Colombia – The only risk is wanting to stay

The TV showed pictures of white palmtree lined beaches, scenic mountains and sophisticated, attractive people enjoying good food and wine – the standard tourism advertisement you would see in any country. The was followed by the strapline and voice over -    “Colombia – the only risk is wanting to stay”.

At first I thought I had mis-heard, for surely that level of insensitivity and manipulation would not be so publically presented? But I had not misheard, and immediately I thought how insulting and degrading this was to the many thousands of human rights defenders, trade unionist, church leaders, journalists, community leaders, peace activists and many more who face the constant risk of being assassinated or disappeared.

I thought of the Colombian lawyers I have meet who talk of having their phones tapped, their cars followed, surveillance on their homes, threatening calls, and getting sent ominous warnings such as funeral wreaths and decapitated dolls with fake blood. I thought of the community leaders who told me how they were forced to leave their homes and all their belongings and flee with their families because they were in imminent danger of assassination. And how so many of their family members had already been victims of killings, forced disappearances and torture. I remembered how there are more trade-unionist assassinated in Colombia, than all other countries in the world together. And what is very troubling is the recent increase in threats and attacks against family members of human rights defenders .

“Colombia – the only risk is wanting to stay” – the irony is not lost on me, as I realise that for the defenders this is exactly true. They do stay in Colombia, despite the threats, intimidation and harassment. They stay at great personal risk, many sacrificing their lives, because they believe in, and strive for, a better Colombia, a peaceful one, respecting the human rights of all.     

In Colombia, those who defend human rights are at risk of systematic stigmatization, threats, sexual violence, unfounded criminal proceedings, violent attacks and killings carried out by all actors in the Colombian conflict.

Trócaire’s partner have recently launched a campaign on human rights defenders in Colombia.  Read more on the campaign and the situation for defenders in Colombia here:

Olive Moore is the Coordinator for Trócaire’s Governance and Human Rights Programme, based in Maynooth in Ireland.