Expert in Strategic Communication with a Human Rights Focus
V. Patricia Flores Palacios, a native of La Paz, Bolivia, holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, a Bachelor’s in Social Communication, and is an expert in Gender Equity, Human Rights, and Interculturality. For over two decades, she has dedicated her career to the research, promotion, and defense of women’s rights and LGBT+ communities, as well as to strategic edu-communication with a gender perspective.
Academic Background
She studied Social Communication at the Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB) in La Paz, earned a diploma in Andean Studies, and completed a Master’s in Social Sciences with an emphasis in sociology and anthropology at Universidad de la Cordillera and FLACSO. She also holds a diploma in Feminism and Higher Education. This solid academic foundation enables her to address complex social issues related to equity and human rights from an interdisciplinary approach.
Additional Studies
Her complementary training includes studies in Community Management (2017, Fundación para el Periodismo, La Paz) and qualitative research methods (2004, University of Groningen, Netherlands). These have strengthened her professional profile with key skills in digital communication and rigorous social analysis, providing an integral and updated vision in journalistic work.
Professional Career
Patricia has worked for over 15 years in the defense and promotion of human rights, with a special focus on gender equity and interculturality. She has collaborated with various national and international organizations such as the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communication, Subsecretary of Gender Affairs at the Ministry of Human Development, the Ombudsman’s Office, Coordinadora de la Mujer, Hipnosis Arte en Imagen, Centro de Promoción de la Mujer Gregoria Apaza, CIDEM, the German Cooperation’s ComVoMujer program, OXFAM GB, and Spanish Cooperation, among others.
From 2006 to 2010, she served as Deputy for Promotion and Analysis at the Ombudsman’s Office, responsible for promoting a human rights culture through outreach, education, and training, as well as coordinating defense and social monitoring actions nationwide. Between 1999 and 2004, she was Director of Communication for the Head of Promotion and Analysis under Ana María Romero de Campero’s leadership.
Between 2004 and 2006, she directed Bolivia’s National Film Council (CONACINE), promoting public policies for cinema and audiovisual culture, with special attention to youth training and cultural outreach in popular sectors.
As a feminist researcher, she has studied the portrayal of women in media and youth subjectivities in urban and peri-urban contexts. Her work includes designing and implementing edu-communication strategies to strengthen transformative leadership and defend the rights of women and LGBT+ communities in cities such as La Paz and El Alto.
Since 2018, she has provided services to NGOs and international cooperation agencies, and since 2019 she has served, ad honorem, as Director of the Voces Vitales Educational Unit, an inclusive, violence-free school promoting peace classrooms and anti-bullying initiatives, founded by her sister Karen in La Paz.
Media and Leadership
She is a columnist for various print media and hosts a program on Radio Deseo 103.3 FM, dedicated to music and counterculture, especially the artistic work of women.
She currently serves, ad honorem, as President of the Circle of Women Journalists of La Paz, founded in 1972 by prominent Bolivian journalists, including Ana María Romero de Campero, Bolivia’s first Ombudsperson.
Publications and Contributions
Her notable works include La mirada invisible: La imagen de la mujer en los medios de comunicación de Bolivia (1998), Imagen de las mujeres en la publicidad (2001), Política y estrategias educomunicativas del Defensor del Pueblo (2008), Potenciando Vocerías para la promoción y defensa de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos (2009), and Narrativas mediáticas sexistas: Violencia Mediática (2017)—key references in the analysis of sexism, gender violence, and human rights in media.
She is also the author of Mujeres con voz, mujeres con fuerza: potenciando liderazgos (2013), Rastreando los orígenes de la dominación: cuando la diosa fue sustituida por el mito de dios (2010, in Descolonización y Despatriarcalización – Ministry of Cultures), and the booklet Potenciando Vocerías para la defensa de nuestros derechos humanos (2009). Her work is characterized by critical and constructive approaches from edu-communication and gender perspectives, offering concrete strategies for leadership and rights advocacy.
Teaching and Training
Patricia has taught in diploma programs on communication and journalism with a focus on human rights, gender, and intersectionality, at various academic institutions and at the Fundación para el Periodismo. She is a dedicated workshop facilitator, committed to strengthening the communication skills of new generations and contributing to their professional growth.
Activism and Approach
Recognized as a queer feminist and activist for women’s and LGBT+ rights, Patricia integrates her academic, professional, and social work to influence public policies and cultural practices that promote social justice, equality, and inclusion.