Journalism, youth and sports for peace in Honduras

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and at the same time, one of the most violent in the world according to the number of homicides registered annually. In this context of institutional fragility, inequality, high levels of poverty, corruption and impunity, there is nevertheless an event that awakens hope in the Honduran society: football. For the Honduran society, football is a 90-minute pause of happiness amid decades of anomie.

In societies where there are no institutional and social mechanisms for conflict transformation, violence that starts as a natural rivalry between two football teams, can transcend the limits of a stadium and become a social problem.

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Football stadium in Hondruas. Photo credit: Interpeace.

An example of this, is the violence related to the football clubs in Honduras. Young fans of a local football team, who are victims of social exclusion and lack of opportunities, have expressed their hopes and identity in the support they give to a football team. This has transitioned from a natural rivalry between teams, to violence in the streets. The violence that is perpetrated between the fans of these football clubs has evolved from fights and blows in the stadium to open armed confrontations within their own communities.

In contexts, such as Honduras, youth groups (gangs, sports and school clubs, rock groups and other forms of youth groupings) represent a mechanism of cohesion, identity and solidarity that are strengthened and radicalized due on the one hand, to the excessive violence exercised by other forms of associations and social integration (school and family) and, secondly, the repressive action of State agents (police).

Interpeace and sports clubs in Honduras

In February of 2014, Interpeace’s Office for Latin America launched the project “Sports Clubs for Peace” avec l’aide de la Berghof Foundation. Through this programme, Interpeace worked to strengthen the capacities of the leaders of the two main sports clubs in the country, the “Ultra Fiel” and the “Revolucionarios,” to address conflicts in non-violent and creative ways. Additionally, Interpeace contributed to building a positive perception of the sports clubs as relevant actors for the construction of peace in Honduras. In order to reach this objective, Interpeace implemented a training programme on issues related to conflict transformation, peace culture and mediations with young members of the sports clubs in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, la Ceiba and Choluteca, so that young participants could have the necessary tools to become agents of change in favor of non-violence and peace in the country.

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Members of the sports clubs in Honduras. Photo credit: Interpeace.

Journalism, youth and sports for peace in Honduras

In Honduras, the young sports club’s members have been victims of stigmatization and criminalization for belonging to these clubs. This is aggravated by the fact that football is one of the activities in the country that is given more media attention. In this way, the sports clubs members are permanently in the public eye, associated less with the sport and more with the violence.

As part of the efforts to deepen the work that began with “Sports Clubs for Peace,” beginning on November 2016, Interpeace launched the project "Journalism, youth and sports for peace in Honduras." In an alliance with Presse gratuite illimitée and the Central American digital newspaper El Faro, the objective of the project is to contribute to the non-violent transformation of conflicts by changing perceptions and reducing the stigmatization of young people in Honduras.

The project "Journalism, youth and sports for peace" will seek to help young members of the main Honduran sports clubs, become agents of change in favor of nonviolence and peace in the country. In addition, the project seeks to strengthen ties between sports club members and the Honduran press in favor of alternative narratives that focus on understanding the causes of violence and contribute to a positive change in the public perception of marginalized youth. Listening to the voice, the human dimension and the story of young people immersed in cycles of violence, is an essential step for the construction of peace in Honduras.

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Football stadium in Honduras. Photo credit: Interpeace

The “how” is as important as the “what”: Interpeace’s contribution to the International Peacebuilding Forum in Colombia

Interpeace was part of the International Forum "Towards building a stable and lasting peace," which took place at the Central University of Colombia, with the support of the Colombian National Police, from November 16 through 18.

Within the framework of this event, the challenges that Colombia will face after the end of the armed conflict were analyzed by the participants. Moreover, they examined the constitutional, legal, institutional and political conditions that can facilitate building peace in the country and also sought to propose an innovative approach to rethink the concept of security and coexistence under the principles of peacebuilding.

