"Together, we help the community become aware of their rights"

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“There are very nice things about what we do. For example, working with communities in areas where nobody else goes," says Alexander, a human rights defender in eastern Colombia. Alexander and his colleagues are part of the "Human Rights Defenders Border Network,” a project implemented by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with support from the European Union.

Through this project, UNHCR has been able to increase the number of defenders. Their work is focused on providing support to people who have had to flee their homes due to threats and armed conflict in the border region.

Human rights defenders play an essential role in preserving the rights of people forced to leave their homes, traveling to remote areas to speak to families and community leaders about how they can meet their protection needs.

“As a human rights defender, I have many roles. When I started working with my colleagues and we visited communities, no one knew we existed. Now, a lot of people are aware of our work," Alexander says.

“Thanks to the support we receive from international cooperation agencies, we can now reach other remote locations and help more people. It is really nice when someone tells me, ‘thanks to you, I am alive,’” says Juan Carlos, a fellow human rights defender.

In the captions below, Alexander and his colleagues share details about their work and daily lives.

My name is Alexander Rivera. Every morning I start my day with the goal of serving and protecting my community, especially the people who have had to move to other parts of the country to keep their families safe. Some families had to flee several times because they feared for their safety.

© UNHCR

In this border region, we advocate in favor of people's rights. We go house to house to ensure that everyone can access education, health, and identity document services, including people living in remote areas in the eastern region of Colombia on the border with Venezuela.

© UNHCR

A crucial part of my work is advising indigenous communities who have had to flee their territories with their families because of the armed conflict. I talk to parents and advise them on how and where they can access education and health services for their children. We also accompany people who live in the border region and have witnessed the armed conflict, supporting them, so they don't have to leave their homes.

© UNHCR

We use an inclusive approach that considers people's age, gender, and diversity and is guided by the principle of non-discrimination. We also work with mothers so that they can access services for their newborn babies.

© UNHCR

We meet with residents in the community, sharing and talking to understand their needs.

© UNHCR

We register people who have fled their homes because of the armed conflict, which involves working with other human rights defenders. Thanks to the Human Rights Defenders Network – a project implemented by UNHCR in Colombia with support from the European Union – we have an increased capacity to reach more citizens.

© UNHCR