23 February 2010
Threats to the survival of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia must be on the Canadian government’s agenda when Parliament resumes – Media Release and Report
In a new report released today, Amnesty International calls for immediate international action to ensure the survival of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia.
The organization says guerrilla groups, state security forces and paramilitaries are responsible for grave human rights abuses against Indigenous Peoples. These abuses include killings, enforced disappearances and kidnappings, sexual abuse of women, recruitment of child soldiers, persecution of Indigenous leaders and forced displacement of communities from land that is rich in economic potential.
“The situation of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia is nothing short of an emergency,” says Kathy Price, Amnesty International Canada’s Colombia specialist. “Until countries like Canada recognize the gravity of the situation and exert much needed pressure on the Colombian government, there is a real risk that entire Indigenous cultures may be eradicated.”
According to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), the survival of 32 different Indigenous peoples in Colombia is at grave risk as a result of the armed conflict, the impacts of large-scale economic projects and a lack of state support. According to ONIC, at least 114 Indigenous women, men and children were killed, many others threatened and thousands driven from their land in 2009 alone.
In its latest report, Amnesty International says the threats facing Indigenous Peoples are intensifying. The human rights organization is calling on guerrilla groups and state security forces to respect the right of Indigenous Peoples not to be dragged into hostilities and, equally importantly, the right of Indigenous Peoples to own and control the lands on which they depend for their cultures and livelihoods.
The report says thousands of Indigenous Peoples have been forced from their land because they live in areas of intense military conflict and that are valued for their natural resources, including oil and minerals. Indigenous leaders and communities that try to defend their land rights commonly experience threats, killings and mass displacement.
“Given these realities, it is imperative that the Canadian government commission an independent human rights impact assessment of Canada’s free trade agreement with Colombia,” says Amnesty Canada’s Colombia specialist Kathy Price.
The Harper government signed the Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement in November 2008 and has refused to respond to calls for an HRIA from Amnesty International and other civil society organizations, as well as Parliament’s Committee on International Trade. Bill C-23 to implement the trade agreement died when Parliament was prorogued. However, new implementing legislation is expected when Parliament resumes.
“Canada has a responsibility to act with due diligence to ensure our trade and investment policy does not contribute to the threats that put Indigenous peoples at such risk,” states Price.
Amnesty International is calling on the Canadian government to use all means at its disposal to press the Colombian government to implement UN human rights recommendations to protect displaced and endangered Indigenous peoples. This includes a call for a visit to Colombia by the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.
Background:
Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict has affected millions across the country and left tens of thousands dead, tortured and forcibly disappeared. The vast majority of victims are civilians.
According to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), during the last seven years, more than 1,595 Indigenous people were killed or forcibly disappeared as a result of the armed conflict, and 4,700 collective threats were reported. In the vast majority of cases, these crimes have not been properly investigated nor have the perpetrators ever been brought to justice.
In Colombia, human rights abuses are frequently committed as a means to forcibly remove civilian communities from areas of economic interest, much of which is inhabited by Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.
As Amnesty International testified to the House of Commons Committee on International Trade in November 2009, one of the most worrying trends is a dramatic increase in the number of Colombians forced to flee from their homes. As many as 380,000 people were forced to flee their homes in 2008 alone – an increase of more than 24 percent from 2007. That brings the total number of internally displaced people in Colombia to between 3 and 4 million - amongst the highest in the world and growing.
Although Indigenous peoples make up around 3.4 per cent of the population, according to the UN Office in Colombia they account for 7 per cent of Colombia’s total displaced population.
Forced displacement has paved the way for the misappropriation of these lands, mostly by paramilitaries, but also by guerrilla groups. It is estimated that more than 4 million hectares of land may have been stolen by paramilitaries in this way. These lands are often in areas with mineral, oil or agro-industrial potential.
The Struggle for Survival and Dignity – Human Rights Abuses Against Indigenous Peoples in Colombia
Read the Facts and Figures
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For further information, please contact:
Beth Berton-Hunter, Media Relations
416-363-9933, ext. 332
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