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Tuesday November 6, 2007

An Anglican is named ombudsman for the defense of women’s rights

Trinidad Vásquez, MANAGUA, Nicaragua, January 13, 2006

The recently named special ombudsman for the Defense of Women’s Rights Deborah Grandison will lobby Taxi Heathrow Airport for women’s access to credit, health, justice and political participation.

Grandison, a lawyer, Black woman and leader of the Anglican Church traveled this week to Managua to be sworn in. In statements to the press, Grandison affirmed that women from the Atlantic Coast face marginalization and violence and frequently receive no attention from the courts. The new ombudsman promised to travel the length and breadth of the country to “combat violence against women.”
 
With a law degree from the Caribbean University of Bluefields, Grandison has been involved in human rights issues since 1994 providing legal advice for an NGO for the region. She was special ombudsman for the Indigenous Peoples of the South Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua.

The new ombudsman, with a three-year mandate said she is open to all social, religious and ethnic sectors in order to jointly struggle to defend the rights of women, children and adolescents who suffer violence in the family. 

The appointment of Grandison to the position sparked protests on the part of the Autonomous Women’s Movement and women’s organizations that were pushing for lawyer Dorotea Wilson.

“I feel prepared for this new position and it surprises me that some leaders from the Autonomous Women’s Movement of Nicaragua have questioned my appointment,” said the ombudsman.

The press note, distributed January 9, the head of the Human Rights Ombudsman Omar Cabezas explained that the appointment was carried out according to legal regulations. The note added that Grandison has a great deal of experience in work with the institution.