by Anna (Staff) Rhoads June 4, 2018

In May 2018, Alicia LeDuc (MPA 2011) published the article “Strategic Alliances as an Impact Litigation Model: Lessons From the Sepur Zarco Human Rights Case in Guatemala” in the Willamette Journal for International Law and Dispute Resolution. The 2016 Sepur Zarco case marked the first time a national court prosecuted sexual violence as a crime against humanity. Two military officials were convicted and sentenced to over 300 years for violence perpetrated against indigenous women during the country’s internal armed conflict in the 1980’s. LeDuc’s article analyzes the strategies an alliance of women-led organizations used to develop and litigate the case to a successful resolution, despite significant threats to safety and lack of respect for women’s rights within the country’s criminal justice culture. It looks at how civic organizations can form strategic partnerships to bring impact cases for social and political change. LeDuc engaged current Evergreen students in a 2-hour presentation to the Feminist Jurisprudence class in May 2018.