Leuven, 7-10 October 2013

Organised by the Leuven Institute of Criminology, University of Leuven, and the School of Social Work, University College Leuven,

in collaboration with Guatebelga vzw, Solidarity with Guatemala, and Amnesty International Students Leuven,

and with the financial support of VLIR-UOS (Flemish Development Cooperation)

Background and objectives

Crime and violence are increasingly being recognised as important factors that hamper the development of countries and regions. Next to the physical and emotional damage to victims violence also has a negative impact on the macro and micro economic growth and development of a country. Furthermore, it weakens the judicial system through impunity and corruption and thus erodes the legitimacy of state institutions. According to the 2011 World Development Report of the World Bank violence is an important obstacle to the development of most countries in Central America. With a long history of civil war and political violence, countries like Guatemala and Nicaragua are nowadays confronted with violence through narcotics trade and juvenile gangs, reinforced by the presence of large quantities of arms. Dealing with the aftermath of violence and preventing it altogether are amongst the greatest challenges for the development of this region.

The international seminar week in Leuven (7-10 October 2013) deals with violence and impunity in Central America and investigates how and to which extent they constitute obstacles to the development of the region. The particular focus is on the neighbouring countries Guatemala and Nicaragua, and special attention is paid to juvenile delinquency and violence committed by youth gangs. These phenomena are studied in their historical context and new strategies are explored to reduce violence and impunity and promote development for the region.

The week aims at sensitizing students and staff members of the institutions within the Association KU Leuven and bringing together research expertise around these central themes. It also intends to create new partnerships in Flanders and with Central American institutions and organizations working around these themes.

International speakers

Marie-Louise Glebbeek is assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Utrecht University (the Netherlands). She has studied cultural anthropology and non-western sociology at the universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht University and specializes in Latin America in general and Guatemala in particular. Her thematic focus is on civil conflict, post-war transitions, violence and crime, and democratic consolidation and police reform.

Mo Hume is senior lecturer in politics at the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom). After completing her Ph.D. in December 2003, she held a post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Liverpool. Her research focuses on issues of violence and gender in post-war societies, as well as the politicisation of crime, with particular interest in Central America. From 2008-2010 she worked on a research project on state-civil society relations in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua and she has published widely about these topics.

Yolanda Oquelí Veliz is the leader of the Frente Norte del Área Metropolitana – FRENAM (Northern Front of the Metropolitan Area), a movement of community members who defend the land from the expansion of mining activities in San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc, in the Department of Guatemala. Her extensive experience in mobilising civil protest has lead to her being threatened at several occasions and being shot in June 2012. For these reasons Yolanda Oqueli Veliz will receive the First Quetzal Prize 2013 awarded in honour of persons having made a special contribution to human rights and democracy in Guatemala.

Dennis Rodgers is a social anthropologist by training, with degrees from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva (Switzerland). He was lecturer at the London School of Economics, in development studies (2000-05), and urban development (2005-07), and is currently senior research fellow in the Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI), at the University of Manchester, and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. He is also the associate editor of the European Journal of Development Research and has worked as a consultant for various international and national organisations.

More information

More information about the international seminar week can be obtained from the organisers:

Barbara Van Wijnendaele (University College Leuven, School of Social Work – Barbara.vanwijnendaele@khleuven.be)

Barbara Van Wijnendaele holds degrees in philosophy and social and cultural anthropology from KU Leuven (Belgium) and development management from Open University – Milton Keynes (United Kingdom). She is currently a researcher at the School of Social Work at University College Leuven, and coaches students of the Bachelor programme on ‘International Cooperation North-South’. She worked with street children and youth in Nicaragua and afterwards studied youth violence and violence prevention in El Salvador (2005-2008), to finish her doctoral degree at Brunel University in London.

Stephan Parmentier (University of Leuven, Faculty of Law, Leuven Institute of Criminology – Stephan.Parmentier@law.kuleuven.be and www.law.kuleuven.be/linc)

Stephan Parmentier studied law and sociology at the KU Leuven (Belgium) and sociology and conflict resolution at the Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (U.S.A.). He currently teaches sociology of crime, law, and human rights at the Faculty of Law of the KU Leuven and is the secretary-general of the International Society for Criminology. His research interests include political crimes, transitional justice and human rights, and the administration of criminal justice. Between 1999 and 2002 he served as the vice-president of the Flemish section of Amnesty International.

