Towards the end of the year, people like to look back. It is particularly worth taking a look at the achievements of our partner organization ACOOC. ACOOC, a contact point for young conscientious objectors in Colombia, has become a strong lobby organization in recent years.
ACOOC (Acciòn Colectiva de Objetoras y Objetores de Conciencia – Collective Action for Conscientious Objection in Colombia) has been supported by terre des hommes schweiz for five years. For most people in Switzerland, it is difficult to understand how important ACOOC’s commitment is for young people in Colombia. In a nutshell: those who perform military service are exposed to considerable risks and those who refuse to do so are not allowed to take up regular work for the rest of their lives.
Started as a simple contact point
ACOOC began in 1999 as a contact point for conscientious objectors, offering informative workshops, psychosocial support and public relations work. Since then, ACOOC has developed considerably. From a contact point for conscientious objectors, it has become a powerful and professional organization that has also achieved a great deal politically and is sometimes accepted as a lobby group by politicians, especially in Bogota.
Much has changed legally
The batidas, recruitment for military service from the streets, have been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. Thanks to the ACOOC and its allies, these batidas and conscientious objection to military service have gone from being a taboo to a public issue in Colombia. Recently, for example, a batida was secretly filmed by Colombian state television and broadcast to the public. This was after the Supreme Court elevated freedom of conscience to constitutional status. At the same time, the legislature was instructed to include the possibility of civilian service in the laws. Accordingly, President Santos has now announced that he will find a legal solution as soon as a peace treaty with the FARC rebels is signed.
Alert system for batidas
While much has been achieved at national level, our partner organization still has a lot of work to do on a practical level. Although batidas are illegal, the military still carries them out, albeit less frequently. Until the legislator puts an end to this practice, ACOOC has set up an alarm system against batidas. When the alarm is raised, someone from ACOOC comes and observes the events and records them for later court proceedings.
Political backing in Bogota
In addition to creativity and perseverance, ACOOC’s work also impresses with its ability to seek political support. The current mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, supports the concerns of our partner organization. In collaboration with ACOOC, the city of Bogota has had instructions printed explaining how young people can best refuse military service.
Project work at terre des hommes schweiz is a marathon
In Colombia, a country marked by violence through and through, the work of small organizations such as ACOOC only bears (great) fruit after many years. Only a long-term commitment can give our partner organizations sufficient support so that they can develop. And this commitment is only possible thanks to the support of our donors. Thank you very much for this!
