What's Accompaniment?

As I have only studied accompaniment and have not yet begun to practice it yet, this description will be under revision.

In a nutshell...
Accompaniment aims to open up space for the work of communities or individuals working non-violently for peace and justice by lowering the level of threats and violence the community faces while encouraging them in their work. The political power of an international human rights community expressed through our physical presence in the community and political work we do makes this possible.


How does it Work?
Two points are important in understanding how its possible to non-violently deter violence. One: most of the violence in Colombia is not random. It is planned and comes through a chain of command. Two: each link in that chain of command can be influenced via political means. Through the political power of an international human rights community (international organizations, non-profits, networks) accompaniers can tack on potential consequences to any potential violent acts against the community, thus deterring such acts. While our physical presence in the community serves to encourage the community, it is also a physical representation/reminder of the concern of the international community and the politcal power they wield.

This is a very brief description and it would be a good idea to read more on Peace Brigades' website.  Peace Brigades is another NGO doing accompaniment in Colombia and around the world.