Representatives of Interpeace and our strategic partner, Alianza Para la Paz, shared experiences and reflections on the lessons learned in other contexts, such as South Africa, Northern Ireland and Guatemala, and the importance of understanding peace agreements, as the beginning of a stable and lasting peacebuilding process.

Ana Glenda Tager, Regional Director for Interpeace’s Office for Latin America, moderated the debate “Towards a shared vision of peace: challenges and obstacles.” She highlighted the importance of the forum as an occasion to define the bases of action for the Colombian National Police in the field of peacebuilding, particularly through its specialized unit, UNIPEP. Additionally, she spoke about the geopolitical context and the causes that generated the Colombian civil war. Ana Glenda Tager also stressed the importance of establishing a viable methodology for building peace in Colombia and pointed out: “Among the challenges, one of the fundamental obstacles is the fear of change, the fear of transformation. For this reason, in the peacebuilding process, the ‘how’ is as important as the ‘what’.”

Ana Glenda Tager

Ana Glenda Tager, Regional Director for Interpeace’s Office for Latin America

Watch Ana Glenda Tager at the Forum s'inscrire ici, (Min 1.07.00 - in Spanish). 

Project Director of our strategic partner Alianza Para la Paz, Otto Argueta, also moderated a debate during the Forum: "Constitutional, legal, political and institutional determinants that will facilitate building peace." During this dialogue, he stressed the importance of putting the human factor at the center of the peacebuilding debates, that is, the necessity to understand the perspectives of both parties involved in the conflict. In addition, he spoke about how peace is not an event crystallized in time, but rather a dynamic process of reconciliation between opposing parties, whose most important result is the reestablishment of the bonds of trust. "As Mandela once stated - peace is not made with friends, it is made with enemies - and this means to make an effort to approach the others," he expressed.

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Otto Argueta, Project Director of Alianza Para la Paz

In the same debate, Monica McWilliams, a key figure in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations and Vice-Chair of Interpeace’s Governing Council, shared her experiences during the peace process in her country: “In Northern Ireland, we spent many months talking to guerrilla leaders, intelligence services and with the police. However, it wasn’t until the day when peace was signed, when it was possible to have all these actors agree, that we realized that from that moment on, the hardest work was beginning.” McWilliams added that the military solution did not work in Northern Ireland, and that the best results were achieved through dialogue, diplomacy and politics.

Monica McWilliams

Monica McWilliams, Vice-Chair of Interpeace’s Governing Council

Watch Otto Argueta and Monica McWilliams at the Forum s'inscrire ici, (Monica McWilliams in Min 1.13.00 and Otto Argueta in Min 2.10.00 - in Spanish).

Graeme Simpson, Director of Interpeace USA, shared his experience in peacebuilding and transitional justice in South Africa. During the session “Reconfiguration of the concept of security and citizen coexistence in a post-war context,” Graeme Simpson stated that in the peacebuilding field there are no prefabricated models and each society must find the best solutions for their specific context. He added that when addressing the issue of transitional justice, and specifically of amnesty, key elements in the Colombian peace process that must be taken into account, are not only the rights of demilitarized guerrillas, but also the rights of victims of the guerrilla movement, in order to legitimize the agreements. "When building peace, it is essential to rebuild trust between the people and between the people and the state. In South Africa, we did not address the social and cultural issues behind the agreements. These issues are fundamental to building peaceful and equitable societies,” Simpson said.

Graeme Simpson

Graeme Simpson, Director of Interpeace USA

Watch Graeme Simpson at the Forum s'inscrire ici, (Min 00.18.00 - in Spanish).

Interpeace’s Regional Office for Latin America has worked in Guatemala for over a decade and as part of the exchange of experiences and lessons learned from countries that have dealt with the implementation of peace processes, invited human rights activist Helen Mack to participate in the forum.  Helen Mack is the founder of the Myrna Mack Foundation and is recognized worldwide for her fight against impunity in Guatemala. During her intervention, she spoke about Guatemala’s peacebuilding challenges and her personal involvement. “I have been stigmatized and criminalized for demanding rights, for example the right to justice,” Mack expressed. She highlighted not only the positive accounts of Guatemala’s peacebuilding experience, but more importantly spoke about the mistakes that were made and what wasn’t done.

