News

Eight initiatives awarded in the 'Walking Towards Justice' awards

September 14, 2021
Community leaders, journalists, lawyers and representatives of human rights organizations were awarded for their work on behalf of migrant communities.
In an emotional face-to-face ceremony on September 9, the Walking Towards Justice Awards were presented in Bogotá, Colombia highlighting the unconditional work of community leaders, civil society organizations, legal professionals and journalists in recognition of their work for the benefit of migrants and refugees in the country. The awards were created with the purpose of publicly praising the work carried out by different groups in response to the lack of protection of the migrant population in Colombia.
The Walking to Justice awards were presented by the program ‘Conectando Caminos por los Derechos’ (the Venezuelan Migrant Human Rights Activity), which has been working to increase community cohesion and citizen security to guarantee the right of all members of society to live free from all forms of crime and violence, regardless of their legal status in the country. This initiative is funded by USAID and implemented by Pact, ABA ROLI, Freedom House and Internews in partnership with organizations and local governments in different parts of the country.
The project contributes to reducing the ignorance and the feeling of mistrust of Venezuelan migrants, most of whom are afraid to report the acts of violence they have suffered after their arrival in Colombia. According to figures from Migración Colombia, 54% of the 1,742,927 Venezuelan migrants, living mainly in the cities of Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cúcuta, Medellín, Cali and Cartagena, are in an irregular condition and require interventions by Colombian institutions and civil society to live with dignity.
To read more (in Spanish) about the people and initiatives awarded, click here