Jeniffer Mella
Jeniffer Mella | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Constitutional Convention | |
| In office 4 July 2021 – 4 July 2022 | |
| Constituency | 5th District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 January 1980 |
| Alma mater | University of Chile (LL.B) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Jeniffer Mella Escobar (born 10 January 1981) is a Chilean lawyer, feminist activist, and independent politician. She served as a member of the Constitutional Convention between 2021 and 2022, representing the 5th District of the Coquimbo Region.[1]
During her tenure, she coordinated the commission on State Structure, Territorial Organization, Autonomy, Decentralization, Territorial Equity, Local Governments, and Fiscal Organization, and also served as coordinator of Subcommission No. 1 on State Structure.[2][3]
Biography
Mella was born on 10 January 1981 in Santiago, Chile.[4] She is the daughter of Osvaldo Mella Lorca and María Escobar Galaz.[4]
She completed her secondary education at Colegio Inmaculada Concepción in San Fernando in 1998.[4] In 1999, she entered the University of Chile, where she studied law and obtained a licentiate degree in Legal Sciences in 2011.[4] She was admitted to the Chilean Bar by the Supreme Court on 25 April 2012.[4]
She holds postgraduate diplomas in Human Rights and Women (2012) and in Family and Child Law (2019), both awarded by the University of Chile.[4]
Mella has practiced law independently, providing legal advice to territorial advocacy collectives.[4] She has worked as an official within the Chilean Judicial Branch and served at the Women's Center of San Bernardo.[4]
Political and activist activity
Her political activity began in 1997 as president of the student council at Colegio Inmaculada Concepción in San Fernando.[4] During her university years, she participated in the Autonomous Students’ Movement at the University of Chile Law School.[4]
Between 2003 and 2005, she participated in lesbian feminist self-managed projects, including Salón de las Preciosas and Trabajo y Estudios Lésbicos.[4] She collaborated in the organization of La Otra Marcha in 2003, aimed at increasing the visibility of lesbians and transgender people.[4] From 2005 to 2008, she was active in the Bloque Lésbico, and between 2008 and 2012 she participated in various lesbian coordination networks focused on territorial meetings and political advocacy.[4] She has also been involved in the Fundación Género y Cultura of Ovalle.[4]
In the elections held on 15–16 May 2021, Mella ran as an independent candidate for the Constitutional Convention representing the 5th District of the Coquimbo Region, as a representative of the Movimiento de Autoconvocados de Ovalle y del Limarí, within the Apruebo Dignidad pact, occupying a Convergencia Social party slot.[4] She was elected with 13,368 votes, corresponding to 5.93% of the valid votes cast.[4]
At the beginning of December 2022, she was appointed chief of staff to the Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, Julieta Brodsky.[4]
References
- ^ "Jeniffer Mella se convierte en la primera y única lesbiana en participar de la Convención Constitucional siendo segunda mayoría regional". El Mostrador. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Jennifer Mella, la activista lesbofeminista en la Convención: "Tenemos urgencias que van más allá del solo matrimonio igualitario"". El Mostrador. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Jeniffer Mella: "Es el momento de estar más pendientes que nunca y de participar"". Por el Dialogo. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Jeniffer Mella Escobar". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-06.