Ludivia Galindez
Ludivia Galindez was a woman human rights defender from La Montañita and President of the Asociación Municipal de Juntas de Acción Comunal (ASOJUNTAS) of the same community. She worked with the communities in the orientation process for the Substitution of Illicit Cultivation National Program. She was also a member of the Asociación de Mujeres por la Paz y la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos de la Mujer Colombiana (ASODEMUC) and of the Comité Permanente de Derechos Humanos (CPDH). Through these spaces, the community leader promoted the development of the communities of Caquetá and the respect of human rights in the region.
HRDs in Colombia work in a violent and unsafe environment. They are subjected to threats, intimidation, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, physical assaults, torture, killings, illegal searches of their homes and offices and stigmatisation as a result of their activities in defence of human rights. The perpetrators of these abuses are frequently paramilitary groups, many of whom have links to the government or security services, or armed opposition groups. The continued frequent and severe threats and attacks against HRDs around the country contradict government claims of paramilitary demobilisation.
