[CTC] Obama seeks CEOs' help in Latin America

[Arthur Stamoulis]

[cid:1D38C67D-02CF-4CA7-B61E-B4609B4664AA at charlottesville.org]

President Obama's Green Light to FTA is a Red Flag for Afro-Colombians


As President Obama seems to be ready to give green light to Colombia for the implementation of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, under the guise of improvements on labor conditions and human rights, the Black Communities Process in Colombia raises the question: what it will take for the Obama administration to understand the severity of Afro-Colombians' human rights situation?
Just this year, from January to April, PCN registered ten violent events that have caused the internal displacement of 35 families in Buenaventura; three families in the coast of Cauca Department (Guapi and Timbiqui), to escape the forced recruitment of their children; two leaders disappeared and later killed by paramilitaries in Curvarado, Choco; five civilians killed and more than 20 wounded by bombs in Tumaco and Guapi; two death threats to Community Council leaders, internal displaced and women organizations in Cauca (16 in total since 2009).
These are just a handful of horrible examples of the egregious human rights violations against Afro-descendant communities and their leaders before FTA implementation. Yet we understand that this administration is prepared to proclaim to the world that human rights situation in Colombia is not an issue anymore. For Afro-Colombians, we are still disproportionably affected by the internal armed conflict in all its manifestations, we are still the most impoverished in the country, we are still military target by all armed forces in urban and rural areas, we still have our lands taken away, we still have all our basic needs unsatisfied, we still have little opportunities ahead with the high levels of illiteracy and low levels of high education, we still don't have any reliable representation in the government at local, regional and national levels due to structural practices of corruption and discrimination.
While President Obama makes presence in Caratgena, the first land where our African ancestors stepped foot on after being kidnapped, as part of the first trans Atlantic "free trade system" in the Americas, to talk about hopes and future for the continent, we ask: do the African descendant people count?
If in Colombia there are men, women and children dying every day of hunger, sexual violence, targeted killing, lack of health services and victims of the daring economic conditions in urban and rural settlements; if every day men and women died or lose their productive capacity as consequences of the physical and emotional circumstances that they live in; if is most Black people disproportionably impacted by discrimination and marginalization, why is that the Obama administration does not recognize these as severe serious human rights  violations?
Being human rights inherent to all human persons, does President Obama considers that the fundamental rights of Afro-descendants are violated on regular basis in Colombia? Or, it is that Afro-descendants don't have after all the same rights as the rest of human beings in the country? As the focus is on labor conditions and union leaders rights we ask, what about Afro-Colombians?
President Obama, the Black Communities' Process exhorts you to abstain from giving a green light to the FTA in Colombia and better pay attention to the red flag that all those committed to protect human rights have been raising for long time now, particularly in regard to Afro-Colombians.
With our traditional affirmation of life, joy, hope and freedom,

Black Communities Process in Colombia (PCN)
International Working Group in the United States

Contact information: Charo Mina-Rojas at charominarojas at gmail.com<mailto:charominarojas at gmail.com> or (1+34) 760-0663.


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Charo Mina Rojas
National Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator
Black Communities' Process (PCN)
International Working Group, US
Email: charominarojas at gmail.com<mailto:charominarojas at gmail.com>
Cell phone: 434-760-0663
www.afrocolombians.com<http://www.afrocolombians.com>
www.renacientes.org<http://www.renacientes.org>

"Resistir no es Aguantar"
To resist is not to Endure, Mandate of the Fourth National Assembly of PCN

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