Yadira Sánchez-Esparza serves as Mexico and Central America program assistant advocating around migrants rights, forced disappearances and the protection of human rights defenders. Her publications while at LAWG have focused primarily on Guatemala, covering issues around Indigenous rights, land rights, corruption and transitional justice in Guatemala. She holds a B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin American Studies and speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2018-2019 she was selected as a Gilman Scholar in Mexico and Argentina to research social movements in response to femicide and was later awarded the Boren Scholarship in 2020 to research public policy and gendered violence in Brazil. Growing up Mexican-American, her life has been shaped by policies between the United States and Mexico, ultimately pushing her to become a human rights advocate. She believes that change is possible and is committed to supporting the many individuals who fight for human rights daily.
