Washington Office on Latin America

Honoring Courage and Innovation in Human Rights

This year's Human Rights Awards will highlight new approaches to overcoming violence in Latin America. The three honorees are: PASSOS Education and Training Center for community programs to stop crime before it starts by working with at-risk youth in El Salvador; El Faro for investigative journalism that shines a spotlight on corruption and organized crime; and Helen Mack for her efforts to professionalize the police and judicial system in Guatemala.

WOLA Study: "Beyond the Border Buildup"

Border security is a highly-charged debate in Washington. Much of the public debate about the U.S.-Mexico border is informed by misconceptions about migration, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and national security. WOLA is collaborating with partners in both countries to separate rhetoric from reality and discover what is really happening at the border.

Promoting more effective and humane drug policies

Current drug laws in Latin America have had no impact on the expanding drug trade. Instead these policies have overloaded prisons with marginal offenders and have resulted in substantial economic, social, and political costs across the region. WOLA promotes strategies that reduce violence while minimizing the toll of current drug policies.

Calling for an End to Weapons Trafficking

As thousands of Mexican families mourn loved ones lost to ongoing violence, guns continue to flow steadily from the United States into Mexico. WOLA and our partners on both sides of the border have started a petition asking the White House to take action now and stop gun smuggling.

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Our Mission

WOLA promotes human rights, democracy, and social justice by working with partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to shape policies in the United States and abroad.

Honoring Courage and Innovation in Human Rights

WOLA Study: "Beyond the Border Buildup"

Promoting more effective and humane drug policies

Calling for an End to Weapons Trafficking

Learn More

Issues

Countries

Our Mission

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Video Podcast with Security Expert Leticia Salomón: Crime and Police Corruption in Honduras

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The U.S.-El Salvador Bi-national Partnership: Ensuring Inclusive Growth

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