What we do
Human Rights
Human Rights
Oidhaco believes that all human rights should be respected, and that the Colombian state has a duty to ensure their effectiveness. In the context of armed conflict, social and political violence and structural inequality that characterise the country, human rights violations are generalised and systematic.
Colombia is rich in biodiversity, natural resources and fertile lands, but it is one of the most unequal countries in the world, in which the humans rights of millions of people go unfulfilled. About 6 million hectares of land have been abandoned and forcibly appropriated from rural communities and ethnic groups, and 8 million people have been affected by forced displacement. Furthermore, forced disappearances; torture; extrajudicial killings; the murder of leaders and human rights defenders; the repression of peaceful social protest; sexual violence; for violations of the rights of women and the LGBT population, the rights of the prison population; impunity and a failure to provide reparations for victims of the armed conflict persist.
Oidhaco carries out advocacy activities aimed at the European Union, member- and other European states and the United Nations system, encouraging them to press the state to respect civil and political rights, end impunity and ensure the economic, social and cultural rights of the population. It also works to encourage them to recognise the organisational processes and efforts of indigenous, Afro-Colombian and peasant communities to defend their territories as legitimate.
Oidhaco recognises the fundamental role of Colombian civil society in the political, economic and social transformation of Colombia. For this reason it accompanies the efforts of non-governmental human rights organisations and social movements to promote human rights. Oidhaco carries out advocacy activities with the European Union, member- and other European states and the United Nations system, encouraging them to apply pressure so that the Colombian state guarantees that it is possible in Colombia to defend human rights in safety.

Oidhaco and international organizations present shadow report on human rights in Colombia for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
On 28 June 2023, a shadow human rights report on Colombia, prepared by an ad hoc coalition of 67 international organizations, coordinated by the International Human Rights Office – Action Colombia (OIDHACO) was published in Brussels ahead of the Universal
45 MEPs send letter to President Duque asking for more respect for women’s rights in Colombia
Brussels, 19 April 2022 President of the Republic of Colombia, Ivan Duque Marquez Office of the President of the Republic of Colombia, Casa de Nariño: Carrera 8 No. 7 – 26, Bogotá D.C., Colombia We are writing to express our
Public letter to the european authorities about their public declarations issued after the VII High-Level Dialogue and the XIII Human Rights Dialogue between the European Union and Colombia
Colombia remains the country with the highest murder rate for human rights defenders in the world. The record of serious human rights violations has even been recognized by the Colombian Government, and there was an alarming escalation just in early