Caribe Afirmativo

Caribe Afirmativo is one of Colombia's most important LGBTQ+ rights organisations, focused specifically on the Caribbean and Andean regions where the intersection of armed conflict and LGBTQ+ identity creates the most acute human rights situations. The organisation was founded in response to the particular vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ people in Colombia's conflict zones — paramilitary groups and guerrilla organisations have specifically targeted LGBTQ+ people in territories under their control, and the documentation and legal support that Caribe Afirmativo provides has been crucial in bringing these violations to national and international attention. The organisation's work includes emergency support and relocation assistance for LGBTQ+ people displaced by armed groups, legal accompaniment for survivors of anti-LGBTQ+ violence, research and documentation that supports both domestic and international advocacy, and community programmes that build resilience in regions where state protection is limited. Caribe Afirmativo works across the Colombian Caribbean (Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, the Urabá region) and in Antioquia (the department of which Medellín is the capital), making its Medellín presence a natural base for Andean operations. For visitors interested in the human rights dimensions of LGBTQ+ life in Colombia beyond the relative safety of Bogotá's Chapinero or El Poblado's tourist economy, Caribe Afirmativo's published work is essential reading.