As an organisation, GRUFIDES' principal objective is to promote sustainable development through the protection of the envirment and the sustainable management of natural resources with particular focus on respecting human rights. The organisation's focus stems from the fact that the area in which GRUFIDES works (Cajamarca) has been taken over by large mining industries which have had a detrimental impact on the environment as well as at a social and cultural level. They have also committed human rights violations against rural and peasant communities. Given the magnitude of the problem and the lack of State intervention, GRUFIDES works with rural communities affected by the mining companies, offering legal assistance and defence.

"The non-governmental organisation “GRUFIDES” is a development organisation from Cajamarca, Peru. One of the areas of work is the protection of the environment in a defense of human rights framework. Due to the problems surrounding the impact caused by the mining companies (such as Yanacocha) in Cajamarca, Peru (the biggest gold mine in Latin America), our work is to advise, give legal advice and to manage the social conflicts which arise between mining companies and communities affected by their operations. As part of the defence of the rights of the communities, we have brought the human rights violations committed by mining companies in the region, especially against farming communities, to the attention of the Government and national and international public opinion. As a consequence of this, members of GRUFIDES and other environmental activists with whom we work are being threatened, intimidated and persecuted and are the targets of campaigns by the Yanacocha mining to individually, morally and/or institutionally discredit them.

In 2006 one of the most scandalous operations was uncovered in Peru, which was carried out against a human rights and environmental activist group (members of the NGO GRUFIDES) by the private security firm FORZA working for the Yanacocha Ltd mining company. This operation was followed by intimidation and death threats against these activists.

For a number of months, human rights and environmental protection activists were placed under observation, surveillance and followed, a methodology called (OVISE) was used, as implemented by Peruvian intelligence services against Sendero Luminoso, the leader of the terrorist groups, during the 1990s.) The OVISE took place over a four month period and included the filming, photographing and following of activists on a daily basis. For some activists, such as Father Marco Arana Zegarra and Dra Mirtha Vásquez Chuquilín (Executive Director of GRUFIDES), OVISE also included death threats made against their family members.

The chief of the surveillance operation and at least some members of his team were identified as the workers for the security company FORZA, which is the largest in the country, which has been linked to ex-officials of the Peruvian Marine war army, and which recruits former police and soldiers trained in intelligence and anti-subversive work.

When the operation was discovered, thanks to the intervention of the members of GRUFIDES, the case was taken up by the Cajamarca Public Prosecutor (investigation 2006- 495).The investigation was very deficient, and ended up being definitively dismissed and sent to the “Definitive Archive”, because for the Peruvian authorities, these people’s actions were not criminal and there was not enough evidence to investigate the companies. This occurred despite the fact that the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights’ Resolution, which took the case had decided that cautionary measures should be taken to protect Father Marco Arana and Dra Mirtha Vasquez, the citizens most seriously affected by the operation."