The Instituto Latinoamericano para una Sociedad y un Derecho Alternativos (ILSA - the Latin American Institute for Society and Alternative Laws), was formed in 1978 and is active in Colombia and across Latin America. ILSA carries out investigations, analysis and political action focused on social and legal issues. The group’s objective is to offer support to grass roots organisations and social movements that are fighting for human rights, particularly economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.
For ILSA, addressing these issues concerning society, law and justice is fundamental for the advancement of peace in Colombia, and its work focuses on changing the realities that lie behind the armed and social conflict.
ILSA focuses particularly on the legal system and legal issues, and aims to strengthen the justice system in Colombia by making justice more accessible.
Activities
The work carried out by ILSA is divided into various areas of action. These areas have several lines of work associated with them, and these lines of work are carried out under programmes focused on investigation, training and interaction with social actors. Since 2005, ILSA has promoted the establishment of peasant farmer markets in Bogotá with the objective of creating an alternative social and economic model for peasant farmers living in central Colombia. ILSA hopes to support long term change with projects like the farmers markets which offer an alternative to the current social, and legal parameters that contribute to the continuation of the conflict in Colombia. ILSA's areas of work include:
Law, social transformations and globalisation
- Global transformations and hegemonic law.
- Work and a new constitution of what is social.
- Law and social struggles.
- Theoretical tendencies regarding human rights.
- Analysis and follow-up on public/social policies regarding gender, self-identity and intercultural issues.
- Women's' human rights and gender justice.
- 'Development Model', new spatiality and migrations.
- Land, territories and integral reparation.
- Agrarian issues, peasant farmer economy and food security.
