Internal Displacement in Colombia

Internal Internal Displacement Displacement in Colombiain Colombia

London Metropolitan UniversityMA Human Rights and Social Justice

Luz Andrea Medina2009

Objetives

A brief description about internal displacement in Colombia.

Afro-colombian IDP women and girls situation

Colombian StadisticsColombian Stadistics Number of IDPsNumber of IDPs 22,649,139,649,139 IDP ( IDP (Colombian goverment by June 2008)Colombian goverment by June 2008) 4,361,355 IDPs (Non-state source). 4,361,355 IDPs (Non-state source).

Colombia has the second largest displaced population in the Colombia has the second largest displaced population in the world after Sudan. (world after Sudan. (IDMC Internal displacement Monitoring IDMC Internal displacement Monitoring Centre)Centre)

The highest rate of displacement in 23 years was recorded in The highest rate of displacement in 23 years was recorded in the first semester of 2008”. the first semester of 2008”.

Number of refugees: Number of refugees: 70.120 (UNHCR June 2008)70.120 (UNHCR June 2008)

Total population: 45,60 million (Censo 2005)Total population: 45,60 million (Censo 2005) Almost 10 % of Colombian population is IDPsAlmost 10 % of Colombian population is IDPs

Who is IDPs?Who is IDPs? ““A displace person is any person A displace person is any person who has been who has been

forced to migrateforced to migrate within the national territorywithin the national territory, , abandoning his place of residence or customary abandoning his place of residence or customary economic activities, because his life, psysical economic activities, because his life, psysical integraty, personal freedrom or safety have been integraty, personal freedrom or safety have been violated or are directly threatened violated or are directly threatened as a result of as a result of any of the following situations internal armed any of the following situations internal armed conflict, civil tension and disturbances, conflict, civil tension and disturbances, general violence, massive Human Rights general violence, massive Human Rights violations, infringement of International violations, infringement of International Humanitarian LawHumanitarian Law or other circumstances arising or other circumstances arising from the foregoing situations that drastically disturb from the foregoing situations that drastically disturb or could drastically disturb the public order”. ( Art 1 or could drastically disturb the public order”. ( Art 1 Law 387 of 1997)Law 387 of 1997)

How many? Pattern of displacementHow many? Pattern of displacement

80 % of IDPs are women and children.

56 % of IDPs population is between 0 and 29 years of age.

36% IDPs population is under 18 years of age. (IDMC June 2008)

Afro-Colombian and indigenous people have been particularly affected. They make up 20% of the total population – are now 38% of the displaced ( Afrodes 2007)

Where? Internal Displacement zonesWhere? Internal Displacement zones

Almost 40 % of the IDPs have settled in and around the ten largest cities. Bogotá receives more IDPs than any other location in Colombia, they make up 6.7 % of the city’s 6 million inhabitants and 18.6 % of the country’s IDP.

The worst affected regions are Arauca, Cauca, Chocó, Córdoba, Guajira, Nariño, Putumayo and Valle del Cauca.

Where? Internal Displacement zonesWhere? Internal Displacement zones

Why? CausesWhy? CausesMost of the displacement is related to the country's Most of the displacement is related to the country's four-decade-long internal armed conflict. This four-decade-long internal armed conflict. This complex conflict fought primarily between left-wing complex conflict fought primarily between left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and Colombian guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and Colombian armed forces. But it also involves drug traffickers, armed forces. But it also involves drug traffickers,

landowners, and other legal and illegal interestslandowners, and other legal and illegal interests..

Is Internal Displacement a consequence of the war or is it a war strategy?

How is the Afro-Colombians IDP women and girls How is the Afro-Colombians IDP women and girls situation?situation?

