Activists in Colombia
(Photo : Reuters)

Colombia has remained the deadliest place to live in for environmental and human rights activists according to a recent study.

Human rights and environmental activists play a very important role. They help to maintain balance in the government though most of the time they oppose the administration. However, despite this, their contributions in the country are very significant and could help change practices. 

Human rights activists make sure that every citizen in a country has equal rights regardless of their socio-economic status and gender. Meanwhile, environmental activists make sure that a country's environment receives attention and care from the government behind industrialization. Other activists have their own missions based on their philosophical objectives.

In a recent study that monitors violence on activists, it was found that Colombia remains the deadliest place to live for the activists according to a published article in Latin Times. Front Line Defenders, who aim to protect human rights defenders who are at risk, found that Colombia is the deadliest place for them.

Front Line Defenders released its global analysis report for 2019 and they revealed that among the 304 human rights defenders killed last year, 106 deaths were recorded in Colombia. This is the highest among the countries included in the report. 

It was also indicated in the report that 85 percent of the activists who were killed have previously experienced threats personally or being threatened in the place where they worked. Moreover, Colombia has been the deadliest place for human rights activists since 2018 and according to a recent study that even though the number of victims went down from 126 to 106 in 2019, still the country remained at the top. Their recorded death is higher compared to the Philippines which has recorded 43 deaths last year.

Moreover, it is also assumed that there could be more deaths related to the activists than the reported and recorded killings. Those who joined in any form to fight for human rights, a fight to protect the land and the environment in Colombia but were killed are supposed to be part of the statistics. However, most of them were not accounted for in the data.

The Insitute for Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz), a non-government and a non-profit organization which is made up of people who have collaboratively work with people in stabilizing peace in Colombia, reported in a news outlet that there were 40 Human Rights Defenders who were killed since January this year and that includes environmental activists, national park ranger, and indigenous rights activists.

The surging number of violent killings in Colombia is getting worse because activists in any form are always associated as the enemy of the government. The Front Line Defenders also told that activists have a big possibility to be assassinated once they intervene or oppose the economic interest.

It is also very important to note that the number of activist killings started when the government signed a Peace Agreement with FARC-EP. It is assumed that this happened because the government cannot fulfill its obligation in the said agreement with the guerilla group.