600 Colombian teachers threatened in past 12 months

[Judi Lynn]

600 Colombian teachers threatened in past 12 months
Wednesday, 18 May 2011 06:00
Adriaan Alsema

At least 600 Colombian school teachers have been impeded from doing their job over the past year due to threats, according to the country's largest public school teachers union Fecode. Five of these teachers were assassinated in the course of 2011.

According to the union, it is mostly teachers in the remote parts of the country that are being threatened or killed, particularly in areas where illegal armed groups are strong and state presence is minimal.

"These numbers are estimated based on reported cases by the various local authorities. This number may be much higher considering that many teachers do not report the threats out of fear of reprisals," Ernesto Enrique Ballesteros of Fecode told Colombia Reports.

According to the union spokesman, because teachers in many areas are seen as informal authorities, they "are called to become community leaders, which makes them end up in the middle of the conflict. To be precise, this leadership position in vulnerable communities forces them to take a stand in the war that is going on in Colombia. This tends to create animosity from the illegal groups," said Ballesteros.

More:
http://www.colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16340-600-colombian-teachers-threatened.html