{"id":7077,"date":"2025-09-09T16:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/human-rights-institute\/?page_id=7077"},"modified":"2025-09-09T16:17:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:17:16","slug":"betharram-beta-pena-ll-m-22-advancing-womens-human-rights-in-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/human-rights-institute\/careers\/hoyas-in-human-rights\/betharram-beta-pena-ll-m-22-advancing-womens-human-rights-in-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Betharram \u201cBeta\u201d Pe\u00f1a (LL.M.\u201922): Advancing Women\u2019s Human Rights in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Champion of Due Process and Gender Equality<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beta\u2019s path in human rights began at Paraguay\u2019s Judicial Branch, where she had the unique opportunity to work alongside the nation\u2019s first woman judge to apply Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (\u201cCEDAW\u201d) in domestic cases. \"\"\u00a0Under the leadership of this pioneering figure\u2014who also directed the Judiciary\u2019s Gender Office\u2014Beta collaborated to push forward the women\u2019s rights agenda and gained first-hand experience in shaping policies and projects that championed equality.<\/p>\n

Her many years of service as a judicial clerk shaped her deep understanding of the law as a driver of gender justice. Drawing on international legal instruments such as CEDAW and the Bel\u00e9m do Par\u00e1 Convention, she drafted opinions across diverse areas including civil law, inheritance law, and labor rights, consistently applying a gender lens and asking how international standards could transform outcomes for women in Paraguay. \u201cI tried to apply the gender perspective any time that I could,\u201d she reflects.<\/p>\n

Later, in private practice, Beta carried this viewpoint into her pro bono work, guiding women entrepreneurs through the process of formalizing their businesses and ensuring access to social protection, health care, and pension benefits. For her, empowering women business owners meant more than legal advice, it meant equipping them with the tools for financial independence and the full exercise of their rights.<\/p>\n

From Georgetown Law to a Career in International Human Rights<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2022, Beta completed an LL.M. in International Legal Studies with a certificate in International Human Rights Law at Georgetown Law. Her favorite class, with Professor and HRI Executive Director Elisa Massimino, opened her eyes to advocacy strategies beyond litigation. \u201cBefore, I thought of law as something more static\u2014always about files, paperwork, and long hours at a desk,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIn that class, I learned the bottom-up approach to advocacy and discovered how dynamic the law can be when every stakeholder is brought to the table. It was truly a before-and-after moment for me.\u201d The project Beta designed in Professor Massimino\u2019s class became the inspiration for her later-published research on women\u2019s rights in Paraguay.<\/p>\n

After graduating from Georgetown Law, Beta earned the LL.M. Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellowship to work at the IACHR. There, she prepared merits reports, contributed to policy innovations, and even prepared a contentious case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the region\u2019s highest human rights tribunal.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Beta finished a second master\u2019s degree in Constitutional Justice and Human Rights at the University of Bologna. That same year, she launched her own consultancy, turning research, comparative legal analysis, and strategic projects into engines for progress in human rights and the advancement of women\u2019s rights across Latin America.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Beta returned to the IACHR to work on an initiative to strengthen the protection of human rights in the Americas, particularly by addressing the region\u2019s heavy caseload. Her role in reducing delays goes beyond administrative efficiency: it is about safeguarding due process, reinforcing democracy across Latin America, and ensuring that victims of human rights violations are heard. Through this project, Beta is contributing to making the legal system more accessible, fair, and effective. At the IACHR, Beta\u2019s work aligned with her broad vision of human rights: \u201cToo often we link human rights only to wars or atrocities. But they are everywhere\u2014in due process, in justice, and in the daily functioning of the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n

All her studies and international professional experience are part of her effort to weave together insights and approaches that she will one day bring back to Paraguay, where she hopes to nurture a more robust and transformative human rights field.<\/p>\n

Community, Curiosity and Optimism in Human Rights Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beta\u2019s philosophy is supported by her practical strengths: research and adaptability. She is a voracious reader who enjoys the challenge of immersing herself in unfamiliar subjects until she can master them. That curiosity has allowed her to handle cases on topics ranging from reproductive rights in Paraguay to racial discrimination in the United States.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, being the youngest of six made her flexible, helped her find networks, and kept her optimistic. That flexibility has served her in building consultancies and in leadership roles such as co-chairing the LL.M. Subcommittee at The Hispanic Bar Association of DC (\u201cHBA-DC\u201d). At HBA-DC, she organizes legal clinics and networking events to empower the Hispanic community.<\/p>\n

Beta\u2019s commitment to justice and gender equality is rooted in her childhood and community. Growing up, she admired her mother, a judge who modeled fairness and transparency. Watching her mother apply the law with integrity convinced Beta that the legal profession could be a tool for activism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to follow in her footsteps,\u201d Beta says, \u201cto serve people and to be as fair and transparent as I could.\u201d That conviction continues to guide her in her work. It also grounds her resilience. \u201cThe hardest part is seeing how cruel the world can be\u2014the injustice, inequality, discrimination,\u201d she admits. \u201cSometimes, as a lawyer, you only see a file, but that file is a person. You must remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Written by Edie Tepper, edited by Michelle Liu<\/em><\/p>\n

2025<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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