Los Demonios Del Edén: Gender, Violence and Activism in Mexico

With her 2005 book Los Demonios del Edén (Demons of Eden), author and human rights activist Lydia Cacho revealed the existence of organized sexual abuse of minors in Mexico. Following the publication of her book, she was subject to police harassment and became a symbol of a growing movement for greater freedom of the press. As a result of the attempts to silence her, Mexico has seen an increasing awareness of the obstacles facing both independent journalists and victims of sexual abuse. After a screening of a documentary based on Los Demonios del Edén, and her work on behalf of victims, Lydia Cacho will respond to questions from the audience. Cacho is the recipient of the 2007 Amnesty International Ginetta Sagan Award for Women and Children’s Rights and the 2008 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. An investigative journalist and a specialist on gender-based violence, she is the founder and Director of the Refuge Center for Abused Women of Cancun and is also the President of the Center for Women’s Assistance.