Seeking peace in Colombia

In Colombia, phenomena like forced displacement as a result of the violence also results in upheaval, extreme poverty and the destruction of the social fabric. Credits: Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social. Caritas Colombiana

In Colombia, phenomena like forced displacement as a result of the violence also results in upheaval, extreme poverty and the destruction of the social fabric. Credits: Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social. Caritas Colombiana

The conflict between the Colombian government and armed Marxist guerrillas that began in the mid 1960s has left over 4.2 million people as refugees in their own country.

Although it is not often reported in the world media, these internally displaced people (IDPs) are a part of everyday life in the South American.

FACTS:

  • 53 years of internal conflict , making Colombia the oldest guerrilla war fare in the world
  • 5.4 MILLION Internally displaced people. Since CODHES*began monitoring it in 1985
  • 3.9 MILLION Government figure since it started counting in 2000.
  • 65% of Colombian municipalities have mine contamination
  • 971,105 people have been affected by natural disasters between January 2012 and March 2013

 

Caritas Colombia has launched a new report on human rights in the country. Peace talk between the Colombian government and the guerrilla movement FARC are now taking place in the Cuban capital, Havana. [Download report in pdf here]

Caritas Colombia is actively searching for peace solutions to the decades long civil war. This report provides an overview of the country’s human rights situation in relation to five key aspects:

  • Civil and political rights focused on the right to life, freedom and integrity;
  • Fight against impunity, particularly addressing the issue of access to justice and restitution of rights to the victims of the armed conflict;
  • Laws applying to armed conflicts. (IHL) international humanitarian law situation
  • Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights;
  • Peace dialogues between the Colombian Government and the guerrilla group FARC (armed revolutionary forces).

Read more:

*CODHES (Consultoría para los Derechos Humanos y el Desplazamiento) is a non-profit organisation established in 1992 by academics in human rights and international humanitarian law who sought peaceful alternatives for Colombia, with an emphasis on the individuals and communities directly affected by the armed conflict. 

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