Colombia
08.01.02
Urgent Interventions
Colombia: a girl child raped by a paramilitary group
Case COL 080102.CC/VAW
CHILD CONCERN
Torture
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT INTERVENTION in the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source about the arbitrary detention of four girl children by members of a paramilitary group. According to the information received, one of the girls was raped so as to force her to disclose information. These events occurred in the rural region of the Santander de Quilichao municipality, in Cauca department.
According to the information received, various paramilitary groups regularly appear in the Páez - Águila, Vilachi y el Cóndor de Santander de Quilichao villages. According to reports, the inhabitants of the affected communities are very concerned about the arbitrary detention of the four girl children, whose names still are unknown.
The same source of information has also added that the population is very frightened by this new method applied by the paramilitary groups, which seeks to force those detained to reveal the identities of members of their communities who supposedly have links with guerrilla groups in the region; in particular, because the paramilitary groups are threatening to “begin executions in the next few days”.
From this information, it is to be feared that a new massacre will shortly take place in this department, which already has suffered from the activities of paramilitary and other illegal groups.
The International Secretariat of OMCT shares the concern expressed by Colombian human rights organizations about the serious and continual aggressions committed against the inhabitants of the Cauca department and condemns this new act of violence, the persecution of the civil population, the apparent impunity of the perpetrators, and the fact that the municipal, departmental and national authorities have not adopted effective protective and preventive measures against these acts, and the continual threats to which they are subjected.
Moreover, OMCT recalls that torture has been qualified as an offence which must be punished under Colombian criminal law and that the Colombian State has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to which “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (art. 37).
Action requested:
Please write to the authorities in Colombia urging them to:
i. to take all necessary measures to guarantee the security and the physical and psychological integrity of the inhabitants of the Páez - Águila, Vilachi y el Cóndor villages, and of the Santander de Quilichao municipality and of the Cauca department in general;
ii. to take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the four above mentioned girl children, in particular of the rape victim;
iii. to guarantee an immediate, exhaustive and impartial enquiry into the facts described above, to identify those responsible, bring them before a competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions foreseen by the law;
iv. to immediately implement the recommendations of international and regional human rights organizations regarding Colombia, including those of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights;
v. to guarantee respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country, according to national laws and international standards, and in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention against Torture, both of which have been ratified by Colombia.
Addresses :
· S.E. Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República, Cra. 8 n°. 7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 2867434; (+57 1) 2866842; (+57 1) 28421 86
· Consejería Presidencial de Derechos Humanos, Calle 7 n°. 6-54 Piso 3, Santafé de Bogotá, D. C. Fax: (+57 1) 337 13 51.
· Doctor Gustavo Bell Lemus, Ministro de la Defensa, Avenida El Dorado con Cra. 52 CAN, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 222 18 74; e-mail : (dirección electrónica): siden@mindefensa.gov.co
· Doctor Armando Estrada Villa, Ministro del Interior, Cra. 8 n°. 8-09 Santa Fe de Bogotá, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 80 25; (+57 1) 286 84 05; (+57 1) 281 58 84; e-mail: minisint@col1.telecom.com.co
· Doctor Edgardo José Maya Villazón, Procurador General de la Nación, Carrera 5 n°. 15-80, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 284 0472; (+57 1) 342 97 23 ; (+57 1) 282 76 14 e-mail : reygon@procuraduria.gov.co
· Doctor Luis Camilo Osorio, Fiscal General de la Nación, Diagonal 22 B n°. 52-01, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 570 20 08; (+57 1) 570 20 00; e-mail : contacto@fiscalia.gov.co; denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co; webmaster@fiscalia.gov.co
· Doctor Eduardo Cifuentes, Defensor del Pueblo, Defensoría del Pueblo, Calle 55 n°. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+ 57 1) 346 12 25
· General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado con Cra. 52, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 222 29 35 ; e-mail : siden@mindefensa.gov.co; pilaque@cgm.mil.co
Please also write to the Paraguayan diplomatic representative in your country.
