In the Face of Adversity

Father Javier Giraldo has spent over 25 years documenting human rights abuses in Colombia. He has been general secretary of the Colombian Interchurch Commission for Justice and Peace, which provided humanitarian and legal support, particularly in areas of conflict. Despite death threats against him, he has continued to be an outspoken advocate for human rights and talks here about the impunity of violence in his country.

The San Jose de Apartado Peace Community has suffered many attacks against its members in recent years. In 2005 community leader Luis Eduardo Guerra (menu title picture) and his family were brutally killed. Wilson David, a fellow community leader, speaks about the incident and how the community is striving to overcome the paramilitary oppression that is ongoing.

Peace Brigades International is an NGO sending trained volunteers to provide protective accompaniment to vulnerable human rights defenders in countries like Colombia. Adam Baird, who has also worked with PBI, talks from his experience about why the presence of volunteers sends a powerful signal to potential aggressors that the international community is determined to see human rights upheld. Feature length 25 mins.

Information about PBI is available at www.peacebrigades.org/uk.html

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