FINAL PROGRAMME 1 Monday 7 October

17:00 Start of Amnesty International student writing action Venue: Faculty of Law (Leuven) and School of Social Work (Heverlee)

18:00 Ceremony: First Quetzal Prize to Yolanda Oquelí Veliz (Frente Norte del Área Metropolitana, Guatemala) Venue: Council Room, Faculty of Law, Tiensestraat 41, Leuven (advance registration required)2

19:00 Reception for participants to the Quetzal Prize ceremony (advance registration required)3

Tuesday 8 October

11:00 Lecture and Discussion on ‘Violence and Impunity in Central America’
by Mo Hume (University of Glasgow) and Yolanda Oquelí Veliz (Quetzal Prize Winner 2013) Venue: Aud. 01.03, Faculty of Theology (MTC), St Michielsstraat 6, Leuven

15:00 Meeting with the media (by invitation only) Venue: Council Room, Faculty of Law, Tiensestraat 41, Leuven

Wednesday 9 October

9:00 Lecture and Discussion on ‘Youth Violence in Nicaragua and El Salvador’ by Dennis Rodgers (University of Glasgow) and Mo Hume (University of Glasgow) Venue: School of Social Work, Heverlee

19:00 Movie projection ‘El Granito. How to Nail a Dictator’
by Pamela Yates and Paco De Onis,
followed by public debate on violence, impunity and development in Central America with Dennis Rodgers (University of Glasgow) and Marie-Louise Glebbeek (Utrecht University) (free entrance)
Venue: Aud. Zeger Van Hee, Faculty of Law, Tiensestraat 41, Leuven

1 All activities are free and open to the wider public unless indicated otherwise.

2 Advance registration is required if you want to take part in the Quetzal Prize ceremony. Please confirm your name with sonja.wellens@law.kuleuven.be by Thursday 3 October at the latest.
3 Advance registration is required if you want to take part in the reception following the ceremony of the Quetzal Prize. Please confirm your name with sonja.wellens@law.kuleuven.be by Thursday 3 October at the latest.

Thursday 10 October

14:00-17:00 Research seminar on ‘Violence, impunity and development’
for doctoral researchers and special guests
with Denis Rodgers (University of Glasgow) and Marie-Louise Glebbeek (Utrecht University) (by invitation only)
Venue: Council Room, Faculty of Law, Tiensestraat 41, Leuven

17:00 End of Amnesty International student writing action Venue: Faculty of Law (Leuven) and School of Social Work (Heverlee)

QUETZAL PRIZE
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN GUATEMALA

First Quetzal Prize Winner 2013: Yolandi Oquelí Veliz

Yolanda Oquelí Veliz is the leader of the Frente Norte del Área Metropolitana – FRENAM (Northern Front of the Metropolitan Area), a movement of community members who defend the land from the expansion of mining activities in San José del Golfo and San Pedro Ayampuc, in the Department of Guatemala. On 13 June 2012, as she travelled home from a peaceful protest in the village of La Puya towards San José El Golfo, she was confronted on the road by two men on a motorcycle and then shot. Fortunately she was able to recover from the bullet wounds in the hospital and later on went on with her activist work. The violence has not diminished, however, and Yolanda is currently facing new threats against herself and her family.

Local communities have been protesting at various mining sites in Guatemala since 2012 in order to raise their concerns over the negative environmental impact of the mining activities by several mining companies. It is believed that the threats and attempted killing of human rights defender Yolanda Oquelí is directly related to her peaceful work opposing the expansion of mining activities in the region mentioned and defending human rights in Guatemala in general.

For her leadership and courage Yolandi Oquelí Veliz will be awarded the First Quetzal Prize 2013 on Monday 7 October at 18:00 at the Faculty of Law, KU Leuven, Belgium (Tiensestraat 41, Leuven).

Background

The Quetzal Prize for Human Rights and Democracy in Guatemala was established in January 2012 by Guatebelga vzw, a non-profit association according to Belgian law (statute in B.S. 15/1/2002). It was founded in 2001 to foster democracy and human rights in Guatemala and to undertake actions against impunity for human rights violations in that country.

The general objective of the Quetzal Prize is to stimulate human rights and democracy in Guatemala. In particular, it wishes to support the fight against impunity, deepen the culture of human rights and encourage accountable forms of governance.

The Quetzal Prize will be awarded to individual persons or to organisations or institutions that have made a major contribution to human rights and democracy in Guatemala. The prize winners do not have to reside in Guatemala or possess Guatemalan citizenship.

The Prize will be awarded on a bi-annual basis. It consists of a piece of art especially designed by an artist. The first three editions of the Quetzal Prize consist of a sculpture specially designed by Flemish artist Frans Wuytack.

The prize winner is selected by an internationally composed jury. The jury members are Mr. Luc Van Ooteghem (self employed, solidarity movement with Central America, Belgium, chairperson), Dr. Angela Delli Santi (lecturer in human rights, Germany), Prof. Naomi Roht- Arriaza (professor of law, expert on human rights and transitional justice, United States) and Mrs. Liesbet Walckiers (journalist with specialisation in Latin America, lecturer in journalism, Belgium).

Additional information

For more information please check the website www.guatebelga.be or contact the secretary of Guatebelga, Mr. Carlos Colson (info@guatebelga.be).