Karla Velazco Silva is a lawyer and PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Zulia.  She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Rafael Urdaneta University in Venezuela and has a master's degree in Political Sciences and Public Law, a master's degree in Banking and Finance and a diploma in Human Rights. She is a professor at University of Zulia and Rafael Urdaneta University and a board member of Aula Abierta, an organization that works to defend the human rights of university students and professors. She is a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Zulia. Karla is the author of works in the area of public law, human rights and on the subject of academic freedom and university autonomy.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Women's Rights and Academic Freedom

The project educated university students through a training course about women's rights in universities of the Zulia state of Venezuela, and also provided tools for documenting and reporting violence against women in universities. A series of training courses was held for some 5,674 students. The course was divided into four modules: women's human rights and gender equality; breaking the glass ceiling and shattering stereotypes; violence against women: tools to document and report the situation in Venezuela; and a threat to academic freedom is a threat to women's rights.

"I am very grateful for the space; it helped me train and grow comfortably in an extremely enriching and important environment for me and my future." – Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Karla participated in the IVLP Project Human Rights Across the Americas, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Cultural Vistas, in partnership with Global Ties Arizona, San Diego Diplomacy Council, and Global New Orleans.

Karla's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "When I was in Arizona, I met with Chicanos Por La Causa Action Fund, a nonprofit advocacy organization focusing on key impact areas, including education, housing, health, human services and economic empowerment. During the meeting they explained a program about empowering young people to focus on voter engagement with special attention on women."

U.S. Communities Visited

Phoenix, AZ; San Diego, CA; Washington, DC; New Orleans, LA

"This event was important for me, because [it] influenced my project idea on education to empower women in human rights." - Karla Velazco Silva

Country: Venezuela 

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