Women have always played a central role in Libertad Benito’s life, starting with the women in her family, of whom she speaks with endless respect and admiration. As Libertad, a 28 year old from Madrid, stood to accept CECI’s Women in Action Award at the 2018 International Forum, these were the first people she thanked—the strong and resilient women who had always encouraged her. Libertad would go on to become the first woman in her working-class family to receive a university education. These exemplary women were a source of profound inspiration to her, through their daily courage in the face of adversity and their determination to fight gender discrimination in Francoist Spain, where conservatism and religion were a dominating force.
Libertad learned about gender inequality through the lives of her grandmothers, aunts and mother, but she began fighting for human rights alongside her gay father. “He was my mother’s best friend and agreed to father the child she wanted to have,” Benito explained. “He was a leftist and was always very active and involved. Sometimes he took me with him to protests. He was the one who instilled in me, from the time I was a little girl, a passion for activism and social justice.” He was also the one who gave her such an unusual name, as well as a taste for travel and different cultures.
While she had been taught about equality and social justice at a very young age, it was only during her studies, largely abroad, that Libertad Benito realized the importance of and real need for feminist work.
At the age of 21, three years after she began studying political science and law at the Autonomous University of Madrid, she left to study law at the University of Buenos Aires. She learnt the history of Latin America and its dictatorships, took classes on anarchy and indigenous rights, and was drawn to the activism of students on campus. It was there she says she realized that her Spanish education had been “far too Eurocentrist."
In the following year, she took up political science at the Sorbonne in Paris and fell in love with her classes on gender. “Paris was my first contact with feminist theory, and that was when I begin identifying as a feminist. But at the time, my conception of feminism was still very white and Western.” As she worked on her master's degree at the Institute for Feminist and Gender Studies in the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences, she began to deepen her understanding of feminist and women's movements. It was there that she discovered the works of Julieta Paredes, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Yuderkys Espinosa. “I realized that there is not just one feminism, there are many—black feminism, post-colonial feminism, community feminism, eco-feminism, and so on. That was also when I realized why intersectionality is so important and why we must go beyond gender when we think about women’s situations.”
Libertad threw herself into her thesis research on femicide in Guatemala. When an opportunity arose for her to go to Central America with Students Without Borders—the student track of WUSC and CECI’s Uniterra program—to learn about the status of women in Guatemala, Libertad jumped at the chance.
She spent three months working at the CECI Guatemala office, travelling the country, meeting with partner associations, and seeking to better understand what life was like for women in Guatemala. She quickly grew fond of the country and its people, and found herself on a very dedicated team who took great pride in supporting the advancement of women's rights. Libertad says that this intense experience was a turning point for her.
She returned to Ottawa thoroughly convinced that her first experience with international cooperation would not be her last. “I wanted to keep working on the project and keep sharing everything I had been so privileged to learn with the associations and cooperatives, the government, and even CECI’s team. Everything that I learnt in school helped me make a real difference in creating a better world. Moving on to do something else would have meant betraying them, plain and simple...”
Just three weeks after completing her Master's degree, Libertad returned to Guatemala as a Gender Equality Advisor with the Uniterra program. Since May 2016, she has been working to further incorporate a gender approach into the various programs and projects underway and to improve application of the gender equality policy at CECI Guatemala and within its partner organizations.
“What’s great about international cooperation is that it can really help transform the social situation,” said Libertad, beaming with enthusiasm. “Changes brought through policy or legislation can take a long time. Cooperation, however, is easier, more flexible, and more immediate. Our partners are ready to try new things and make changes, so we truly have the chance to make a real difference.”
But in Guatemala, this is still quite complex work. “There are many problems related to insecurity, inequality, poverty, and the effects of climate change. These are problems that affect everyone, but first and foremost, they affect women and girls. Add to that the very deep impact that colonization and racism toward indigenous peoples have had, even more so for women and girls. And while public institutions are beginning to talk about gender, and laws are being passed, and the country is changing with the crucial impetus of women's movements, especially indigenous women’s movements, we must acknowledge that there are very few resources set aside to make this all happen. And expertise is sorely lacking.”
Yet Libertad Benito would not be deterred, and immediately began developing new initiatives. She remained very focused on her work in Guatemala, all the while looking for ways to branch out internationally. With her sights set on strengthening the role and capacities of all gender advisers across the Uniterra program, Libertad began pooling the existing gender equality resources and policies of all the Uniterra program teams around the world. She organized a new work group, a new virtual library, and a Facebook group so that gender advisers could take inspiration from good practices used in other parts of the world.
The determined Libertad quickly saw a need to strengthen relations between gender advisers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and to develop a regional vision. “We face the same challenges, in terms of violence, inequality, harassment, and so on. I think we need to work together, as a community, and to think globally to make a larger impact. It’s important that our relationships be built on solitary.”
Last November, during a regional meeting between the Uniterra teams from Peru, Bolivia, Haiti and Guatemala, Libertad proposed creating a gender communication guide on which the Latin American teams could base their work. “This is a way to create something in the South that can be shared in the North, in Montreal, or somewhere else in the world. It’s really interesting to switch the direction of the exchange and to create a relationship where both parties are equal,” said the Uniterra program adviser.
In addition to her desire for regional cohesion, Libertad remains very committed to national endeavours. Last fall, the volunteer set up and conducted workshops to raise awareness among the different gender units created by 14 governmental and ministerial institutions, which, 10 years after the adoption of a national policy promoting women's rights, must incorporate gender equality practices. Those who complete the training obtain a diploma recognized by San Carlos Public University.
While optimistic and heartened by these advances, Libertad admits that things are, of course, not moving as quickly as she would like.
“Changes in gender equality and social justice are very slow going, because they question people’s identities, relationships in couples and families, and power structures in political, social and economic spheres. I think that the actions taken so far are just a drop in the bucket, but many people are fighting for this cause. I am not the only one! Raising awareness, putting tools into place and lobbying for the cause definitely create change. As volunteers, we have the duty to ensure that these actions have staying power, long after our assignments end.”
Uniterra is a leading Canadian international development program that is jointly operated by WUSC and CECI. Each year, 600 volunteers contribute their time and experience to positive and lasting change towards a more equitable world by dedicating a few weeks to two years of their lives to international volunteer work. The program also provides opportunities to get involved in Canada and play an active role in combatting poverty.
The Uniterra program receives funding from the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada.
