Peace is the fruit of justice

Children in Arauca, Colombia welcome the arrival of the cross from Casanare. This is the last stage of the Stations of the Cross [Annie Bungeroth]

In Colombia, on average, there is a murder every 20 minutes, not including those killed in the armed conflict. Despite such violence, its people are not giving up hope, with many involved in initiatives for peace

Figures show that Colombia has the highest murder rate in the region, with the number of violent deaths roughly equal to that of Iraq. The murder rate in Iraq is 43 per 100,000 people, while in Colombia it is 44 per 100,000 people, as a result of crime, domestic violence and private conflicts.

According to the UN Human Development Report, more than half of Colombia's capital, Bogotá’s, population (54.6 %) were the victim of some form of crime in 1996 – compared to 44 % in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and 38% in Johannesburg, South Africa.

More recent figures have not yet been published but stories of violence prevail.

The shot that ended a life

The following story is taken from the publication "Fire Arms Colombia: its impact on the life of people and communities" commissioned by the British Embassy and the Gamma Idear Foundation.

"My family is the victim of fire arms; my little niece who was about to enter the best part of her childhood, one week before her 12th birthday, one day came home from school, walking calmly, when a little neighbour asked her to accompany him to his house because he wanted to show her something.

"She, innocently, believed and followed him.

"He, playing, put a revolver on her forehead and shot her, ending her life in a second!

"That’s where the torment for the whole of our family started; we had lost a beloved creature because of carelessness; a death that would have never occurred if that family had not had a weapon at reach of that teenager.

"The death of my niece affected us so deeply that it is very difficult to think about forgiving this young man, who at that time was only 14 years old. At a very young age he ruined his future and ended for always the life of a very loved and very special being for all of us. Our family will never be the same since this tragic moment of our existence."

The Week For Peace

A poster for Colombia's Week for Peace 2005 [CAFOD]

Despite such violence the Colombian people aren’t giving up hope. Many are involved in initiatives for peace such as The Week For Peace, where people from all ages and walks of life will be expressing their hope and desire for peace and dignity.

The Week For Peace was first organised in 1987 by CAFOD partner CINEP, a Jesuit-run research institute for human rights and development. Through a wide variety of cultural, youth and civic events throughout the country to promote a culture of peace. Today it includes a broad range of civil society organisations and peace initiatives.

This year children and their teachers will go out to the streets, parks and schools to express their desire for peace by flying kites, lighting candles and painting messages of peace, life and dignity.

People of all ages will participate in music and dance workshops promoting peace and human rights. There will be a Carnival of Human Values, a Marathon for Peace, a march for women’s labour rights, and campaigns against child abuse and for children’s rights, as well as many other events throughout the country.

If you want peace, work for justice

Introducing the Week For Peace workbook, Monsenor Hector Fabio Henao, Director of the National Secretariat of Social and Pastoral Services writes:

"‘If you want peace, work for justice’ was the key theme of the III National Congress of Reconciliation, held in Bogotá on 23-25 May 2005.

"To opt for life involves the rejection of all forms of violence. The violence of poverty, of hunger and of exclusion, which affects so many people in Colombia; the violence of internal armed conflict; the violence of criminal drug distribution and trafficking of arms; the violence of the gradual destruction of natural resources; the violence of terrorism; the violence of corruption; and the violence of unequal distribution of wealth.

"The right to life has to be promoted and guarded in all circumstances with adequate legal guarantees and policies, given that no violation against the right to life, against the dignity of every person, is irrelevant."

Pope John Paul II said in his Message for the 1998 World Peace Day:

“No human right is secured if we do not commit ourselves to protect all of them…In fact, how could war exist if every single human right were respected?

"It is our duty to guard the dignity of the poor and marginalized with new determination and recognise the rights of those who do not have rights in a tangible way. We invite you to follow the path of the Week for Peace. Your participation will be a homage to life. We are relying on you!"

The relationship between the political violence and other sorts of violence in Colombia is the subject of much debate, but Fr Francisco de Roux SJ, director of the Magdalena Medio Development and Peace Programme, and the only Colombian personally authorised by the government to negotiate with the armed groups, has no doubt that years of political and drug-linked violence has had an effect on Colombian society. "It has affected people’s personalities and attitudes," he says.

Death of a community

The following testimony illustrates how political violence can spill over into something more personal.

“They killed them on 19 November 2001; Enrique and Miguel received 15 shots, they were members of the Ruiz Manrique family. They were tortured, kicked, and verbally abused… they killed them in front of their family. After that, their children were tortured in the same way.

"The perpetrators took advantage of the remoteness of the place, which facilitated the crime. After that, the other community members felt obliged to leave their property.

"The reason for the killing was that they were community leaders. As this was the first time unknown armed actors made their presence felt, this experience was seen as an example and an act to terrorise the community.

"From that moment onwards many people were terrified, which led to a huge displacement of the community. The members of the families that stayed also moved to a different location in the area.

"Their lives have changed because they felt they had no choice but to live in a smaller environment and they did not receive any help.

"The community described that night as ‘the night of terror’; as they said, it was the death of the community.”

Hope for peace remains

Amid such violence, hope for peace remains. The Week For Peace is just one of the initiatives working for change. The Catholic Church and CAFOD's partners are actively seeking solutions and supporting those communities caught up in the conflict.

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