The past decades have been harsh for the people of Honduras. Following a military coup in 2009 that ushered in a narco-dictatorship until 2022, the country still faces an uncertain future today. In such demanding contexts, effective development cooperation is defined by its ability to respond to people\u2019s needs, even when the political climate is hostile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colectiva de Mujeres Hondure\u00f1as (Codemuh), a partner organization of Br\u00fccke Le Pont, managed to do just that. For more than 30 years, the group has championed women\u2019s rights, placing special focus on the often-overlooked realities inside the country\u2019s textile factories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding Key Allies in the State Apparatus<\/strong> During the dictatorship, Codemuh chose not to operate in the shadows. Instead, they confronted state officials head-on with evidence of labor and human rights violations in the textile sector. \u201cWe made a deliberate effort to keep in close contact with our allies inside the public administration,\u201d Regalado says. Such allies did exist and proved vital for achieving any progress amid authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Street Protests to the Negotiating Table<\/strong> Seeking allies, forging networks, insisting on rights\u2014even under a dictatorship. Regalado and her team needed remarkable courage. But their persistence paid off: today, she meets regularly with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to discuss ongoing labor challenges in the textile industry. The country\u2019s separation of powers has since stabilized, and Codemuh\u2019s labor and human rights expertise now feeds directly into the jurisprudence of Honduras\u2019 highest courts\u2014helping to shape structural change long after the dictatorship\u2019s end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The past decades have been harsh for the people of Honduras. Following a military coup in 2009 that ushered in a narco-dictatorship until 2022, the country still faces an uncertain future today. In such demanding contexts, effective development cooperation is defined by its ability to respond to people\u2019s needs, even when the political climate is … Honduras \u2014 Fighting for Labor Rights in the Textile Sector Under Authoritarian Rule<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"issue":[449],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"\u00e0 propos","author_link":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/author\/apropos\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Bruecke_194-600x332.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Reports<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Reports<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 9 months ago","modified":"Updated 9 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on December 16, 2025","modified":"Updated on December 16, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on December 16, 2025 8:27 am","modified":"Updated on December 16, 2025 8:27 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6610"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6876,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6610\/revisions\/6876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6610"},{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koff.swisspeace.ch\/apropos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=6610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Maria Luisa Regalado, Codemuh\u2019s executive director, looks back on the years of dictatorship with clarity. Throughout that period, Codemuh stood firmly behind Honduran women. Beginning in 2018, Regalado and her team engaged in persistent advocacy with decision-makers, government bodies, and human rights organizations, while simultaneously pursuing strategic litigation at national and international levels. They educated affected women about their gender-specific rights and labor issues more broadly, offering crucial legal guidance at a time when both workplace abuses and gender-based violence were widespread. Today, many of these women connect informally via group chats, seeking advice and supporting one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grassroots organizing was equally crucial to the project\u2019s success. Time and again, Codemuh managed to bring government officials to the negotiating table. \u201cWhen two major clothing manufacturers violated the labor rights of more than 100 women, we mobilized a demonstration with dozens of affected workers outside the Honduran Institute for Social Security (IHSS),\u201d Regalado recalls. \u201cThat same day, a delegation from the IHSS leadership agreed to meet us and hear our case.\u201d It was a risky move, but ultimately all the women received compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n