Fátima Pacas

Fátima is a sociologist and human rights defender with more than twenty years of experience working in the nonprofit and social justice sector in Central America and the Caribbean. Her work has focused on strengthening grassroots organising, promoting human rights education, and supporting collective action in contexts of inequality, violence, and democratic erosion.

Fátima's professional career began as a human rights advocate focused on children’s and youth rights, working with institutions and networks such as the Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (PDDH) of El Salvador, RENAES, and CIPJES, where she contributed to advocacy, monitoring, and rights-based programming. Later, she held senior leadership roles at the national and regional levels, including serving as director for Central America at organisations such as the International Partners in Mission (IPM) and Cristosal Centroamerica, working closely with community-based organisations and social movements in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia.

Complementing her work in civil society, Fátima has over ten years of experience in higher education as a university lecturer and researcher, having taught at the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA), Escuela Mónica Herrera, and the University of El Salvador. Her research interests include political sociology, human rights, social movements, and the relationship between civil society, power, and democratic governance in Latin America. In her work, she combines academic inquiry with applied research and long-term engagement with community-based organisations, bridging scholarship and social change practice. 

Fátima holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of El Salvador and a master’s degree in Sociology from the University at Albany (SUNY). She also holds a postgraduate certificate in Social and Economic Equity from the London School of Economics and Political Science.