#01 Human Rights in Film

To be an unarmed bodyguard in Columbia

Since the 1980 people have been organising themselves against militant groups involved in the killing of civilians.

“When governments are killing their own population, they don‘t want the rest of the world to know about it,” says Liam Mahony, Peace Brigades organizer. So the presence of foreigners works as a shield. The main aim is just to be.

Who are they?

Peace Brigades International was founded in Canada in 1981. Peace Brigades work is called “Protective Accompaniment.” It is a strategy that uses the presence of international observers to protect the native human rights activists who are in danger. PBI volunteers have successfully accompanied hundreds of human rights activists through brutal civil wars in many regions, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, Haiti, and Colombia.

Most Peace Brigades volunteers in Colombia are from rich European countries like Germany, England, or Canada. They have never faced danger like that in Colombia.

Colombia has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Approximately 10 politically motivated killings occur each day in this country. “From the year 1980 to 2002, our economy grew only 2% because of violence,” states the present Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe.

Where are they?

The presence of foreigners helps the local people to overcome their own fears and do the work they need to do to improve the tragic situation in Colombia. At present there are several military groups fi ghting against one another. What’s more, they attack and intimidate innocent people. FARC, initially an organization created to stir up a socialist revolution, is now getting rich from the cocaine trade. The Paramilitares, whose original mission was to defend people from the FARC, are now also involved in the drug business. They are secretly supported by the Colombian government. There are also many smaller criminal groups which make their living selling drugs. The question all these organizations ask is simple: “Are you with us or against us?” If you‘re with us, we will protect you. If you‘re not, we will kill you. None of the groups welcomes human rights activists.

How do they work?

According to Liam Mahony, they never use force. “There are ways that you can react nonviolently to confl ict situations,” he says.

“We always interview the local power,” adds Bodo Von Borries. “We try to make military forces feel that there is the constant international presence. We show the government that illegal activities won‘t be accepted by the international public.”

Andrew Viggeas from England tells us “some people call us ‚unarmed bodyguards.‘ But how can you be a bodyguard who‘s unarmed?”

Unarmed but effective

It has already turned out that the foreigners are doing very well. The have even saved a human rights activist. One day, two armed men with pistols came to the HR headquarters and asked for one of Colombia’s activists.

“They said they just wanted to take him,” reports Von Borries, from Germany. “It was obvious. They would take him, he would be killed. So we told them, we are internationals and you just can‘t take him.”

They were embarrassed and left the building. “We have never met a military or a paramilitary checkpoint, despite the fact that they‘re there all the time. They are quite aware of our presence,” says Steve Law.

Chico Campo, Colombian Human Rights Activist, is very grateful to the Peace Brigades. “After four years of international presence in Colombia, aggression still continues but our organization hasn’t lost a single member in this time,” Campo reports. Peace Brigades hasn’t lost anyone either.

Support them!

“When will they come and knock on my door? This is what human rights work is like,” says Marco Tulio, Colombian Human Rights activist. Osiris Bayter, ex-President of the Regional Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Colombia, puts it this way: “I am convinced that I owe my life to Peace Brigades.” Johan Galtung, Professor of Peace Studies calls them “people of great courage.” He appeals to us all: “Support them, join them!”

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