This text is part of the special notebook Listening to social causes
Climate change, erosion of democracies… It was to reduce the repercussions of these challenges on human rights that Véronique Lamontagne took the helm, last March, of Lawyers Without Borders Canada (ASFC). She is the first woman to head the NGO.
It’s a return to basics in international cooperation for the general director of Lawyers Without Borders Canada. Mme Lamontagne has already worked in the industry for around twenty years as an independent consultant. And this, notably for Global Affairs Canada and the United Nations, before being employed by the City of Montreal in international relations on issues of human rights, inclusion and ecological transition. “It’s a great opportunity to join a family of people who are working on this seriously by following an approach based on the demand for justice and focused on the needs of the people we want to support,” she said to about his new mandate within the organization, which has existed for 22 years.
ASFC’s mission is more important than ever due to an increasingly divided world, believes the director. “We are witnessing an increase in crises and conflicts. International law and international multilateral institutions are being called into question by certain countries. It is a dynamic with the strong presence of Russia and China in Africa. We are in a context where the rule of law and democracy are eroding,” she emphasizes.
The question of human rights in the era of climate change also concerns Véronique Lamontagne. “Migration puts people in vulnerable situations conducive to human rights violations,” she says.
Mme Lamontagne is also concerned about violence against women and the criminalization of consensual homosexual relations in several states. Around 48,800 women and girls around the world died in 2022, killed by their life partner or a family member, according to the United Nations. Last year, 67 countries still banned same-sex relations.
“That’s a lot of human rights issues and needs for access to justice around the world. In a way, this confirms the relevance of our mission,” observes the director.
Great achievements
Since its creation in 2002, ASFC has fought several battles which ended in victories. With eight offices around the world and cooperation activities in 12 countries over the past year, the NGO promotes victim-centered justice. “It’s more of an approach to appropriating the law by people so that they become stakeholders,” describes Véronique Lamontagne. She cites as an example the intervention of ASFC in the training of Honduran lawyers in strategic litigation. “Today, they continue to exercise law [dans ce domaine] independently,” she says.
“But one of the most emblematic achievements of our organization is a file in Guatemala,” underlines Mr.me Lamontagne. Thanks to the NGO’s efforts, former dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt was found guilty of orchestrating a genocidal policy against the Mayan Ixil people. It was the first time that a national court had convicted a head of state for this reason.
ASFC also contributed to ending the arbitrary detention of prisoners in Haiti and better protecting the rights of Colombians and Guatemalans. She also came to the aid of victims of slavery by descent in Mali and fought against sexual violence in Ukraine.
A benefit event in Quebec
On October 17, ASFC will hold its annual cocktail at the Quebec Armory with guests the head of the Montreal office of UNHCR Canada, Joey Hanna, and eco-sociologist Laure Waridel. They will discuss migration issues in the context of climate change in front of around 250 participants. “This is the culminating point where we will end our fundraising,” summarizes the general director of the NGO financed mainly by Global Affairs Canada.
Véronique Lamontagne and the rest of her team are also working on planning ASFC’s strategic framework for the next three years. “One of the big challenges is to advocate for states and donors to continue to give importance to human rights and access to justice. This is a fundamental element. »
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