By Benelli Velazquez
Lydia Cacho was born on April 12, 1963 in Mexico City. She is a Mexican journalist and writer committed to social causes; mainly the protection of human rights, but also specifically the rights of women and girls. Her life was threatened when she investigated an international network of pedophiles, and her example of struggle has served to make known the vulnerable situation that journalists endure in Mexico.
In her youth, she became involved in the defense of women's rights. Since then, she has made a commitment to the culture of non-violence and has worked every day for a more equitable world. She has said that her activism in favor of women and girls is how she takes responsibility for her full citizenship.
She has written reports on violence against women and rape in childhood, but her actions are not only in the written media; as a human rights activist she has founded a shelter for people living with HIV, she has worked in feminist groups and institutions that shelter raped women, and has been a specialist in violence and gender issues for UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women).
Cacho has become an opinion leader but has also developed projects for the prevention, protection, defense and healing of women and girls who have experienced sexual and domestic violence. She is currently developing the Schools of Peace Model for the effective and peaceful management of personal and social conflicts in Mexico. She has 8 books published and has won 18 awards and recognitions for her work in defense of human rights and journalistic value such as: the Ginetta Sagan Award Amnesty International, International Women Media Foundation, Human Rights Watch, Department of State World Heroes to end human slavery, Premio Mundial UNESCO-Guillermo Cano de Libertad de Prensa and the One Humanity Award/PEN Canada.