Colombia: Defending human rights together

Father Mauricio Garcia is director of CAFOD partner CINEP [CAFOD]

Father Mauricio García, a peace campaigner for more than 20 years in war-torn Colombia for our partner CINEP, tells us why a major shift in UK foreign policy is a huge step forward for human rights

When Fr Mauricio first got involved in the struggle for peace in the 1980s, the conflict in Colombia had already been raging for more than 20 years between the government and guerrilla groups

Since he began, an upsurge of right wing paramilitary groups and the drugs trade has worsened the already volatile situation – but a significant change has come from the unlikeliest of sources - the UK.

Lack of transparency

In March 2009, the British government announced it would no longer fund human rights projects with the Colombian armed forces after expressing concern about "officers and soldiers... who have been involved in, or allowed, abuses”.

Now director of our partner CINEP, Fr Mauricio says the work of his organisation - supported by CAFOD - has played a major role in creating this shift in thinking, through raising awareness of the growing numbers of human rights abuses.

Fr Mauricio says: “When we saw the figures were rising we decided to release special reports to raise awareness in Colombia and internationally.

"We have complained about the lack of transparency about UK support for the Colombian military and the impossibility of knowing whether units or individuals benefiting from these projects were involved in human rights violations.”

“The ending of these projects is a success - we think the release of our reports was a contributing factor that led to the UK declaring a shift in its foreign policy towards Colombia. This is a positive example of CAFOD and CINEP working together.

CINEP (Centre for Research and Popular Education) is a respected Jesuit-run think tank whose reports presented evidence that the Colombian army were claiming civilian deaths as being guerrillas killed in combat to their superiors, so they would be considered “positive results” in the fight against the guerrilla groups.

In fact, the civilians who were being detained, tortured and killed were young unemployed men or farmers. CINEP documented 395 cases between 2002 and 2008.

These cases were highlighted in London by ABColombia – an advocacy project run by CAFOD, Christian Aid UKI, Oxfam GB, SCIAF and Trócaire - which lobbied the UK government for change.

And, now this change has happened, the UK government has also raised concerns about these cases at the UN Human Rights Council.

Meanwhile, CINEP continues to defend human rights and put forward alternatives to the endless cycle of violence by promoting peace, reconciliation, citizenship and the rights of ethnic minorities.

Fr Mauricio knows his personal journey to find peace still has a long way to run but, driven on by his faith, he has an unshakeable belief it can be achieved – with solidarity from those in the UK.

“We are connected by our work on human rights, peace building and development. And most importantly, in our faith, we agree that the Church’s social teaching should emphasise the preferential option for the poor.

“My motivation comes from my faith, and I am dedicated to the issue of peace which has also given me a bond with the UK – it is like a second home.”

Fit for Purpose - UK policy on Colombia

ABColombia's report says the UK government must:

1. Increase its focus on poverty and inequality.
2. Reinforce its support for human rights defenders.
3. Ensure the UK and EU businesses in Colombia support human rights and poverty reduction.

Download the full report

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