Ombudsman's Report No. 54. Compensation for Members of Self-Defense Committees and Peasant Patrols Who Are Victims of Terrorism
Various scholars and researchers of political violence point out that Civil Self-Defense organizations emerged to confront terrorism in the early 1980s, becoming one of the key factors in the fight against, dismantling of, and defeat of Sendero Luminoso. This form of peasant organization arose in response to the scarce or nonexistent presence — in some areas of the country — of State authorities responsible for providing protection to the population.