MADRE News

We just received an update from our sister organization LIMPAL in Colombia, and we want to share the news with you. LIMPAL is a community-based women’s organization working to promote social justice for women who have been...

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The US-Colombia Unfair Trade Agreement Revisited: Just Say No!

Posted on: Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Keywords: Colombia, Free Trade, South America, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Human Rights Advocacy

Today, Congress is preparing to vote on a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia that was signed—but not ratified— in 2006 by then-Presidents George W. Bush and Alvaro Uribe. Today’s passage of the agreement would end almost five years of negotiations...

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Activist and Member of the League of Displaced Women in Colombia is Assassinated

Posted on: Friday, August 5, 2011

Keywords: colombia, latin america and carribean, activist

MADRE mourns the death of Keila Esther Berrio Almanza.

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Community Organizer and Activist is Assassinated in Colombia

Posted on: Friday, June 17, 2011

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Indigenous Rights, Women Human Rights Defenders, Peace Building

Ana Fabricia Cordoba, a community organizer and member of the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres was assasinated in Medellin, Colombia on June 8, 2011.

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Take Action: Congress Considers Colombia Free Trade Agreement

Posted on: Thursday, March 17, 2011

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America and the Caribbean, US Foreign Policy

Today, a congressional committee is holding a hearing on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. This FTA is moving towards a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives – but you can take action to make sure this does...

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See What MADRE Members Have Accomplished in Colombia

Posted on: Thursday, December 16, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Child Soldiers, Peace Building, MADRE

We profile Stella Duque of Taller de Vida

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US Abandons Principle on Child Soldiers

Posted on: Monday, November 1, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Child Soldiers, Peace Building, Africa

MADRE letter to the editor, originally printed in the Washington Post on 10/31.

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Situation of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia

Posted on: Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Indigenous Rights, Latin America and Caribbean

The following is an excerpt from a UN report on the Indigenous Peoples of Colombia

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Take Action: Stop the Displacement of the Afro-Colombian Community La Toma!

Posted on: Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and Caribbean

If the Colombian government does not change its mind, tomorrow the 1052 families that make up the Afro-Colombian community La Toma will be evicted from the land that they have lived on for almost 400 years. We cannot let this happen. Take action today!

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Take Action: Urge Secretary Ban Ki-Moon to remove Uribe from panel on Gaza flotilla

Posted on: Monday, August 16, 2010

Keywords: Human Rights Advocacy, Colombia, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, UN, Peace Building

The following is an alert from Colombia Support network. Please see below for information on how to take action regarding the appointment of Alvaro Uribe-Velez to the UN's panel of inquiry into the Israeli attack on the Gaza humanitarian flotilla.

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Take Action: Demand Withdrawal of US Troops from Colombia

Posted on: Friday, August 6, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

The following is an alert from our friends at SOA Watch. Take action to demand the withdrawal of US troops from Colombia below. A group of nine SOA Watch activists is currently in Colombia to confront the escalation of U.S. policy...

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Take Action: Sign on for peace in Colombia

Posted on: Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

Join MADRE in signing on to this letter from Alliance for Global Justice: Send a letter to new President Santos!Dear Friend, In the final week of Alvaro Uribe's Colombian presidency, Colombia continues to generate a regional crisis in South America....

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Ensuring Human Rights in Colombia: Concluding Observations from the UN Human Rights Committee

Posted on: Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean, UN

Following MADRE’s Shadow Report on Colombia and presentation at the UN Human Rights Committee last month, the Committee released its observations to the Colombian state. In the observations, the Committee expressed its deep concern at the persistence of serious human...

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MADRE and partner enable UN Permanent Forum delegation to assess situation in Colombia

Posted on: Friday, July 30, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean, UN

Support from MADRE and our partner, the International Indigenous Women's Forum (IIWF/FIMI), enabled a delegation of the UN Permanent Forum to travel to Colombia in order to assess the situation for Indigenous women there.Contrary to the claims of the Colombian...

