War
And Forced Displacement
In Colombia
After forty years of civil strife, 
Colombia is experiencing 
the worst humanitarian crisis 
in our hemisphere. 

Millions of people 
have been forced by violence 
from their homes 
and tens of thousands more 
killed or kidnapped. 

US Policy toward Colombia 
continues to focus on 
military and police action aid, 
neglecting the social justice 
and civil society development 
dimensions of the crisis.
Learn the story of Colombia.

A Special Creighton Presentation

Monday, March 24th
3:30-5:00 pm
St. John's Church

Sponsors:
Our Presenters:

Fr. William Rickle, S.J., Ph.D. 
and 
Jennifer Bailey, J.D.

From the Jesuit Conference, USA 
and the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Fr. William Rickle, S.J., Ph. D., Field Specialist with the Office of Social and International Ministries, works on outreach, education and advocacy on behalf of those caught in the violence of war and civil strife in Colombia.

Jennifer Bailey, J.D., is an attorney with the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA who works on refugee and immigrant’s rights -  in particular on behalf of internally displaced people in Colombia.
An Overview:

Colombia is being devastated by a complex internal conflict which has led to widespread violence, human rights abuses and one of the highest rates of internal displacement (over 2 million people since 1985) in the world. Human rights abuses by all of the armed actors, including paramilitary groups, guerrillas, the Colombian military and criminal networks are well documented. 

Colombia is now the third largest recipient of U.S. foreign/military aid, an aid package which has been disproportionately tilted toward funding the Army's anti-narcotics efforts and has now, post 9/11, been expanded to provide increased funding to the Colombian military's counter-terrorism and a counter-insurgency strategy. More violence against bishops, priests and religious take place in Colombian that anywhere else in the world today.

Last year saw the brutal assassination of the Archbishop Isaías Duarte of Cali, the abduction of Bishop Jorge Jiménez of Zipaquirá, the President of Latin American Bishops' Conference, and the killing of increasing numbers of priests and religious. Since 1989, over 40 priests and religious have been killed.
 

 The Jesuit Effort:

Jesuit efforts in solidarity with Colombia are in direct response to Colombian Province Jesuits' request for increased support and involvement from the Society of Jesus in the US.  Our outreach is an attempt to raise awareness among our US constituencies about the current human rights crisis in Colombia and the brave efforts towards peace and reconciliation being made by our Colombian Jesuits and their lay colleagues. Some of our broad goals include:

*   Promoting peace processes and peace building that stress the need for a peaceful, political and negotiated settlement to the internal conflict.

*   Responding to the urgent human needs/human rights of Colombia's internally displaced population through advocacy and support of prevention strategies and economic development. The Jesuit Refugee Service operates projects assisting people displaced by violence within Colombia and well as refugees who have died to neighboring countries.

*   Supporting citizen participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of any major development/economic plan and in the peace processes.
LINKS:

Colombia Update:
February, 2003 - U.S. Catholic Bishops

SJ Statement on Colombia:
U.S. Jesuit Conference and 
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA 
Statement on Colombia

Human Rights Watch:
On Colombia

 

 War Without End:
CNN Special site on Colombia

The Time of Coca:
Rose Marie Berger
Sojourners Magazine on the Drug War

Colombia's Civil War Archive:
Washington Post Articles on the War

The Colombia Report:
Information Network of the Americas