Building the Foundation for Peace
"We express our deepest respect, recognition and regret for the thousands of people who were victims of the conflict. We accept them all as our own kin, and we will never waver in our endeavour to see them vindicated... [W]e reaffirm our strong rejection of impunity... and our commitment to continue working for the clarification of the complete truth and the search for justice, the only glue that can make reconciliation possible in Peru."
 Janet Flores Chimanga, Huancayo, 2002. From PCS photo exhibit Testimonies of Pain and Courage, by Nelly Plaza. |
This is part of a joint statement by organizations of people who were victims of the internal war that wreaked destruction and death in Peru over a decade ago. The twenty organizations from across the country included youth groups, mothers' committees, families of the disappeared and the massacred, networks of people who had been jailed on false charges for half a lifetime.
It is only now, through the Truth Commission established to investigate crimes committed during that war, that people are able to give their testimony, speak their truths, and publicly acknowledge their lost loved ones. And with the telling of their truths, they are reclaiming their full rights as citizens to participate in the reconstruction of their country.
With the assistance and support of Project Counselling Service and Inter Pares, Peruvian organizations have been able to come together during the public hearings of the Truth Commission to hear testimony by the politicians, the guerrillas, many of the people who were responsible for so much of the violence. As citizens, indigenous women decided to publicize their testimonies through a photo exhibit with over 30 portraits of women who refuse to be silenced or shamed by what happened to them.*
People affected by the violence came together and supported one another, and claimed as their own all the thousands of people throughout the country who still suffer in silence and fear. And together they are committed to maintaining their courage and their determination to see their country rebuilt on a foundation of justice and truth.
* See Photo Essay to view the photo exhibit.
December 18, International Migrants Day, recognizes the millions of people who are forced to cross borders in search of livelihoods. As "guest workers", migrants do the jobs that others find dirty, dangerous, and difficult - most without rights and protection from exploitation. December 18 is also the name of a global network of non-governmental organizations, including Inter Pares, which has led a campaign for the ratification of the UN International Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Working primarily through the Internet, December 18 animated and coordinated the international campaign for the adoption of the Convention.
Due in large part to the coalition's efforts, the UN Convention came into force on July 1st, 2003. Shamefully, along with every other wealthy country in the world, Canada continues to refuse to endorse this Convention, while enacting legislation that restricts further the movement of people in search of ways to support themselves and their families. To learn more or to join the December 18 network, visit their Web site at www.december18.net.
| Reviewed June 1, 2004 |  |
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