Mothers demand answers on fate of disappeared

[Judi Lynn]

Mothers demand answers on fate of disappeared
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 06:42
Teresa Welsh

http://colombiareports.com.nyud.net:8090/pics/victims/disappeared_victims.jpg

Some 50,000 Colombians have gone missing over the past decades. In a series
on the tragedy that has destroyed many families, Colombia Reports focuses first
on a group of mothers demanding to know what happened to their loved ones.

Every Friday afternoon at 2PM in front of the Church of Our Lady of La Candelaria in downtown Medellin, a strong, low litany of voices can be heard: “We want them alive, free and in peace. We want them alive, free and in peace.” The refrain is repeated over and over again by women holding large banners full of faces, names and dates. The dates correspond to the time the person was last seen, some as long as 20 years ago.

The voices belong to the Asociacion Caminos de Esperanza Madres de la Candelaria (Association for the Paths of Hope Mothers of the Candelaria), an organization of women who have had family members "disappeared" as a result of Colombia’s armed conflict. The organization, which was started in 1999 as a response to the number of forced disappearances, kidnappings and murders in Colombia, gathers each Friday to hold a vigil in front of the church. Las Madres seek to increase the visibility of the problem of the disappeared in Colombia, as well as to find out the truth about what happened to their family members, and support others going through the ordeal. The organization won the National Peace Prize in 2006.

Teresita Gaviria co-founded Las Madres in 1999 after her 15-year-old son disappeared on the road between Medellin and Bogota in 1998. He was traveling by car with two other people when the driver stopped to get breakfast. Gaviria’s son and his friend continued walking on the road, and have not been seen since. Her son is the fourth person her family has lost, after her father was killed by paramilitaries and a brother and nephew also disappeared.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13150-mothers-demand-clarity-on-fate-disappeared-loved-ones.html