Lydia Cacho Ribeiro
| Lydia Cacho | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
12 April 1963 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation | journalist |
| Organization | Red Internacional de Periodistas con Visión de Género |
| Awards |
Ginetta Sagan Award (2007) UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize (2008) Olof Palme Prize (2011) |
Lydia Cacho Ribeiro (born Mexico City, 12 April 1963) is a Mexican journalist, feminist, and human rights activist. Described by Amnesty International as "perhaps Mexico’s most famous investigative journalist and women’s rights advocate", Cacho's reporting focuses on violence against and sexual abuse of women and children.
In 2004, her book Los Demonios del Edén created a nationwide scandal by alleging that several prominent businessmen had conspired to protect a pedophilia ring. In 2006, a tape emerged of a conversation between businessman Kamel Nacif Borge and Mario Plutarco Marín Torres, governor of Puebla, in which they conspired to have Cacho beaten and raped for her reporting.
Cacho is the winner of numerous international awards for her journalism, including the Civil Courage Prize, the Wallenberg Medal, and the Olof Palme Prize. In 2010, she was named a World Press Freedom Hero of the International Press Institute.
Lydia Cacho Ribeiro was born to a mother of French-Portuguese origin who moved from France to Mexico during World War II and a Mexican engineer father. Cacho attributed her refusal to compromise to her mother, who was shocked by what she called Mexicans' willingness to "negotiate their dignity in exchange for apparent freedom". Her mother also taught her social awareness by taking Cacho along for grassroots community projects into poor neighborhoods. Cacho credits her father with teaching her discipline and toughness.
Cacho lived briefly in Paris as a young woman, studying at the University of Sorbonne and working as a maid. At age 23, she nearly died from kidney failure. After her recovery, she began working for Cancún newspapers, writing arts and entertainment stories. However, guided by her mother's feminism, Cacho soon began writing about violence against women.
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