by Aparna Patankar In recent years, international relations experts have debated the question of nation building - the process of constructing a functioning state that...

For a country synonymous with a culture of machismo, gauchos (cowboys) and a dance deeply rooted in traditional male-female dominant- submissive roles, the tango, Argentina is surprisingly leading the way for gender and sexual equality or LGBT rights in Latin America.

The development sector replicates many of the very injustices it claims to work against, reproducing these historical power dynamics and stripping agency from the very people it claims to support. How can international organisations truly work towards equality when they underpay local staff, continue to think of development as unidirectional, and don’t allow for a true shift in power towards local leaders who most fully understand the needs of their own communities?

It is difficult to explain to those outside of the country, but what is currently happening in Mexico is a situation of a structural violence towards the indigenous communities, as well as against human rights advocates and defenders, social leaders and journalists, says Mexico's human rights activist Alejandra Ancheita.