Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas de México
2025 Honourable Mention
Mexico
CONAMI’s Story
Scrolling through Facebook, a post comes up that another indigenous woman has been murdered in her community in Mexico. This notice is devastating, and a national organisation of volunteers is determined to let this life be more than a number. One of their projects aims to humanize the victims, recording their names, their family and stories about their life to emphasize their right to justice.
This is a grassroots project of Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas de México (National Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Women, CONAMI) called Community Gender Emergency (ECG). ECG compiles data on the various forms of violence against Indigenous girls and women in Mexico and goes beyond collecting names and numbers. It contextualizes events with narratives about a victim’s experience, then publishes the information on Facebook. ECG is a powerful means to make space for victims of violence, celebrate their lives and identify the factors and patterns that expose them to extreme violence.
ECG is typical of CONAMI’s work, combining current academic approaches and a wealth of ancestral community knowledge to promote local and national Indigenous welfare. CONAMI is the only organization of its kind in Mexico—a network of more than 20 community groups across 17 states of the republic. Formed in 1997, CONAMI coordinates and strengthens community spaces in which women play active and leading roles. The network advocates to eradicate all racism and enable Indigenous Peoples to achieve self-determination, autonomy, justice and full political participation.
Over two decades of activism, CONAMI has been instrumental in amplifying Indigenous women’s voices and addressing the systemic challenges they face. The Casas de las Mujeres Indígenas (Houses for Indigenous Women, CAMI) project is a fine example. It provides culturally responsive legal, medical and psychological care to Indigenous women in 35 communities across Mexico. Now supported by public policy and funded by the federal government, CAMIS is the realization of CONAMI’s work to influence state policies, integrate intercultural perspectives and show Indigenous women as agents of change.
CONAMI also partners internationally with organizations such as Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indígenas de las Americas (Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas, ECMIA), which advocates for the application of Indigenous practices to inform social change. CONAMI also collaborates with the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI), which has supported CONAMI with funding and human resources development.
By advancing legal rights and strengthening grassroots networks, CONAMI is a leading force in promoting the social, political and economic empowerment of Indigenous communities in Mexico.