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Helen Mack, founder of the Myrna Mack Foundation

Watch Helen Mack in the Forum s'inscrire ici, (Video in Spanish). 

The international forum "Towards building a stable and lasting peace" constituted a privileged space for reflection and analysis of this fundamental stage in the history of Colombia. The forum provided the opportunity to get views and opinions from experts on peacebuilding, transitional justice and international cooperation. In addition, several issues were addressed about the peace process with the FARC-EP for the termination of the conflict. Moreover, opinions and proposals were heard to identify common denominators, innovative programs and good practices, to address the challenges for the consolidation of a peaceful, equitable and inclusive Colombia.

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International Forum "Towards building a stable and lasting peace" held in Colombia

 

Favoring technical training in “Boquerón” detention center in Guatemala

The “Boquerón” detention center is located in the district of Santa Rosa in Guatemala, less than an hour away from the capital. In 2015, Interpeace’s Regional Office for Latin America, began to implement a project to provide technical training for young inmates in this detention center. The project was made possible with the cooperation of the Spanish NGO International Youth Initiative and the financial support of Malaga’s City Hall.

For Interpeace, the implementation of treatment programmes in detention centers, is intended to promote rehabilitation processes and support the General Direction of the Penitentiary System in Guatemala. This is accomplished by providing inmates with social, educational, cultural and productive job training workshops.

As part of the project, technical training was provided for young inmates at “Boquerón” in graphic design, serigraphy and dye-sublimination; workshops in computer programming and maintenance, as well as diverse methods of craft elaborations. In addition to these workshops, the young inmates were also trained to develop skills in management and conflict transformation, psychology and personal motivation. Moreover, Interpeace provided them with a screen printing apparatus, as well as several supplies and equipment for dye-sublimination, which uses heat to transfer dye onto materials such as plastic, cards, paper, or fabric.

Workshop at Boquerón Detention Center in Guatemala. Photo credit: Interpeace.

The systematic nature of society requires interventions oriented toward generating synergies which favor interactions between different tracks or different sectors of society, which is why Interpeace also applied its approche Track 6 in this project. Interpeace officials performed several activities at the political level (Track 1) with the Vice Minister of Security and the Directives of the Penitentiary System, conducted activities with other organizations of civil society working in support of the prison system (Track 2) and implemented activities directly with the young inmates, who are the beneficiaries of the project (Track 3).

The ultimate goal of the project was to expand the social function of the prison system and to achieve specific objectives such as reducing leisure time in detention centers and provide methods of rehabilitation and social reintegration with respect to the inmates’ human dignity, human rights and laws.

Shirt elaborated by the participants of the Boquerón project in Guatemala. Photo credit: Interpeace.

Fostering local entrepreneurship as a violence prevention method in El Salvador

Violence and crime have a direct relationship with the limitations caused by socio-economic inequality, exclusion and weak public institutions. When large groups of society cannot find employment and educational opportunities, which are necessary to ensure an income for the survival of their family, then other forms of income generation begin to gain strength. In that sense, illegal economy is the link that explains the relationship between inequality and crime. Not all expressions of an illegal economy thrive on violent actions, but it does create the necessary conditions for violence to take on a regulatory role of competition between groups, which causes the detriment of peaceful community relations. The expansion of an illegal economy is also related to the lack of productive alternatives. In societies where the economy is in crisis, migration becomes another social strategy in the search for economic resources. According to the World Bank estimates, El Salvador receives about 4 billion annually in remittances, which represents 17% of their GDP.

In El Salvador, massive migration and the expansion of the illegal economy, have been the principle effects of an economic situation, which as time goes by reduces productive and employment options for the most socially and economically vulnerable young people.

Zacatecoluca, El Salvador. Photo credit: Interpeace

To Interpeace, reducing violence has to do with overcoming the structural deficits that generate a context of violence and criminality, which means generating productive opportunities for young people so that they can therefore reduce social risks they face every day. Risk and vulnerability is not something that exists in young people, but in their social and economic environment.

