Justice for Mexico’s Children: Guarderia ABC

CHALLENGE

To push for accountability for the deaths of 49 toddlers in a fire in northern Mexico that resulted from negligence by the Mexican government. Lawyers for the case had exhausted all of their resources in Mexico, and those responsible for the fire were met with impunity. So the lawyers brought the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), where it had been sitting for five years at the time of production and we were trying to get it taken on by the Court to provide accountability to victims and ensure new laws to prevent such tragedies again.

SOLUTION

Create a film with victims and victims families, as well as lawyers and other experts, to present at an Inter-American Commission hearing.

OVERVIEW

In 2009, a tragic and avoidable fire burned down the state-run Guarderia ABC nursery and killed 49 toddlers in Hermosillo, Mexico. Until the time of production in 2014, no accountability had been provided to victims of the fire and as a result, the possibility of such a tragedy taking place again was a serious concern. Only .3% of the day care centers were in full compliance with legal requirements, meaning that there was a good chance a similar disaster could happen again. This video was created for the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Center and the Parents of ABC Guarderia Victims, known as the Movimiento 5 de Junio, to present at the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights, after they had exhausted all national and international remedies.

We worked closely with both the victims of the fire and their legal representatives to devise a strategy to use film to help push for the case to be taken on by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights. We decided to use the film in a presentation at the Commission, which is the body that would determine whether the case was taken on by the Court. We also worked with victims to include the film in their advocacy work and nationwide commemorative events on the anniversary of the fire. The production took place in Mexico City and Northern Mexico and included over a dozen interviews with victims and lawyers. We also worked closely on distribution strategies with both the lawyers for the case and the victims’ groups.

This film was ultimately used in an in-person presentation at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, something we were not sure would be allowed at the time of production, to push for the case to be taken on by the Court after five years of impunity. It tested how video could be used in such a setting successfully. The film was also used by victims’ groups in their own organizing and communications efforts to tell the story of the Guarderia ABC tragedy. It served as the centerpiece for a broad campaign to influence the Commission and promote accountability.

Impact

We were successful in getting the video shown at the IAHCR and we heard from victims’ lawyers that they saw judges crying in the hallway after seeing it. Victims testify regularly at the Court but this showed the power of video, rather than one or two victims sharing the story of an atrocity. Unfortunately, the case was not moved up in line to be heard, but it was a successful experiment a) in the Court accepting a film to be shown as part of the case, and b) in showing the power video had on the judges.

Created with the New Media Advocacy Project. Available in English and Spanish.

SELECTED PRESS COVERAGE

Sin Embargo (Mexico), local radio.

Directed in collaboration with the New Media Advocacy Project, the MIGUEL AGUSTIN PRO JUAREZ HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER (PRODH), EL MOVIMIENTO 5 DE JUNIO, AND THE MACARTHUR Foundation.