Each year, thousands of migrants travelling from El Salvador to the U.S. face extortion, trafficking, assault, and other human rights violations, risk of which has only increased due to restrictive U.S. immigration policies and the ongoing militarization of the U.S-Mexico border. El Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Fallecidos y Desaparecidos, El Salvador (COFAMIDE) is a grassroots organization founded and led by family members of individuals who disappeared or perished along the journey. Current membership includes 350 families, most headed by women, who are bearing the psychological and social effects of this crisis. The organization offers members psychosocial support as well as advocacy and legal training to help them assert their rights domestically and internationally as relatives of disappeared persons.

This is COFAMIDE’s first grant from the Martín-Baró Fund and will support the development of additional psychosocial workshops and legal and advocacy trainings for their members. As victims supporting victims, the group’s leadership team will also hold their own self-care workshops to help sustain and strengthen the organization.