“We women have been trampled over in our territory and anywhere by the different groups, the legal and illegal armed groups, who kidnap us, kill, rape and humiliate us … leaving as a consequence of these actions the deterioration of the social fabric around us. Therefore, there is no doubt that the armed conflict has harmed black women’s feelings, their ancestral legitimacy, their creativity to form and generate life, their cultural identity and their love for their territory”

Testimony submitted to the IACHR Rapporteur during her on-site visit to Colombia by the Foro Interétnico de Solidaridad del Chocó”

Afro-Colombians IDP women and girls situationAfro-Colombians IDP women and girls situation

The Afro-Colombian population has been subjected The Afro-Colombian population has been subjected to a history of discrimination, exclusion, invisibility to a history of discrimination, exclusion, invisibility and social disadvantage, both economic and and social disadvantage, both economic and geographic. geographic.

Afro-colombian territories are an attractive for the armed actors because it has one of the world’s highest biodiversity rates, coasts on both oceans, good conditions to grow coca and oil palm. For Afro-Colombians, this reality is particularly harsh because of their close connection with their territory, culture, identity and past. The aggressions by the armed actors are an attack against their culture and their worldview.


Afro-Colombian IDP women are the most vulnerable group and face the worst Human Rights violations.

Without official registration and proper identity documents, IDPs often face difficulty in accessing basic government assistance, employment, healthcare and education.

IDP Women face violence and sexual abuse, including forced prostitution, slavery, sexual or human trafficking for sexual exploitation.


Domestic violence and communal violence based on gender.

The disregard and violation of their right to health and especially their sexual and reproductive rights at all levels, with particular severity in girls and adolescents but also for pregnant women and infants.

The assumption of the role of female heads of household without the material conditions of subsistence minimum required by the principle of human dignity, with special complications in cases of women with young children, women with health problems, women with disabilities or older


Aggravated obstacles in access to education.

Aggravated obstacles in the insertion to the economic system and access to productive employment opportunities.

Exploitation and domestic labor, including

trafficking persons for purposes of economic exploitation


Aggravated obstacles in access to land ownership and the protection their heritage to the future, specially in those plans and return relocation.

Violence against women leaders who purchase or public visibility for their social civic or human rights advocacy.

Discrimination in their insertion in political and public spaces.

Their own ignorance of their rights as victims of armed conflict to access justice, truth, reparation and guarantees of non repetition.


Denied access to the special requirements for care and psychosocial support for women displaced, who have been seriously dissatisfied.

Difficulties to grant the extension of the Humanitarian Attention Emergency to women who fulfill the conditions to receive.

Afro-Colombian women lose the ability to carry out their cultural practices.

The Asociación de Afro-Colombianos Desplazados (hereinafter “AFRODES”) has described the persistent belief of receiving communities that “black women are dirty, thieves, or if they come to work in a house they are only useful in bed”.

Who Protect them?Who Protect them? National authorities has the primary responsability to

provide protection and Humanitarian assistence to IDPs. Colombia was one of the first countries in the world to

have a domestic IDP statute, which was adopted in 1997—one year before the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement were adopted.

Colombia has also various legal instruments such as: Agreement No. 59 of 1997, Decree 976 of 1997, Agreement No. 85 of 1997, Agreement No. 77 of 1997, Decree 173 of 1998 Decree No. 489 of 1999, Decree No. 2007 of 2001 Decree No. 2569 of 2000, Agreement No. 244 of 2003, Resolution No. 5139 of 2005, Decree No. 250 of 2005

International responsesInternational responses United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal

Displacement (1998).

Reflect and are consistent to the HR Law and IHL.

UNHCR established a permanent presence in Colombia in 1998. Uniquely, the organization's mandate in the country is concerned with the protection of internally displaced people, as well as with refugees and others of concern.

ICRC

ReferencesReferences Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. http://www.internal-

displacement.org/

Agencia de la ONU para refugiados. http://www.acnur.org/

IDP Voices. http://www.idpvoices.org/

Consultoria para los derechos humanos y el desplazamiento. http://www.codhes.org/

Liga de Mujeres desplazadas en Colombia. http://ligademujeresdesplazadas.org/magazine/seccion.asp?id=6

AWID. Women Rights. http://www.awid.org/

Inter-American Court of Human Rights. https://www.cidh.oas.org/DefaultE.htm

Internal Displacement in Colombia

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