AS education trade unions in Britain and Ireland, we are greatly concerned over ongoing violence against Colombian teachers. The Educational Institute of Scotland, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, the NASUWT UK-wide teachers’ union, the National Education Union and the University and College Union collectively represent almost one million teachers and education workers.

Our unions have supported Colombian trade unionists through our work with Justice for Colombia (JFC), and many of our members have met with the FECODE teachers union and other trade unionists on JFC delegations to Colombia.

Despite the 2016 peace agreement, and the optimism this instilled across Colombian society, teachers continue to face aggression and stigmatisation. The International Trade Union Confederation found that 13 teachers were murdered in 2018, a year in which murders of Colombian trade unionists more than doubled to 34 from 15 the previous year, accounting for almost two-thirds of 53 worldwide cases.

More teachers were murdered in 2019, such as school principal Orlando Gomez who was abducted from his workplace and killed last August.

This human rights crisis has continued into 2020. On February 7, teacher Sandra Mayerly Baquero was killed in Arauca, north-east Colombia. The following day, Carlos Rivas, the former director of FECODE, survived an assassination attempt when shots were fired at his car.

Also in early February, 25 teachers were forced to close the school where they work and leave their homes due to threats in Atlantico, northern Colombia. FECODE says another 15 of its members were displaced in Taraza, Antioquia.