Through the project “Comprehensive initiatives to prevent violence in El Salvador,” Interpeace seeks to support local entrepreneurship as the most efficient way to create opportunities for social and economic development. When these opportunities are inclusive, then they are the most powerful way to prevent violence. This project, financed by the European Union and implemented by Interpeace’s Regional Office for Latin America in 10 districts in the country, involves at risk youth between the ages of 18 and 29 and provides workshops for young men and women in methods and skills to transform conflicts in non-violent ways, as well as offering productive training for entrepreneurship to promote the creation of productive associations, through seed capital.

Workshop at San Vicente, El Salvador. Photo credit: Interpeace.

The first workshops took place in the districts of Nueva Concepción and Ilopango in July. In October, three other districts joined the programme: San Vicente, Zacatecoluca y Quezaltepeque. The workshops that took place were about conflict transformation, violence prevention and promoting a culture of peace. At the end of the course, tests were provided to the participants to evaluate their learning level. Moreover, the young men and women defined the entrepreneurships they want to set in course in their communities. In Ilopango and Nueva Concepción, cheese will be developed by the participants; in Zacatecoluca, small chicken farms will be established and together will form a single venture; in San Vicente, participants will work on processing sweet potato as raw material for the production of food products and in Quezaltepeque, the cultivation of chile will take place. Additionally, in Ciudad Delgado, the workshops have begun and in the following months, participants will start the process of identification and selection of their entrepreneurship.

Interpeace’s Regional Office for Latin America is also working with political, local and national institutions, as well as with the private sector of El Salvador, to promote a culture of peace in the country and shorten the distance between different sectors of society. Programme officials have met with the delegation of the National Police force of Soyapango and Ilopango, in order to create inclusive strategies for all levels of Salvadoran society to prevent violence and promote entrepreneurship among young people. Therefore, as part of the project, members of the National Police of El Salvador will receive training in the districts where the project is being developed.

Workshop at Zacatecoluca, El Salvador. Photo credit: Interpeace.

From Belfast to Bogotá: Monica McWilliams promotes the role of women in peacebuilding

One week before the Peace Agreements were signed, Monica McWilliams, Vice Chair of Interpeace’s Governing Council and an expert on Conflict Resolution and Transitional Justice, travelled to Colombia to support the women and men who are working to build peace in the country. As leader of the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland, McWilliams has become a role model for peacebuilders around the world. During her visit, which was organized by the Interpeace Regional Office for Latin America in partnership with Alianza Para la Paz and the initiative One Million Women for Peace, she participated in several events and discussions in support of women’s role in peacebuilding processes.

Monica McWilliams in Bogotá, Colombia, with members of Interpeace Latin America and One Million Women for Peace. Photo credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

Women Choose Peace in Colombia

Recognized for her invaluable contribution to the empowerment and participation of women in peace processes, Monica was welcomed by one of the largest peace initiatives in the country. “One Million Women for Peace was inspired by Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, co-founded by Monica McWilliams. Welcome to Colombia, Monica!” Gloria Flórez, Colombian Sociologist and member of this movement shared her gratitude and joy during one of the events held in Bogotá. One Million Women for Peace is an initiative that began when the peace talks in Havana progressed. Colombian women from across the country, from different backgrounds and ideologies, began to mobilize, motivated and excited that the end of the armed conflict was near.

Monica McWilliams, spoke with 20 representatives of the movement in a private meeting held at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Colombia. During the meeting, she shared her experiences and lessons learned from participating in the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and motivated them to stay strong and demand women’s participation: “Look for diversity and involvement of all women representatives from different sectors and territories…The strength of One Million Women for Peace is the representation of political differences.”

