WOLA Through the Years

WOLA’s Origins: Advocating for Human Rights Since 1974

The 1973 Chilean coup spurred the creation of WOLA to advocate for human rights and connect Washington policymakers with firsthand accounts of abuses under military dictatorships. Today, WOLA partners with diverse groups to address issues like climate change, racial justice, violence, and migration while upholding democracy and justice. Learn more about WOLA’s roots in our historical book.

1970s
WOLA stands against dictatorships in South America

  • WOLA sheds light onto the human rights violations taking place in South America during the military dictatorships.
  • WOLA brings a human rights focus to U.S. policy toward the region.
  • WOLA helps draft the landmark Harkin Amendment, prohibiting U.S. military aid to governments that abuse human rights.
  • WOLA facilitates the presentation to the Organization of American States (OAS) of thousands of new cases rising from the repressive regimes in the region.

1980s
WOLA plays key role in ending conflicts in Central America

  • WOLA is an active voice denouncing the death squads and devastation of the civil wars.
  • WOLA issues the first major report documenting human rights abuses by the Nicaraguan Contras in the mid-1980s.
  • WOLA provides essential support for peace accords in El Salvador.

1990s
WOLA supports transitions to democracy

  • WOLA offers advocacy training and helps local communities gain a wider voice in policy-making with government and multilateral agencies.
  • WOLA plays a critical role helping civil society groups in Central America gain unprecedented input in reconstruction efforts after Hurricane Mitch.
  • WOLA is among the first to warn about the dangers to democracy of the escalating U.S.-backed war on drugs and document the need for alternative approaches.
  • WOLA is a key actor in ending the food and medicine ban to Cuba.
  • WOLA, working with a coalition of organizations in Peru, helps to expose the human rights violations and corruption of the Fujimori regime.

2000s
WOLA takes on new human rights agendas

  • WOLA helps to found the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the first organization of its kind, bringing UN support to the creation of an independent agency with special powers to investigate and prosecute organized criminal groups and high profile cases.
  • WOLA organizes a congressional delegation and helps develop a campaign to investigate and prevent violence against women along the U.S.-Mexican border.
  • WOLA works to shift U.S. aid for Colombia, Mexico, and Central America away from military assistance and toward economic and social development programs.

2010s
WOLA Advocates for Peace, Migrant Rights, and Policy Reform

  • WOLA supports the negotiations and implementation of the 2016 Colombia Peace Agreement and advocates for the fulfillment of the Ethnic Chapter
  • WOLA monitors policies affecting migrants’ human rights, advocating for policies addressing the root causes of migration while ensuring due process and access to justice.
  • WOLA collaborates with partners to push for reform of punitive drug laws and policies, aiming to reduce excessive criminalization and incarceration, particularly of women, across the region

WOLA Today

WOLA continues to be at the center of every major policy debate about human rights in Latin America. To learn more about WOLA’s work and trajectory, watch the video below: