Latin America is home to an estimated 150 million people of African descent—approximately 30 percent of the region’s total population. Despite their numbers, Afro-descendants are routinely subject to racial discrimination, social exclusion, and under-representation in government.

Global Rights has operated a Latin America program for over 30 years, and during this time, we have worked in more than ten countries across the region to promote individuals’ civil and political rights. Since 2001, our activities concentrate on advancing racial and ethnic equality for Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples—a unique focus among international human rights organizations. We work now with local Afro-descendant partner organizations in Brazil and a wide array of organizations and networks throughout the region to address discrimination.  

Although Afro-Brazilians comprise an estimated 50 percent of the population, racism in Brazil remains pervasive. Our work in Brazil focuses on two objectives: increasing civil society participation at the Organization of American States (OAS)—particularly the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights—and increasing civil society's participation at the United Nations, such as the UN Committee that oversees the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), through advocacy training, technical assistance, and strategy sessions.

Fact Sheets

English | Español | Português

Publications

Mulheres Negras e o Trabalho Domestico no Brazil 2012 | Português

Saude da Mulher Negra: Guia Para a Defensa dos Dereitos das Mulheres Negras  2012 | Português

Racial Violence: A reading of homicide data in Brazil (2009)  English | Português

Manual de Procedimentos no Sistema Interamericano de Direitos Humanos- Guia Prático para ONGs (2008) Portuguese

*Photo by Ricardo Angulo