The killings of 186 Colombian rights activists make up 46 percent of the global total reported last year, highlighting a concerning trend of increasing violence against those working to defend human, environmental and indigenous rights. Colombian activists face threats and harassment from a range of actors, including state security forces, armed groups, and criminal organisations.

Latin America has long been a dangerous region for human rights defenders, with many facing threats for their work related to land rights and environmental protection. According to Front Line Defenders, Latin America accounted for 80 percent of reported killings of human rights defenders in the world.

Despite efforts to improve protections for human rights defenders, impunity remains a major challenge, with very few of these killings resulting in investigations or convictions.

In this episode of The Stream, we’ll look at the threats facing Colombian human rights defenders and what should be done to protect them.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:

Laura Bonilla, @LauraJBonilla
Deputy director, PARES

Inigo Alexander, @Inigo_Alexander
Journalist

Sarah De Roure, @sarahderoure
Head of protection, Front Line Defenders