The Edelstam Foundation together with the Geneva Graduate Institute, Kofi Annan Foundation, UN Women, Festival FILMAR en América Latina, and Spotlight Initiative welcome you to join us at the screening of “Norma – A Quest for Justice,” a documentary about Norma Esther Andrade, the Edelstam Prize Laureate 2022. Norma has fought tirelessly for justice after the brutal murder of her daughter, Lilia Alejandra, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
This documentary tells the story of Norma, a Mexican mother, who became a human rights activist as she tried to bring justice to the perpetrators of the 2001 murder of her daughter. After 23 years of struggle, her case is now before the Inter-American Court. This will be her first and only chance to get a trial, and the second femicide case examined by the Court since 2019.
The screening will be followed by a panel of experts discussing the role of international human rights and legal mechanisms in addressing femicides and ensuring justice for the “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.
Welcome remarks:
• Brigitte Leoni, Film Director, Parva Productions
• Corinne Momal-Vanian, Executive Director, Kofi Annan Foundation
This documentary film (2024, in Spanish with English subtitles) will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Philippe Lust-Bianchi, Technical Specialist at Spotlight Initiative, with:
• 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
• Adriana Quinones, Head of Human Rights and Development and Deputy Head, UN Women Geneva Office
• Claire Somerville, Lecturer, International Affairs, and Executive Director of the Gender Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute
Karla Micheel Salas Ramirez, Norma’s lawyer, and the director of the film will also be available for questions.
The documentary has been nominated for Cine Paris Film Festival, LA Independent Women Film Awards, Toronto International Women Film Festival, Women’s International Film Festival, Montreal Women Film Festival, and United Nations Association Film Festival.
