Statement rejecting the threats directed at the leaders of the teachers' union in Colombia
For decades, Colombian teachers have been victims of persecution, stigmatization, and extermination by various legal and illegal actors operating throughout the country. In the last thirty years, more than 1000 teachers have been murdered, the vast majority for their social commitment to their communities and for daring to denounce the abuses of the national government.
The murder and persecution of social and union leaders in different regions of the country are part of the recent history of the armed conflict that our country experienced for more than sixty years; and the continuation of that dispute between political powers and armed actors who insist on transgressing the peace agreements and who end up permeating school institutions and the work of teachers.
Just like Latin American Network of Studies on Teaching Work – RED ESTRADO- y CLACSO Working Group on Educational Policies and the Right to EducationWe denounce and reject each of the threats that have been directed at the leaders of the teaching profession, particularly against the 15 members of the FECODE Executive Committee along with the president of the Central Unitary of Workers (CUT) that occurred last Monday, October 26, 2020.
Undoubtedly, we are witnessing a moment in the country's history where, in addition to the concentration of power in the executive branch, the "internal enemy" security doctrine has been exacerbated, in which the people themselves are considered military targets. The stigmatization and systematic persecution of FECODE (the Colombian Federation of Educators), the attempt to eliminate academic freedom, the reform of educational legislation without consulting educational stakeholders, and the systematic criminalization of social protest are all part of the current constriction of democracy. This situation demands that the general public be alerted and that collective action be taken to prevent the escalation of the conflict, which threatens the social fabric.
Amid this landscape of violence and persecution, compounded by the challenges posed by the pandemic, Colombian teachers have demonstrated their tenacity, creativity, and social commitment to maintaining educational and pedagogical processes despite the difficulties faced by educational communities. Testimony to these realities are the stories and actions undertaken by educators throughout the country; some of these were shared during the 10 Pedagogical Gatherings in Quarantine facilitated by the Estrado Network – Colombia in different regions of the country.
As members of the Estrado Network, we express our solidarity with FECODE, embrace their struggles, and invite the various educational and academic communities to stand with our teachers in an atmosphere of unity, respect for diversity, and peace. Likewise, we call upon the Colombian State to guarantee the life and safety of all teachers nationwide and to prevent any violation of their rights.
Bogotá
28th October 2020
CLACSO Working Group
Educational policies and the right to education
Latin American Network of Studies on Teaching Work
NETWORK STAGE
This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Educational policies and the right to education and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
