Julieta Castellanos

Julieta Castellanos (born 8 January 1954) is a Honduran sociologist and the dean of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) since 2009. Castellanos is known for campaigning against violence in Honduras, focusing on both drug cartels and police corruption. She has advocated for both judicial and police reform. Castellanos founded the Observatorio de la Violencia (Violence Observatory) at UNAH in 2004, a center that analyzes crime statistics in Honduras.[1] She was also a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was tasked with clarifying the facts related to the 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya.[2]

Julieta Castellanos
Castellanos in 2016
Born
Julieta Gonzalina Castellanos Ruiz

(1954-01-08) 8 January 1954
San Francisco de Becerra, Olancho
NationalityHonduran
Alma materUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras
University of Costa Rica
AwardsMartin Luther King, Jr. Award
International Women of Courage Award
Scientific career
FieldsSociology

Early life and education

Julieta Castellanos Ruiz was born in San Francisco de Becerra, Olancho on 8 January 1954 to Rafael Castellanos of Santa Bárbara, and Ernestina Ruiz of Olancho.[3] She grew up in the rural Honduran sugar fields.[1] In 1968 her father brought her an examination for admission to the Normal School for Girls in the city of Tegucigalpa. She was accepted and graduated in 1973 with a teaching degree. In 1974 she won two scholarships to study Social Work at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) and Social Sciences in the College of Teachers. After several years of study, she finished her studies with a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Costa Rica.[3]

After completing her studies Castellanos became a professor at UNAH in 1978. She was head of the Social Sciences Department and President of the Association of Teachers from 1997 to 2001.[3] Castellanos also served as President of the Association of Professors of the University Center of General Studies (CUEG) in 1986, Coordinator of the Violence Observatory since 2005, consultant to the Arias Foundation for Human Progress and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and Research Associate of the Centro de Documentatión de Honduras (CEDOH).[3] She is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.[4]

For 13 years, Castellanos was also the author of a newspaper column.[1]

Chancellor of the UNAH

Castellanos was elected to a four-year term as Rector of the National Autonomous University of Honduras in 2009.[5] At the time of her appointment she served as Coordinator of the UNAH Violence Observatory and Director of the Instituto Universitario en Democracia Paz y Seguridad (Institute for Democracy, Peace and Security, IUDPAS), which was created with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) when Castellanos worked as a consultant for the UNDP.[6] Castellanos replaced Jorge Abraham Arita, who was recalled for incompetence. In a press conference, College Board president Olvin Rodriguez highlighted the accomplishments of Castellanos. According to Rodriguez, she was chosen for being well-respected, not only by the university community, but also by Honduran society and internationally.[5]

Shortly after her appointment, President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a coup. During a demonstration by University students, Castellanos was pushed down by police when she attempted to stop them from breaking up the gathering.[7] During her tenure as rector, she has clashed with SITRAUNAH, the union for the University's employees, and has been criticized for the firing of 60 employees who were protesting on the University's premises in 2009.[8] Castellanos oversaw the construction of a sports complex,[9] an administrative building, and a university clinic, for which UNAH invested L1,500 million.[10]

Castellanos' four years as rector ended in April 2013. She remained interim rector[10] and was re-elected for another term as head of the university in September 2013.[11][12]

Campaigning against violence and corruption

Castellanos has been a vocal advocate for police reform and measures to curb violent crime in Honduras.[13] She pushed for an international commission to oversee a purge of the police, an idea that was approved by the National Congress.[1] Castellanos has also weighed in on gun politics in Honduras, calling on the Honduran armed forces to destroy illegal firearms, including AK-47s.[14]

In October 2011, Castellanos' 22-year-old son was kidnapped and murdered by Honduran national police.[1][15] The incident called attention to the degree of corruption within the Honduran police. Castellanos called for an end to foreign aid for the Honduran police and military, demanding that they "stop feeding the beast."[16]

Awards

Castellanos was presented with the inaugural Martin Luther King, Jr. Award on 20 April 2012 at a ceremony sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation and the Instituto Hondureño de Cultura Interamericana.[17]

Castellanos received the International Women of Courage Award in March 2013 from the U.S. State Department.[18] The award was presented by US Secretary of State John Kerry and First Lady Michelle Obama.[19]

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References
  1. Hernandez, Javier C. (24 February 2012). "An Academic Turns Grief Into a Crime-Fighting Tool". The New York Times.
  2. "Honduras sets up truth commission". Taipei Times. 6 May 2010.
  3. Nivárrez, Agustín Lagos (10 December 2010). "Julieta Castellanos Ruiz". El Heraldo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 April 2014.
  4. "Inter-American Dialogue | Experts". www.thedialogue.org. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  5. "Julieta Castellanos, electa Rectora de la UNAH". Proceso Digital (in Spanish). 24 April 2009.
  6. "Honduras contará con centro de investigaciones único en Latinoamérica" (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  7. "Police quell student protest in Honduras". Eastday. 2009-08-06. Archived from the original on 2013-08-23.
  8. "Sindicalistas de la UNAH protestan en la Corte". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 21 August 2013.
  9. "UNAH construirá Polideportivo para albergar Juegos Universitarios de 2013". Proceso Digital. 10 February 2011.
  10. "Julieta Castellanos asume como rectora interina". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 30 April 2013.
  11. "La rectora tiene ventaja porque ella nombró a miembros de la JDU". La Tribuna (in Spanish). 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013.
  12. "Julieta Castellanos es reelecta como rectora de la Unah por 4 años". La Prensa. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  13. Salinas, Carlos (1 April 2013). "La madre coraje de Honduras". El Pais (in Spanish).
  14. "No tuvimos reporte de a quién se le dio la recompensa: Julieta Castellanos". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013.
  15. "Conmoción y dolor por muerte de hijo de rectora Julieta Castellanos". Radio Cadena Voces (in Spanish). October 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-08-02.
  16. Frank, Dana (June 11, 2012). "Honduras: Which Side Is the US On?". The Nation.
  17. "Rector Julieta Castellanos Receives Martin Luther King, Jr. Award". Embassy of the United States Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013.
  18. Demers, Peter (7 March 2013). "Security and Human Rights in Honduras: A Conversation with Julieta Castellanos". Inter-American Dialogue. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
  19. "EEUU entrega el Premio al Valor a Julieta Castellanos". Tiempo. 8 March 2013. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013.
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