The members of the movement also shared with Monica their concerns and aspirations for the future, describing that the armed conflict not only claimed the lives of thousands of Colombians, it also destroyed the trust between civilians. A couple of hours later, these insights were shared with more than 200 women at the University of La Salle. The speakers at the event “Women Choose Peace” were Congress women, human rights defenders, activists and peacebuilders. Each one of them spoke about seizing this historical moment and working forwards to end violence and fight for equality and peace. Colombian Human Rights defender, Claudia Mejia Duque, expressed: "If Colombia manages to place equality with women at the center of its priorities, we will live in peace."

Two days before the Peace Agreements were signed, One Million Women for Peace organized a concert to celebrate the end of the armed conflict. Thousands of women and men gathered in the Peace Plaza in Barranquilla in a historical event: “Women Sing for Peace.” Monica McWilliams joined a number of performers, artists, and activists in celebration: "Let us not be prisoners of history. Let the History of Colombia begin today."

Monica McWilliams at the Concert "Women Sing for Peace," in Barranquilla, Colombia. Photo credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

Before the concert, Monica also participated in a discussion hosted by One Million Women for Peace. She was joined by women from across the country and urged them to fight for inclusion and to make sure that women were involved in every step of the process.

Working to build lasting and stable peace

The Interpeace Regional Office for Latin America, and its partner organization Alianza Para la Paz, have been facilitating a participatory dialogue process within the Colombian Police, on the role of police in peacebuilding. Ana Glenda Tager, Regional Director of Interpeace Latin America explains, "The ceasefire is important but it is just the beginning of true peace."  Therefore, as part of her visit to Colombia, Monica also participated in an event about “Gender, Police and Peacebuilding,” held at the Police Graduate School in Bogotá. The police force is a key institution in building peace, not only to provide security for the citizens of a country, but also to contribute to the necessary cultural transformation, which will ensure that a non-violent resolution of the conflict will be sustained.

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Monica McWilliams at the Police Graduate School in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

McWilliams expressed how the role of the police force has been essential in the successful resolution of the conflict in Northern Ireland. She addressed hundreds of female Colombian police officers and reminded them that the police force must represent the entire population, not only the rich and powerful, but all citizens in the country. She added that in order to achieve this “the police must be transparent, must not make decisions secretly or collude with politicians.” At this event Monica was joined by high ranking female police officers, politicians and activists, who spoke about the importance of women’s role in peacebuilding. Irma Perilla, director of Thought and Social Action, PAS, assured: "Women, by vocation and by nature, are peacemakers. We call for dialogue and coexistence.”

After 52 years of armed conflict, Colombians are now faced with a number of challenges to transform their adversities. Monica McWilliams’ visit during this historical moment, not only encouraged women and men to stay strong and keep moving forward to build peace, it also helped reinforce the role of women in overcoming obstacles to lasting peace. At the end of her conference she expressed: "Peace is built slowly, with patience and persistence."

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Monica McWilliams with members of the Colombian Police force. Photo credit: Arnoldo Gálvez

Watch photo album of Monica McWilliams visit to Colombia ici

"Let’s make History begin on October 2nd": from signing the agreement to building lasting peace in Colombia

A first step to build lasting and sustainable peace in Colombia

On Monday September 26 in Cartagena, Colombia, the Final Agreement ending the conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) was signed. Real peace, however, involves much more than signing an agreement. This is only a first step. An indispensable one, because it generates spaces for coexistence and restores the bonds of trust that violence has broken. As Colombian Human Rights defender, Claudia Mejia Duque explains: "the war in Colombia not only claimed lives, it also destroyed the trust between us and we must work to rebuild it."

Claudia Mejía Duque, Colombian Human Rights Defender, at event: Women Choose Peace in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

The armed conflict in Colombia is one of the oldest in the world. According to the report of the National Centre for Historical Memory, between 1958 and 2012 there were at least 220,000 people killed, 25,000 missing and 4,744,046 were displaced. "In Colombia we live a true exodus" says Irma Perilla, director of Thought and Social Action, PAS. "Seeing the dimension of what internal displacement is, motivated me to work for this cause: a negotiated solution to the internal armed conflict."

