American Anthropological Association

MIT anthropologist Jean Jackson submitted a report (pdf) to the Committee for Human Rights titled, “The Awá of Southern Colombia: a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Violence.” In her report, Jackson describes human rights violations against the Awa and other indigenous groups in the region.  She writes,

A crisis of violence is afflicting an indigenous people, the Awá, in the department of Nariño in southwestern Colombia.  The perpetrators, multiple and diverse, include right-wing paramilitaries, leftist guerillas, and the Colombian army, their attacks abetted by an indifferent national government, appalling accumulations of anti-personnel mines, and an aerial fumigation program to eradicate illegal coca plantations.  The result has been shocking large numbers of human rights abuses, massive forced internal displacement, widespread hunger, and a breakdown of educational, health, and Awá cultural institutions.

Unfortunately, the outlook looks bleak for the Awá and other indigenous populations:

Real change requires policies and actions from the highest levels of government, and despite repeated denunciations on the part of various organizations, indigenous and nonindigenous, the official response to the Awa crisis has been extremely disappointing.  The Uribe [Colombian] government is on a collision course with Colombia’s regional and national indigenous organizations.