White House lawyers had found a loophole in the legislation which they claimed allowed the US government to skip the certification process altogether for FY01. A recent report by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Washington Office on Latin America shows that the Colombian government has not made progress on any of the human rights conditions, especially those which mandate cutting ties with right-wing paramilitary groups and bringing military personnel accused of human rights violations to justice in civilian courts. Now is the time to write to your congressperson and strongly voice your opinion on US policy towards Colombia. The human rights conditions can not be certified, should not be waived, and certainly deserve the attention of our government. The children have ulcers all over their bodies.
Doctors are only able to treat ten percent of the children due to lack of medicine.
The children also suffer with rashes, fever, diarrhea, and eye infections. The herbicides Round-Up Ultra and Cosmoflux used by the US financed and coordinated program is making the children sick. The spray not only caused illness in children, it also poisoned the land and the water. The farmers are left without a way to support themselves. The spraying is justified by the US as necessary to stop cocoa production.