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Out of War tells the true stories of nine young
people from Colombia who have experienced war and terrible violence, yet have
chosen to work for peace, helping create one of the strongest movements ever
for peace in their country. The young people describe their
struggles as as they try to cope with some of the harshest tests of life:
Juan Elias with the assassination of his father; Wilfrido with death threats;
Maritza with violence at home and gang warfare on the streets; Farlis with
massacres in her town. The Colombian war
has lasted more than 40 years. It is a brutal conflict between many different
armed groups who struggle for power and control over land. All the armed
groups have abused the rights of innocent people. About 5,000 people are
killed every year, and most of these are civilians. Massacres occur almost
every week. Since 1985, more than 2 million people - or 1 in 20 Colombians -
have been forced to abandon their homes because of the war. War and poverty have spurred even
more violence. Disappearances and kidnappings are widespread - in 1999 alone,
more than 3,000 people were kidnapped. And Colombian cities have some of the
worst murder rates in the world. By the mid-1990s, peace efforts were
fragmented and the peace movement was weak - until the Children's Movement
came along. The Movement began with young people
working as individuals or in small groups, often at great risk. It swelled to
include millions of children and adults clamouring for their rights to life
and peace. The Movement remains informal: it has no official leadership and
welcomes as members all those under 18 trying to improve the quality of life
in violence-affected communities. The Movement's goal is to end the
violence that is tearing Colombia apart, whether it is related to the war, to street
violence or to abuse inside the home. The Movement also strives to build
unity among young people,
across racial, economic, and geographic barriers - a unity that adult
Colombians lack. It is an inspiring story, told best through the
lives and words of these courageous young people. Author’s Note In 1998, the Children’s Movement for Peace in
Colombia was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I was invited by the UNICEF
office in Colombia to write a report on the Movement that would be sent to
the Nobel Committee in support of the nomination. In the space of a month I
interviewed more than 150 young people. Their stories were overwhelming,
powerful, and life-changing. Over the
next several years, with support from UNICEF I continued to follow the
extraordinary journeys of these remarkable teenagers. The following pages include some of those
stories, including several that did not appear in the published edition of
the book as well as articles and reviews |
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Out of War True Stories from the Children’s Movement for Peace in Colombia Written in Cooperation with UNICEF,
Scholastic Press, 2001 |
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“I interviewed Colombia's President Pastrana in May
1999 and asked him what was the hardest obstacle to overcome in the effort to
make peace. He said that it was the lack of faith that peace was possible.
After a half-century of war, after so many betrayals and failures, perhaps it
is not surprising that people should have little faith. This is what makes
the stories of the young people in this book so important.” Sara
Cameron |
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This page courtesy
of UNICEF |
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Mayerly Sanchez places flowers in memory of her friend
Milton who was murdered at age 15 in a gang fight in Bogota. |