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Born Into War: An Update from MADRE's Exhibit of Photos and Paintings by Former Child Soldiers

Posted on: Monday, July 26, 2010

Keywords: Event, Latin America, Colombia, Peace Building

Last Wednesday evening, MADRE members gathered at the Salt Space in NYC for our event, ‘Born into War,’ an exhibition of photos and paintings by former child soldiers in Colombia and Uganda. The paintings and photos highlighted at the event were...

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MADRE Presents on Colombia Before the UN Human Rights Committee

Posted on: Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean, UN

MADRE's Lisa Davis was in Geneva last week for the UN Human Rights Committee's review of Colombia's human rights record. As part of the review process, MADRE presented a shadow report that we wrote with a coalition of Colombian human...

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Event: Born Into War - less than one week away!

Posted on: Thursday, July 15, 2010

Keywords: Event, Latin America, Colombia, Peace Building

Join us on Wednesday, July 21 for Born into War: An Exhibit of Photos and Paintings by Former Child Soldiers in Colombia and Uganda. When:Wednesday, July 21, 20106:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.Where: The Salt Space1160 Broadway at 27th St.Fifth...

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MADRE Presents Report to UN Human Rights Committee on the Situation in Colombia

Posted on: Thursday, July 15, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean, UN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMADRE: Rights, Resources, and Results for Women WorldwideContact: Diana Duarte, Media Coordinator (New York): (212) 627-0444; email: media@madre.orgLisa Davis, Human Rights Advocacy Director (Geneva): ldavis@madre.org

MADRE Presents Report to...

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Video: Born Into War - Child Soldiers in Colombia

Posted on: Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

MADRE sister organization Taller de Vida provides life-changing support to former child soldiers and children at risk of becoming child soldiers in Colombia. Watch the video to find out more.

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Demanding a Second Chance for Colombia's Children of War

Posted on: Monday, July 12, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America and Caribbean

The shy 14-year-old was not sure how many people she had killed. “When it was my turn to shoot someone, I always hid my face because I was afraid.” Julia (not her real name) is one of thousands of children...

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Demanding Human Rights in Colombia

Posted on: Friday, July 9, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean, UN

For over 40 years, Colombians have endured an armed conflict over their country’s highly concentrated sources of natural wealth, especially land. Instead of battling one another directly, Colombia’s armed groups usually attack civilians suspected of siding with their enemy. The...

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MADRE Talking Points: Using International Law to Wage Peace in Colombia

Posted on: Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America and Caribbean

In recent decades, human rights advocates have won passage of a system of international human rights treaties, helping to address a wide range of social justice concerns. More and more, local activists are devising ways to use these international...

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Take action for child soldiers in Colombia

Posted on: Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

All sides in Colombia's armed conflict exploit children as soldiers. Some are as young as eight years old. These children are virtual slaves, often sexually abused and forced to commit violence--even murder--so that their childhood and humanity are destroyed.The Colombian...

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MADRE Talking Points: The Role of the US in Colombia's Conflict

Posted on: Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America and Caribbean

The Conflict in a Nutshell For over 40 years, Colombians have endured an armed conflict over their country’s highly concentrated sources of natural wealth, especially land. In the...

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Help Recover a Stolen Childhood

Posted on: Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

Tania isn't her real name. I can't use it or show her picture without putting her life in danger from the Colombian armed forces who tried to recruit her as a child soldier. ...

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Testimony of a Former Child Soldier in Colombia: One Young Girl's Story

Posted on: Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean, Profile

Thousands of children, some as young as eight years old, are being used as soldiers in Colombia's armed conflict. Through our local partner, Taller de Vida, we provide trauma counseling, art therapy, and recreational programs to young people who have been uprooted from their homes by war and poverty.

