Lydia Cacho Ribeiro is one of Mexico’s leading defenders of children’s and women’s rights. An investigative journalist and an activist against gender-based violence, Lydia Cacho founded and directs a crisis center and shelter for victims of sex crimes, gender-based violence, and trafficking in Cancún, Mexico.

Many of these women and girls who seek shelter are often fleeing from violent criminals. Consequently, protecting them endangers Lydia Cacho’s own life on a daily basis. Throughout the course of her advocacy work, she has received numerous death threats, and in 1999, was raped in an attempt to intimidate her.

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