An old friend, Gaby, recently visited us in Cusco. Gaby works for the NGO Peru Support Group (PSG) and she has written our blog this week to tell you all about what she was up to whilst here in Peru.
I spent five years working for a British travel company as a tour leader. As most of my time was spent in South America, I became increasingly interested in regional politics. This spurred me to go back to Uni and get a Master’s in Globalisation and Latin American Development.
I now work as coordinator of the PSG, a small UK-based non-governmental organisation. I visit Peru every year to maintain face-to-face contact with local organisations who work tirelessly to improve the human rights situation and development prospects of Peruvians.
As many visitors to the country know, Peru lived through a 20-year internal armed conflict (1980-2000) fuelled by the terrorist activities of the Shining Path. However, the various governments that tried to fight this extremist element often did so with equally violent results. One of those governments was led by a young Alan García, also Peru’s current President. Another former president, Alberto Fujimori, was sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year for human rights violations that occurred during his presidency.
During my visit this summer, I met with many human rights organisations concerned about the recent violence that broke out in the Peruvian Amazon. The reasons for the conflict centre around the government’s policy of basing the development of the country on foreign investment, companies interested in taking advantage of Peru’s natural resources such as gold, copper, oil and gas. Many indigenous groups are also angry at controversial government legislation introduced last year which they feel give preference to the foreign companies whilst ignoring their rights to be consulted on issues affecting the land they are living on.
Steve Mellor, General Manager of http://www.escapedtoperu.com/ explained “This sort of violence can and does occur sporadically in certain areas of the country. We do of course keep an eye on these issues to make sure that our clients are kept safe. The areas of the Amazon where we send clients for a Rainforest experience are a long way from Bagua where this occurred, and so has not affected tourists or tourism in any way. Thankfully tourism is seen as having a positive effect, by feeding money into local economies”.
The Peru Support Group was established in 1983 as an independent membership organisation without any party or political affiliation to campaign for and strengthen the rights of Peruvian people - particularly those from the poorest sectors - to become effective actors in the development of their country. The PSG raises awareness in the UK through research and policy analysis, public education and advocacy. http://www.perusupportgroup.org.uk/
I spent five years working for a British travel company as a tour leader. As most of my time was spent in South America, I became increasingly interested in regional politics. This spurred me to go back to Uni and get a Master’s in Globalisation and Latin American Development.
I now work as coordinator of the PSG, a small UK-based non-governmental organisation. I visit Peru every year to maintain face-to-face contact with local organisations who work tirelessly to improve the human rights situation and development prospects of Peruvians.
As many visitors to the country know, Peru lived through a 20-year internal armed conflict (1980-2000) fuelled by the terrorist activities of the Shining Path. However, the various governments that tried to fight this extremist element often did so with equally violent results. One of those governments was led by a young Alan García, also Peru’s current President. Another former president, Alberto Fujimori, was sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year for human rights violations that occurred during his presidency.
During my visit this summer, I met with many human rights organisations concerned about the recent violence that broke out in the Peruvian Amazon. The reasons for the conflict centre around the government’s policy of basing the development of the country on foreign investment, companies interested in taking advantage of Peru’s natural resources such as gold, copper, oil and gas. Many indigenous groups are also angry at controversial government legislation introduced last year which they feel give preference to the foreign companies whilst ignoring their rights to be consulted on issues affecting the land they are living on.
Steve Mellor, General Manager of http://www.escapedtoperu.com/ explained “This sort of violence can and does occur sporadically in certain areas of the country. We do of course keep an eye on these issues to make sure that our clients are kept safe. The areas of the Amazon where we send clients for a Rainforest experience are a long way from Bagua where this occurred, and so has not affected tourists or tourism in any way. Thankfully tourism is seen as having a positive effect, by feeding money into local economies”.
The Peru Support Group was established in 1983 as an independent membership organisation without any party or political affiliation to campaign for and strengthen the rights of Peruvian people - particularly those from the poorest sectors - to become effective actors in the development of their country. The PSG raises awareness in the UK through research and policy analysis, public education and advocacy. http://www.perusupportgroup.org.uk/