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Colombia's Election Results Lack Promise of Change

Posted on: Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

On Sunday, Juan Manuel Santos was elected to succeed Álvaro Uribe as president of Colombia with 69% of the vote in a runoff election. Only 45% of the population participated in the election, as many who supported the left-wing candidate...

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Take Action: Colombian Organizations Receiving Death Threats Again

Posted on: Monday, June 21, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Indigenous Rights, Latin America and the Caribbean

The Colombian government has not taken the necessary measures to investigate and end the hostility towards Afro-descendants, indigenous people and women leaders, who are solely defending their human rights. Take action for their human rights.

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MADRE Stands in Solidarity with Indigenous human rights defender Aida Quilcue

Posted on: Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America, Human Rights Advocacy, Activist, Indigenous Rights

On December 16, 2008, Edwin Legarda, the husband of Indigenous human rights defender Aida Quilcué, was killed by Colombian army personnel when they fired 17 shots into the vehicle he was driving. Aida Quilcué had recently returned from Geneva, where...

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Ending Gender-Based Violence in Colombia

Posted on: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Peace Building, Human Rights Advocacy, Latin America and the Caribbean

LIMPAL, MADRE's sister organization in Colombia, recently published there their May 2010 bulletin. You can read the original here. Summaries are below.International League15 years after the 4th World Conference on Women met in Beijing, civil society organizations are calling for...

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Event: Born Into War

Posted on: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Keywords: Event, Latin America, Colombia, Peace Building

An Exhibit of Photos and Drawings by Former Child Soldiers in Colombia and Uganda Please join us!When:Wednesday, July 21, 20106:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.Where: The Salt Space1160 Broadway at 27th St.Fifth FloorNew York, NY 10001(map)Wine and refreshments will be served Admission:$20.00 to...

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Colombia: Death threats against over 60 human rights organisations and individual human rights defenders

Posted on: Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America and Caribbean, Human Rights Advocacy, Peace Building

Action Alert from Front Line, a member of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition Please take action on behalf of human rights defenders MOVICE, FUNDEPAZ and CODHES and others.Copy the enclosed letter and send it to the address provided.TARGET ADDRESS:...

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Stories of our Sisters 2010

Posted on: Monday, April 26, 2010

Keywords: Haiti, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Colombia, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan

Stories of our Sisters 2010 This month, MADRE published Stories of our Sisters 2010, our Spring/Summer Newsletter. Below you can read the stories from our sisters. To read the newsletter as a whole, check out the newsletter online. If you...

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MADRE Programs Combating Violence Against Women in Armed Conflicts

Posted on: Thursday, March 4, 2010

Keywords: Combating Violence Against Women, Afghanistan, Sudan, Colombia, Guatemala, Palestine, Iraq

Guatemala In the past decade, nearly 4,000 women and young girls have been murdered in Guatemala. Many of them, including girls as young as 10, were tortured and raped, their bodies left in public places. As a result, women have...

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Event: Comparative Strategies to End Violence Against Women

Posted on: Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Keywords: Combating Violence Against Women, Afghanistan, Sudan, Colombia, UN, CSW, Event

Join MADRE for a Panel Discussion & Photo Exhibit Addressing Violence Against WomenWomen using human rights to strengthen anti-violence strategies: Afghanistan, Sudan, Colombia and the United States. March 3, 2010From 12pm - 1:30pmLunch Included!United Nations Church Center (10th Floor)777 United Nations PlazaNew...

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You and MADRE in 2010

Posted on: Thursday, January 7, 2010

Keywords: Sudan, Kenya, Guatemala, Palestine, Nicaragua, Panama, Iraq, Colombia, Afghanistan, Emergency Relief

Make this the year that you become an unstoppable force for women’s human rights.When you partner with MADRE in 2010, you’ll: Save lives, Build lasting solutions to violence and poverty, and Join the world’s bravest women in making human rights...

