All Content: internal displacement

Illegal Mining and Paramilitary Violence in Afro-Colombian Territories

A letter to the U.S. Congress on continued attacks on Afro-Colombians' rights
25 Jan 2012
Publication
WOLA hosted Francia Marquez and Clemencia Carabali's delegation to the U.S. in early January 2012. Both women were featured in the PBS series "Women, War & Peace."

WOLA: Promoting Human Rights, Democracy, and Social Justice

22 Dec 2011
Video
As the year winds to a close, we hope you will enjoy this video about how WOLA works with partners in the region to advance human rights in Latin America. If you have not done so, we hope you will consider making a donation to WOLA to support our continued efforts. Your support makes a difference.

Dangerous Precedent Set by Consultation Process for Colombia’s Victims’ Law

Afro-Colombian Rights Undermined
8 Dec 2011
News
The law did not respect Afro-Colombian peoples’ right to previous consultation, and the Santos administration is missing the opportunity to correct this error

Afro-Colombian Victims Ignored in Development of Victims’ Law

Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN) Statement*
22 Nov 2011
Publication
Colombia has so much to gain from a law for victims of the internal armed conflict that respects the constitutional rights of the victims–the government only needs the political will to do so.

Colombia Human Rights Bulletin

October 2011
31 Oct 2011
Publication
WOLA would like to share with you the following links to documents written by WOLA and organizations we partner with in Colombia on human rights, labor rights, and Afro-Colombian and indigenous issues.

Sunday's Local Elections in Colombia

Land restitution and the "Black Hand"
27 Oct 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Colombia's October 30, 2011 local elections are a crucial moment for the success of the Santos government's land restitution effort. If allies of the land thieves win, prospects for restitution -- and indeed, for peace in Colombia -- will dim considerably.

Remembering Sister Yolanda Cerón

13 Oct 2011
Video
A film by the Diocese of Tumaco in memory of Sister Yolanda Cerón

WOLA Reaction to Colombia-U.S. FTA Debate

A Statement by Executive Director Joy Olson
12 Oct 2011
News
WOLA opposed this agreement because the experience with similar agreements has taught us who the losers will be, those least able to bear the cost

Human Rights During the Juan Manuel Santos Administration’s First Year in Office

Background Report by USOC and WOLA
29 Sep 2011
Publication
The report offers analysis on the topics of extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Afro-Colombians, indigenous peoples, internal displacement, the Victims Law and sexual violence against women.

ACSN Urges the Santos Administration to Investigate Paramilitary Activity and Protect the Afro-Colombian Communities in Cacarica, Chocó

ACSN Statement
22 Sep 2011
Publication
The Community for Self-Determination, Life and Dignity of Cacarica (CAVIDA) warns that paramilitaries are mobilizing in nearby towns including Carmen del Darién, Turbo, Apartadó and Chigorodó in order to secure territorial, economic and social control over the civilian population.

Take Action to Protect Human Rights Defenders in Colombia

Human rights abuses continue to undermine social justice efforts under the Santos administration
13 Sep 2011
Publication
We urge you to please contact the US and Colombian authorities in order to protect human rights defenders, free those unjustly detained, and seek investigations that lead to justice for those murdered and recipients of death threats

Buenaventura, Colombia: Where Free Trade Meets Mass Graves

An article in NACLA by WOLA Senior Associate Gimena Sanchez and Kelly Nicholls of USOC
7 Sep 2011
Publication
Conditions in Buenaventura exemplify the inherent contradictions of pursuing an FTA with a country where an internal armed conflict continues to rage, where many people are mired in poverty, where workers are subject to abuses, and labor unions are quite literally under attack.

Against All Odds: Experiences of IDP Self-Protection Measures in Colombia

Paper prepared for the Brookings Institution’s "Exploring Civilian Protection" Seminar Series
16 Aug 2011
Publication
This paper by Ms. Gimena Sanchez, Senior Associate for the Andes, examines the experiences of internally displaced peoples' (IDPs) self-protection measures and civilian-led efforts to prevent displacement in Colombia.

Colombia Human Rights Bulletin

August 2011
12 Aug 2011
Analysis & Commentary
The Colombia Human Rights Bulletin provides links to documents written by WOLA and organizations we partner with in Colombia on human rights, labor rights, and Afro-Colombian and indigenous issues.

Take Action to Protect Afro-Colombian activists, religious leaders and trade unionists

ACSN Statement
10 Aug 2011
Publication
The Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN) strongly denounces the following security incidents that have taken place in Afro-Colombian communities since July

ACSN Supports Findings of Verification Mission to La Toma

ACSN Statement
1 Aug 2011
Publication
On July 25, 2011, members of the Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN) participated in an international mission that confirmed the presence of three of the eight excavators in the area of La Toma

New Abuses of Afro-Colombians’ Legal Rights under Santos Administration

Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN) Statement
20 Jul 2011
Publication
On July 15, Aníbal Vega, the legal representative of La Toma’s Community Council, received a threatening phone call that said: “You people from the Community Council are the ones opposed to the machines working in the Ovejas River. The bumps in the road must be removed so that they don’t disturb progress.”

Cauca’s Nasa Indigenous People Caught in the Crossfire

FARC Abuses Civilian Population’s Rights
15 Jul 2011
Analysis & Commentary
A bus filled with explosives was detonated on the morning of July 9 at 10:30 a.m. in front of a police station in Toribío, Cauca. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia’s oldest and largest guerrilla group, were responsible for the attack.

A U.S.-Colombia trade pact would not address, and might even reward, paramilitary violence

An Article by Senior Associate Gimena Sanchez in "Sojourners"
7 Jul 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Far from guaranteeing fair and safe conditions for Colombian workers, the Labor Action Plan limits their ability to exercise their rights and ignores serious concerns about security, human rights, and Afro-Colombian and indigenous land rights

Members of Congress Urge President Obama to Protect Afro-Colombians before Moving Ahead with Colombia Free Trade Agreement

Rep. Hank Johnson’s (D-GA) initiative to strengthen Afro-Colombians’ territorial rights and prevent further displacement of Afro-Colombians before moving forward with the pending Colombia FTA
7 Jul 2011
News