UN warns of persistent violence against social leaders in Colombia

Although the government has implemented some measures, the United Nations notes that without a comprehensive and sustained strategy, violence against social leaders will continue.

Last week, a UN human rights report presented figures on violence against human rights defenders in Colombia. According to these figures, between 2016 and 2025 an average of almost 100 people were killed each year because of their political activism.

Marta Hurtado, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner, stated that, while she acknowledges that the government of Gustavo Petro has advanced several important measures to curb this violence, “effective measures” must be adopted so that it is treated as a matter of state priority. If this does not happen, the violence will continue, Hurtado warned.

The document indicated that in almost ten years there were 972 killings of human rights defenders and that the violence against these people is linked to a structural reality in the country. Hurtado added that the increase in these crimes is linked to drug and human trafficking, and to illegal mining and logging.

The text also points to high levels of impunity and institutional corruption as factors contributing to the violence. It further documents that “between 2022 and 2025, more than 400 defenders were killed and 23% of the victims were Indigenous,” a very high percentage considering that this group represents only 4.7% of the country’s total population.

In addition, the report’s figures show that 86% of the victims were men, 12% were women and 2% were members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Moreover, the most affected sectors include peasant farmers (171 cases), Indigenous people (95 cases) and people of African descent (42 cases).

Within this scenario, 76% of the violence was concentrated in ten departments, the most affected being Cauca with 20%, followed by Valle del Cauca, Nariño and Arauca. In addition to the killings, according to UN data, 2,018 cases of threats and attacks were recorded, including surveillance, stigmatization and kidnappings, used to silence and dismantle organizing processes.

Causes and perpetrators

As for responsibility for the crimes, the data indicate that 73% are attributed to non-state armed actors, 8% to criminal organizations and 4% to local economic and political power groups. The violence is also linked to the struggle for control of territory and illicit economies such as drug trafficking or illegal mining, the weak comprehensive presence of the State and high levels of impunity.

Among the UN’s main concerns is the 50% reduction of its staff in Colombia, as it closed three regional offices in Medellín, Neiva and Villavicencio. This reduced monitoring and technical assistance capacity in seven departments, raising alarm among authorities and social organizations.

Among the sectors most affected by this cut are Indigenous peoples, especially the Nasa People in Cauca and the Awá People in Nariño, who face extreme risks for defending their autonomy and territory. 

Another affected group is the Community Action Boards (Juntas de Acción Comunal, JAC), whose officers account for 34% of the homicides (137 cases), as they are pressured by armed groups to exercise social control. 

In addition, the UN report also warns that killings of women defenders doubled between 2022 and 2025, and that these women also face gender-based violence and attacks on their private lives and their families.

Progress and challenges

The United Nations noted the progress made by Colombia’s current government and, although there was recognition of the work of human rights defenders and dialogues were resumed, the State has not managed to reverse the patterns of violence, as a lack of coordination between the national and territorial levels persists, the report maintains.

On the one hand, this is because the current model of the protection system, run by the National Protection Unit (UNP), is considered unsustainable and overwhelmed, with a mostly individual and material approach that is poorly suited to rural contexts. 

On the other hand, the document highlights that impunity remains very high; of the cases investigated between 2022 and 2025, only 6.87% have reached a verdict. According to the sources, the justice system in Colombia faces multiple structural and operational obstacles that explain why only 6.87% of the cases of killings of defenders investigated between 2022 and 2025 have resulted in a verdict, and why in 55% of the killings that occurred in that period, no alleged perpetrator has yet been identified. 

The United Nations recommended strengthening coordination between the national and territorial levels, improving the response capacity of local authorities and making progress in overcoming impunity. It also proposed providing municipalities with resources and capacities so that they can perform their role as first responders in prevention and protection. At the same time, they warned that human rights defenders should not have to put their lives at risk and that they will seek to contribute through their work to changing the situation in Colombia. 

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia