Audio transcript at the bottom of the page
Lizbeth Hernández Cruz (34) is from an Indigenous Otomi community in Hidalgo, Mexico, and is pursuing a full-time doctorate in social anthropology at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico. Starting college was a turning point in her life, when she realized that her ethnicity and social class would pose a great challenge.
She began studying marketing with the idea of creating a company in her community to generate employment and reduce emigration. She is now developing doctoral research on femicidal violence in Indigenous communities in Mexico. This research seeks to contribute to the discussion about violence against Indigenous women, a very little explored field in Mexico.
Most of Lizbeth's volunteer work in her community is promoting knowledge about human rights and Indigenous peoples. She also guides women who experience violence and accompanies them to file formal complaints. Years ago, Lizbeth supported a family in a case of femicide so that the case was properly attended to by the authorities.
Lizbeth also supports young women to continue studying, advising them on universities and scholarships. In 2018 and 2019 she was part of a volunteer team dedicated to promoting a training space in Hidalgo for vocational guidance, with social significance for children and young people.
Her volunteer work at CONAMI, National Coordinator of Indigenous Women, includes teaching workshops for the prevention of gender violence against Indigenous women and the promotion of the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Lizbeth Hernández Cruz, (34) es de una comunidad indígena otomí en Hidalgo, México, y cursa un doctorado de tiempo completo en Antropología Social en la Universidad Iberoamericana - México. Comenzar la universidad fue un punto de inflexión en su vida, donde se dio cuenta de que su etnia y clase social serían un gran desafío.
Comenzó a estudiar marketing con la idea de crear una empresa en su comunidad para generar empleo y reducir la emigración. Ahora desarrolla una investigación doctoral sobre la violencia feminicida en comunidades indígenas de México.
Esta investigación busca contribuir a la discusión sobre la violencia contra las mujeres indígenas, un campo muy poco explorado en México.
La mayor parte del trabajo voluntario de Lizbeth, en su comunidad, es promover el conocimiento sobre los derechos humanos y los pueblos indígenas. También orienta a mujeres que viven violencia y las acompaña a presentar denuncias formales. Hace años, Lizbeth apoyó a una familia en un caso de feminicidio, para que el caso fuera debidamente atendido por las autoridades.
Lizbeth también apoya a mujeres jóvenes para que sigan estudiando, asesorándolas sobre universidades y becas. En 2018 y 2019 formó parte de un equipo de voluntariado dedicado a impulsar en Hidalgo un espacio de formación para la orientación vocacional, con significado social para niños y jóvenes.
Su trabajo voluntario en CONAMI, Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas, incluye la impartición de talleres para la prevención de la violencia de género contra las mujeres indígenas y la promoción de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas.
Audio transcript: “In Mexico, violence against women is a serious emergency. Up to 11 women might be murdered every day. The Indigenous population is made invisible. When a femicide occurs in an Indigenous community, sometimes it is not reported at the national level. Another thing that greatly interests me is the analysis of the impact of a femicide on the community. And this is something that is not addressed either in the academic sphere, much less in the sphere of public policies. It is a job that needs to be done. And so I try to ensure that the research and the academia and the committed research and the workshops and all this, are contributing, right? They are contributing so that the communities can solve these kinds of things, right?”
