A Brief History of Colombia
Colombia at a Glance
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KAIROS works with human rights groups, churches, women’s organizations and other social movements in Colombia. With our partners, we are actively engaged in advocacy campaigns to oppose militarization, end impunity, defend human rights and promote peace with social justice. Read our Colombia overview.... and see our resource page on Colombia.
Colombia has suffered almost five decades of internal armed conflict, a conflict rooted in huge and growing inequities and fueled by massive amounts of military aid from the United States. The Colombian government has responded to the conflict with a counter-insurgency strategy that targets the civilian population. The result is one of the worst human rights situations in the world.
Yet ask the average North American what they associate with Colombia and they will likely answer: cocaine, violent drug cartels, and left-wing rebels. This distorted image --created by highly selective media coverage-- has obscured both the reality of Colombia’s dirty war and those responsible for it. As a result, massive human rights violations have failed to draw the level of international outrage and concerted action that abuses of similar proportions in other parts of the world have drawn.
KAIROS works with human rights groups, churches, women’s organizations and other social movements in Colombia. With our partners, we are actively engaged in advocacy campaigns to oppose militarization, end impunity, defend human rights and promote peace with social justice.
News and Information on Colombia
- Urgent Action: Death threats made against director of Justicia y Vida, LILIA SOLANO
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- KAIROS Urgent Action: Death threats made at Colombian human rights defender LILIA SOLANO
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- Proposed Amendment to Canada- Colombia Free Trade Agreement no replacement for Independent Human Rights Assessment
KAIROS analysis, 30 March 2010 Since Prime Minister Harper announced the Canada-Colombia Free...
