We bring support and protection to human rights defenders in Colombia that face risks because of the nonviolent peace work they do. Through our international accompaniment we want to promote a culture of peace, justice and nonviolence.
In Colombia we work with all aspects of international accompaniment: physical accompaniment and observation, advocacy and strategic communication, and workshops in self-protection.
We accompany a wide range of human rights defenders; among them organisations that works for the rights of afrocolombians, indigenous groups and farmers, women´s rights, organisations that represents victims of the armed conflict, of forced disappearances and against impunity, and youth organisations that work to combat forced recruitment into armed groups.
Currently, the focus of our work in Colombia runs along five themes that we consider important for the continued process towards sustainable peace: land and territory, militarisation of civil life, gender-based violence, the right to peace and the combating impunity. Just as in the rest of the programme, in our project in Colombia, we maintain a differential approach, taking care to consider the specific needs, rights and vulnerabilities of each group that we work with.
SweFOR has had peace observers present in Colombia since 2004, meaning that we have brought support and protection to the local human rights defenders that we accompany for a long period of time and over the course of many changes in the country’s peace process.
Our observers are based in Quibdó (Chocó) and Villavicencio (Meta), along with a team of specialists based at our regional programme office in Bogotá. The work we do in Colombia is largely financed by the Swedish embassy in Colombia, The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and Act Church of Sweden.
Bogotá
Cra. 19 #39b-56
Barrio La Soledad
Bogotá D. C.
bogota@swefor.org
Quibdó
Cra. 4 #27-05
Barrio Cristo Rey de Quibdó
Quibdó, Chocó
choco@swefor.org
Villavicencio
Cra. 31#41-43
Barrio centro
Villavicencio (Meta)
villavicencio@swefor.org
In Colombia we accompany organisations that works to promote the rights of afrocolombians, indigenous groups and farmers, youth and women´s rights, of victims of the armed conflict and of forced disappearances and against impunity, among others.
We publish news about human rights defenders that we accompany and relevant facts related to our work.