Geneva, 8 January 2002
Kindly inform us of any action you may take, citing the reference of this appeal in your reply.
CHILD CONCERN
Torture
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT INTERVENTION in the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source about the arbitrary detention of four girl children by members of a paramilitary group. According to the information received, one of the girls was raped so as to force her to disclose information. These events occurred in the rural region of the Santander de Quilichao municipality, in Cauca department.
According to the information received, various paramilitary groups regularly appear in the Páez - Águila, Vilachi y el Cóndor de Santander de Quilichao villages. According to reports, the inhabitants of the affected communities are very concerned about the arbitrary detention of the four girl children, whose names still are unknown.
The same source of information has also added that the population is very frightened by this new method applied by the paramilitary groups, which seeks to force those detained to reveal the identities of members of their communities who supposedly have links with guerrilla groups in the region; in particular, because the paramilitary groups are threatening to “begin executions in the next few days”.
From this information, it is to be feared that a new massacre will shortly take place in this department, which already has suffered from the activities of paramilitary and other illegal groups.
The International Secretariat of OMCT shares the concern expressed by Colombian human rights organizations about the serious and continual aggressions committed against the inhabitants of the Cauca department and condemns this new act of violence, the persecution of the civil population, the apparent impunity of the perpetrators, and the fact that the municipal, departmental and national authorities have not adopted effective protective and preventive measures against these acts, and the continual threats to which they are subjected.
Moreover, OMCT recalls that torture has been qualified as an offence which must be punished under Colombian criminal law and that the Colombian State has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to which “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (art. 37).
Action requested:
Please write to the authorities in Colombia urging them to:
i. to take all necessary measures to guarantee the security and the physical and psychological integrity of the inhabitants of the Páez - Águila, Vilachi y el Cóndor villages, and of the Santander de Quilichao municipality and of the Cauca department in general;
ii. to take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the four above mentioned girl children, in particular of the rape victim;
iii. to guarantee an immediate, exhaustive and impartial enquiry into the facts described above, to identify those responsible, bring them before a competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions foreseen by the law;
iv. to immediately implement the recommendations of international and regional human rights organizations regarding Colombia, including those of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights;
v. to guarantee respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the country, according to national laws and international standards, and in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention against Torture, both of which have been ratified by Colombia.
Addresses :
· S.E. Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República, Cra. 8 n°. 7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 2867434; (+57 1) 2866842; (+57 1) 28421 86
· Consejería Presidencial de Derechos Humanos, Calle 7 n°. 6-54 Piso 3, Santafé de Bogotá, D. C. Fax: (+57 1) 337 13 51.
· Doctor Gustavo Bell Lemus, Ministro de la Defensa, Avenida El Dorado con Cra. 52 CAN, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 222 18 74; e-mail : (dirección electrónica): siden@mindefensa.gov.co
· Doctor Armando Estrada Villa, Ministro del Interior, Cra. 8 n°. 8-09 Santa Fe de Bogotá, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 80 25; (+57 1) 286 84 05; (+57 1) 281 58 84; e-mail: minisint@col1.telecom.com.co
· Doctor Edgardo José Maya Villazón, Procurador General de la Nación, Carrera 5 n°. 15-80, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 284 0472; (+57 1) 342 97 23 ; (+57 1) 282 76 14 e-mail : reygon@procuraduria.gov.co
· Doctor Luis Camilo Osorio, Fiscal General de la Nación, Diagonal 22 B n°. 52-01, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 570 20 08; (+57 1) 570 20 00; e-mail : contacto@fiscalia.gov.co; denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co; webmaster@fiscalia.gov.co
· Doctor Eduardo Cifuentes, Defensor del Pueblo, Defensoría del Pueblo, Calle 55 n°. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+ 57 1) 346 12 25
· General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado con Cra. 52, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 222 29 35 ; e-mail : siden@mindefensa.gov.co; pilaque@cgm.mil.co
Please also write to the Paraguayan diplomatic representative in your country.
Geneva, 8 January 2002
Kindly inform us of any action you may take, citing the reference of this appeal in your reply.