FUTURES IN FREEDOM. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS (2025)
Voices from Exile: Consequences of the Colombian Conflict for Human Rights Activists
TITLE: Voices from Exile: Consequences of the Conflict in Colombia for Human Rights Activists
Funder: Generalitat Valenciana
Total budget: €38,763
Grant amount: €37,903
Start date: 01/01/2025
End date: 12/31/2025
Summary
This project focuses on the critical situation of violence, harassment, and rights violations faced by human rights defenders and social leaders in Colombia. As a result of the armed conflict and the persistence of persecution, many of these individuals suffer threats, physical attacks, forced displacement, exile, and, in the most extreme cases, targeted killings. The lack of an effective response from the State, coupled with a worrying level of impunity, exacerbates the vulnerability of those dedicated to protecting the fundamental rights of their communities. Particularly alarming is the increase in gender-based attacks, which specifically affect women leaders and defenders, who are also subjected to psychological torture, sexual violence, and threats against their immediate families.
The intervention seeks to raise awareness among Valencian society about these invisible realities and generate spaces for empathy, commitment, and action. To this end, it promotes a critical and informed citizenry that understands the seriousness of the situation facing human rights defenders in Colombia and supports the need for effective public protection policies, both internationally and in our own community. Project activities include awareness campaigns, talks, meetings with activists, audiovisual materials, and collaborations with media outlets, with the aim of amplifying these voices and focusing on their essential role in building peace and democracy.
At the same time, cooperation between human rights organizations in Colombia and the Valencian Community is being strengthened. The Foundation for Justice maintains an active and committed relationship with Colombian organizations with extensive experience in defending fundamental rights, such as the Colombian Commission of Jurists, and is committed to continuing to strengthen these alliances. Joint work will allow not only for greater effectiveness in awareness-raising efforts, but also for progress toward transformative and horizontal cooperation, based on global justice, that connects the struggles of the South with the solidarity of the North.
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