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CSO Advocacy and Managing Risk in Hybrid Regimes: An Exploration of Human Rights Organizations in Colombia

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Abstract

The following study examined advocacy strategies of human rights CSOs in Colombia; how they defended and expanded civic space for vulnerable populations, managed risk and characterized their relationships with INGOs. Twenty-six organizational leaders were interviewed. Results indicate that when under pressure, CSOs mitigate their mission, focus on culturally expressive activities, and avoid regions or topics. Proactive strategies used to advance the mission ranged from influencing policy incrementally through inside channels; ‘cloaking’—dissimulating the confrontative nature of activities and framing them as apolitical; joining coalitions for protection, legitimacy, and influence; appealing to national and international courts, and the media; and appealing to transnational networks for support. Human rights INGOs enabled CSOs to be more assertive in their advocacy by extending a variety of resources, including funding, legitimacy, global visibility, and some degree of physical protection. The study contributes to our understanding of how human rights CSOs advance democracy in hybrid regimes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Administration, College for Health, Community and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA

    Jennifer Alexander & María Verónica Elías

  2. Department of Political Studies, Afrodiasporic Studies Center (CEAF), Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia

    Melissa Gómez Hernández

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  1. Jennifer Alexander
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  2. María Verónica Elías
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Correspondence to Jennifer Alexander.

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Alexander, J., Elías, M.V. & Hernández, M.G. CSO Advocacy and Managing Risk in Hybrid Regimes: An Exploration of Human Rights Organizations in Colombia. Voluntas 35, 363–373 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00601-y

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