In order to end the conflict with the FARC-EP, the spirit of the agreement negotiated in Havana between 2014 and 2016, sought to guarantee that the violence would stop and never occur again. To achieve this, the agreement should not be limited to the termination of hostilities, it should also be taken as an opportunity to address the structural problems affecting large groups of the population, particularly in rural areas, which have prompted the emergence of different types of conflicts ranging from ideological and political issues, to organized crime. Therefore, the agreement consists of six points, and compliance with each of them is a necessary condition for a lasting and sustainable peace: comprehensive rural reform, political participation, ending the conflict, solution to the problem of illicit drugs, victims of the armed conflict and the implementation, verification and countersignature of the agreement.

52 years of armed conflict come to an end and new challenges and opportunities emerge

After signing the agreement, the main challenge to building peace in Colombia begins: its implementation. "I am very impressed by the negotiations of Havana. The support they had, the content, the fact that they had a gender commission. They are comprehensive, complete agreements, "says Monica McWilliams, Vice-Chair of Interpeace’s Governing Council and signatory to the peace accords in her native Northern Ireland. "The key question is whether there will be proper resources, sufficient commitment and enough political will to implement these agreements." Resources and political will, are the two pillars on which the long process of building peace in Colombia will stand on, which begins the day after the referendum is held on October 2nd.

Monica McWilliams at event organized by Interpeace Latin America, Alianza Para la Paz and the Colombian Police in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo Credit: Arnoldo Gálvez.

A legitimate peace can never be a decision made at the highest political level, but a possibility subject to democratic decision-making mechanisms. What has been signed between the government and the FARC-EP on Monday, must now be endorsed by the Colombian society on October 2, through a plebiscite where all Colombians answer: "Do you support the final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace? " The main concern of those who support the peace process, is that the ignorance of the content of the agreements, decades of mistrust and the pain of the victims, may prevent an affirmative response.

Peace will not be perfect, and if Colombians decide to endorse the agreement, the peace process will be long and complex. However, there can be no possible solution without ending the armed confrontation. The ceasefire itself, which is just a first glimmer of hope for Colombia, has already brought positive benefits. Irma Perilla assures it: "Today, when we have not yet earned the countersignature, this peace process has already given results: no more soldiers have fallen, no more guerrillas have fallen, no more civilians have fallen caught in the middle of the armed conflict.” Monica McWilliams co-founded the Northern Ireland Monica witnessed the profound changes that peace brought in her country, "the daily life of Colombians will dramatically change once you start implementing the peace agreements. The world will see Colombia under a different light, tourists will begin to arrive in the country, investments will increase as investors seek stability. But most important is the life in the communities, the tranquility that will exist in communities. The primary objective of the agreements must be the security and serenity of Colombians."

Rewriting History in Colombia

One of the most difficult aspects to cope with and assimilate during a peace process is the ability of people to talk to their enemies. However, reconciliation is another essential condition to interrupt the cycles of violence. “If Chile and Argentina had to talk about transitional justice to move from military dictatorship to democracy, in Colombia we have to go through the same thing. Only truth, justice and reparation is what will prevent this from happening again. And for those who think that peace will bring impunity, I'm sure that Colombians will not allow crimes against humanity to go unpunished. " Congresswoman Angela Maria Robledo, Co President of the Peace Commission of the Congress of Colombia, added: "We need to start weaving a common story, seated in truth and memory, so that in the midst of our plurality, we can live together".

Congresswoman Angela Maria Robledo, Co President of the Peace Commission of the Congress of Colombia. Photo Credit: Arnoldo Galvez.

The key to peace, said President Juan Manuel Santos when he began to position the peace process, is not in the bottom of the sea, I have it in my pocket. And we went, women, indigenous people, peasants, Afro-descendants, youth, to say, Mr. President, the key to peace is also ours. "

"Many people thought that the end of the conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC was not possible. And now we see that it is possible, "says Monica McWilliams. "Colombia cannot afford to miss this opportunity. It cannot be enslaved by history; they must make history begin on October . "