in the Coal Mining Zone of the state of Coahuila, insisting that the bodies of 63 miners still trapped in the Pasta de Conchos mine be retrieved, while also demanding better safety conditions for miners who continue to work in the area. PBI has accompanied the organisation and its director Cristina Auerbach since 2014 due to the high level of risk they face stemming from their legitimate work in defence of human rights. Congress has agreed to do what we can to highlight the case and to advocate for their calls for bringing those responsible to justice, recovering the bodies, and compensating families of the victims.
There is also a public meeting tonight (29 November) which will be of interest to anyone concerned with workers rights, the actions of big business and the extractive industries, the rights of victims, and how all of this fits into the framework of Business and Human Rights. This will be a chance to hear first-hand how communities are advocating for their rights and demanding justice from corporate entities that often put profit above the safety and rights of their workers. They will also share some of the specific challenges faced by WHRDs who can be attacked and targeted in different ways to their male counterparts.
It will be a really interesting evening and we encourage people to ago along. For more about both visitors, please see www.pbi-ireland.org.
This talk is being co-hosted by PBI Ireland, the Latin America Solidarity Centre (#LASCWeds) and the Mexico-Ireland Solidarity Collective. SIPTU have kindly supported PBI during this visit with the use of a venue at Liberty Hall.
