Book launch: Frontera Común – how to defend life and rights between Colombia and Venezuela
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Loading... - Christopher ROBINSON
- 09 May 2023
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Civil Rights Defenders unveils a new book titled "Frontera Común" (Shared Border) that showcases the experiences of six human rights defenders who courageously risk their lives to defend the rights of individuals in the border area between Colombia and Venezuela. The book, written in Spanish, features personal stories from human rights defenders in the region as well as recommendations on how to address the challenges that the region faces.
The border region between Colombia and Venezuela is a challenging area to defend human rights, with numerous unresolved historical tensions and conflicts, as well as ongoing violence. Nevertheless, it is also a region with strong ancestral ties, social processes, and binational roots, which make it a shared space in spite of its diversity.
The book, "Frontera Común," offers insights into the experiences of those who fight to defend life and rights in this hostile region. The book takes the reader on a journey through the territories of Norte de Santander, Arauca, and the U’ Wa Nation in Colombia, as well as Táchira, Zulia, and Apure in Venezuela, highlighting what it means to confront violence in order to defend individual and collective rights.
This book is of great interest to anyone who wants to understand more about this region or who works with human rights. Erik Jennische, the director of the Latin America Department at Civil Rights Defenders, explains that, "In the years we have worked in the border region between the two countries, we have been impressed by the resistance of women, indigenous peoples, and farmers, and their ability to stay in the territory despite all the violence. This book portrays the path we have taken to build ties between civil society in Colombia and Venezuela."
"Frontera Común" also offers recommendations for the international community, with a particular emphasis on the European Union, on how to improve the lives of activists in the region. It shows how the Union can become a fundamental ally in building peace and strengthening democracy in these two countries.
The launch of "Frontera Común" takes place today at the Bogotá Book Fair, the second-largest book fair in the Americas. During the launch, the human rights defenders featured in the book will meet with key stakeholders from the continent to discuss what it means to live in the border territories of Latin America.
