Yaneth Bautista is the director of the Nidia Erica Bautista Foundation for Human Rights, an organisation that supports 500 victims of forced disappearance in eight regions of Colombia. Yaneth’s sister for whom the foundation is named, and Yaneth’s partner were abducted by the army in 1987 for being members of the Movimiento 19 April political group. Since that time Yaneth has been fighting for justice for victims of disappearance.
“The work that we do with victims of forced disappearance is holistic and comprehensive. We offer them legal support, we do empowerment to enable the families to change from being victims of violence to political and social agents who can work for social change." Yaneth Bautista
The foundation works documents cases for the Truth Commission and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and the Unit for the Search of Disappeared People and lobbies the government to change public policies in favour of the rights of victims while also works with the international community.
"We search for the Disappeared because families come to us looking for the answers that the state will not give them. Where are our loved ones? Why were they taken?" Yaneth Bautista
"We want to submit 500 cases from the eight regions in which we work, to the Truth Commission. We have a whole team where we run the Leadership School for Women Relatives." Yaneth Bautista
Yaneth Bautista, Tita Radilla, Ivan Madero, JLO Cordova and David Ravelo talk about their experience with Peace Brigades International (PBI)
PBI is an international non-governmental organisation with four decades of experience supporting those on the ground. PBI currently supports over 1,300 human rights defenders: activists, community leaders, and at-risk lawyers who receive threats and violence on a daily basis for defending human rights.