Photo: Pamela Dueñas / Legal Dispute
- The young university students carried out proposals that seek to resolve problems related to environmental defenders, illegal logging and unequal access to justice, within the framework of the III Legal Contest on Environmental Crimes.
- Students from Lima, Loreto, Ucayali, Madre de Dios and Cusco participated.
Between October 2023 and March 2024, the III Legal Contest on Environmental Crimes and Sustainable Development in the Peruvian Amazon and the Protection of Environmental Defenders was held. This academic initiative consisted of a debate contest in which the students strengthened their capacities in topics such as environmental law, criminal law, interculturality and gender, among other matters.
Subsequently, the young university students solved a hypothetical case about environmental and safety crimes. human rights defenders in environmental matters before a mock court. Students from Lima, Loreto, Ucayali, Madre de Dios and Cusco participated.
The initiative was divided into two stages: training and execution of the written and oral phase of the environmental legal dispute. In the first phase, participants acquired knowledge in various areas of law, as well as gender and interculturality and effective legal communication.
Meanwhile, in the second stage, the young people had to adopt a position ―of the Prosecutor’s Office or defense― from what was stated in the hypothetical case. In this context, the groups presented a practical and innovative solution that responds to one of the problems of the case.
About innovative solutions
The participants had the task of identifying one of the problems raised in the hypothetical case and highlighting its significance in relation to environmental law from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Their proposals were mainly framed in solving the problem faced by defenders of environmental rights; as well as illegal logging and illegal trafficking of endangered animals.
Photo: Pamela Dueñas / Legal Dispute
Faced with the problem of environmental defenders
The students contemplated four main actions: modify the legislation to recognize them as a “vulnerable population” under the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, accessing support programs; allow them access to temporary shelter homes managed by said ministry in cases of serious risk; create the Commission for Accreditation and Protection of Human Rights Defenders (CAPRODEH) to register, accredit, train and promote their protection; and recognize and register “Community Defenders of Collective Human Rights” as an indigenous population, empowering them to participate in preliminary investigations into crimes that affect their collective rights.
Against illegal logging
To confront illegal logging in primary forests, university students proposed using drones to streamline and improve the forest zoning process in Peru. In this context, they proposed allocating a budget to acquire drones and train forestry entities, indigenous peoples and forest custodians in their management.
Against illegal animal trafficking
In front of problem of illegal trafficking of maquisapas and blue-headed macaws in danger of extinction, contemplated the creation of the Intelligent Wildlife Protection System (SIPFASI) and the Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Team (EIIPFASI), led by the Ministry of the Environment, Serfor and the Regional Government of Ucayali. Thus, they proposed implementing a monitoring system with microphones, thermal cameras and artificial intelligence to detect suspicious events in the Imiría Regional Conservation Area.
Faced with unequal access to justice
Additionally, the students sought to resolve the unequal access to justice for people who do not speak Spanish through the figure of the “Intercultural Lawyer“, who would be a public defender trained by the Judiciary and the Ministry of Culture in intercultural approaches and knowledge of native languages, to provide legal advice and representation to these citizens.
It is worth mentioning that all these innovative proposals were part of the result of the III Legal Contest, promoted by the USAID Prevent project and implemented by the IDEHPUCP, together with the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the UNAP, the Peruvian Society of Environmental Law ( SPDA) and ABAROLI – Colombia.
