This event, organised in collaboration with the Environmental Challenges and Climate Change Governance research cluster, will feature the presentation of the documentary film 'Norma - A Quest for Justice', highlighting the interconnectedness of climate change, migration, and gender-based violence.
Norma - A Quest for Justice is the true story of Norma Andrade, a Mexican mother who became a 'madre buscadora' (fighting mother) after her daughter Alejandra was murdered in Ciudad Juarez in 2001, a city where thousands of women and girls have been assassinated since 1993. After 23 years of relentless struggle, Norma is now awaiting the sentence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. If successful, it will be the second feminicide case addressed by the international court since 2009. 'Norma' stands as a voice against the failure of the world to criminalise acts of violence against girls and women and is a beacon of hope for all mothers seeking justice. Nearly 89,000 women and girls were intentionally killed in 2022, the highest annual number recorded in the last 20 years, as reported by UNODC and UN Women in 2023.
This event will provide an important opportunity for dialogue on the intersections of gender-based violence, migration, and governance in the context of global climate change. As climate change increasingly drives migration, vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, face heightened risks of violence, including feminicide.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session moderated by Negar Katirai, Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute’s Migration Policy Center and Director of the Gender Justice and Child Welfare Workshop at the University of Arizona College of Law, and Alessia Nicastro, PhD Candidate in International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Speakers:
- Norma Andrade, Film Protagonist, and Co-Founder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A.C., a Mexican non-profit association of mothers whose daughters have been victims of feminicide in Ciudad Juárez (online)
- Karla Micheel Salas Ramirez, Norma’s lawyer
- Micaela Frulli, Professor of International Law, University of Florence
- Brigitte Leoni, Film Director, Parva Productions
Representatives from Artemesia and Nosotras, two Florence-based NGOs committed to addressing these issues, will be present to share their insights and raise awareness about their local efforts. Eleonora Bartoli, psychologist at Artemisia Centro Antiviolenza, will also be available for questions.