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Colombia: Protecting Children of War, Project Update

Posted on: Monday, October 19, 2009

Keywords: Colombia, Latin America & Caribbean, Peace Building

In July 2009, Miguel Macias, a MADRE volunteer and youth media producer, returned to Bogota to conduct workshops with the youth of Taller de Vida. For two weeks, Miguel worked with 15 students on writing for the web, photography, journalism,...

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Stories of our Sisters

Posted on: Monday, July 13, 2009

Keywords: Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, Nicaragua, Peru, Sudan, Peace Building, Women's Health, Combating Violence Against Women

Iraq: Art Action for Peace “The US gave us a government that plunged us into civil war,” Yanar Mohammed says. “But in Baghdad, there were brave Sunni and Shiite youngsters who refused to hate each other.” “With MADRE’s help,...

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World Refugee Day 2009

Posted on: Monday, June 22, 2009

Keywords: Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, Sudan, Refugees, Peace Building

World Refugee Day was this week, so we wanted to share a few quick snapshots of the experiences and living conditions of both refugees and internally displaced people in some of the places in which we work. For years, MADRE’s...

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MADRE Condemns the Assassination of Indigenous Activist in Colombia

Posted on: Thursday, January 15, 2009

Keywords: Colombia, Indigenous Rights, Emergency Relief

On December 16, 2008, Edwin Legarda was killed by Colombian army personnel when they fired 17 shots into the vehicle he was driving. He was the husband of Indigenous human rights defender Aida Quilcue, who had recently returned from testifying...

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Dia de la MADRE: In Celebration of Mothers around the Globe

Posted on: Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Keywords: Sudan, Iraq, Colombia, Peace Building, Latin America and Caribbean, Africa, Middle East

This piece was published in the May issue of MotherVerse Magazine. Twenty-five years ago, in the summer of 1983, a partnership was forged between a group of Nicaraguan women and a group of women in the United States. At...

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The US-Colombia Unfair Trade Agreement: Just Say No!

Posted on: Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Keywords: Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Colombia, Latin America and Caribbean

With Congress back in session, the Bush Administration is pushing hard to pass another trade agreement based on the failed NAFTA model, this time with Colombia. The Administration is in a race against public opinion, which is quickly turning against...

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CSW Events

Posted on: Monday, February 25, 2008

Keywords: Women's Health, Combating Violence Against Women, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Peace Building, Colombia, Latin America and Caribbean

Event Announcements MADRE at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 2008 Launch of the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign Human Rights for Women — Human Rights for All: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration...

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Human Rights Day 2006: MADRE's Partners Confront Violence against Women and Girls

Posted on: Sunday, December 10, 2006

Keywords: Women's Health, Combating Violence Against Women, Iraq, Kenya, Haiti, Colombia

December 10, 2006—New York—On Human Rights Day, and at the close of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, MADRE, an international women's human rights organization, emphasizes the imperative to combat violence against women and girls worldwide. In partnership...

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Violence Against Women in Latin America

Posted on: Friday, January 6, 2006

Keywords: Women's Health, Combating Violence Against Women, Latin America and Caribbean, Guatemala, Colombia

A MADRE Position Paper Violence against women in Latin America reflects global trends, mediated by histories and conditions specific to the region. These include colonization, war, migration, and neoliberalism. As in other regions, gender-based violence was integral to the...

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War on Terror or War on Women?

Posted on: Thursday, January 1, 2004

Keywords: Latin America and Caribbean, Food Sovereignty, Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico

War on Terror or War on Women?The View from Latin AmericaBy Yifat SusskindAssociate Director, MADRE Most Americans judge George Bush’s fixation on national security to be an appropriate response to the atrocities of September 11, 2001. But for millions of...

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Colombia's Conflict: The Basics

Posted on: Friday, September 27, 2002

Keywords: Peace Building, Latin America and Caribbean, Colombia

Over the past decade, Colombia has become the leading recipient of US military aid in the hemisphere and, at the same time, the worst violator of human rights. As in Central America in the 1980s, the US is supporting repressive...

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