Foto: Ana Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC

Colombia – Våldet fortsätter efter fredsavtalet

Publicerat 05. okt 2018
Colombia Internflyktingar Ungdom Krig och konflikt
I Colombia har sextio år med inbördeskrig lett till den längsta och allvarligaste humanitära krisen i Amerikas historia.

2016 ingick regeringen och den väpnade gruppen FARC ett fredsavtal, och året därpå fick dåvarande president Juan Manuel Santos Nobels fredspris för arbetet.

Kampen fortsätter

FARC har lagt ner vapnen, och bland de tidigare FARC-soldaterna har flera blivit medlemmar i den colombianska kongressen. Men trots det fortsätter konflikten i Colombia. I vissa områden har våldet ökat, eftersom andra väpnade grupper försöker ta kontroll över naturresurser och viktiga narkotikarutter. Särskilt afrocolombianer och ursprungsbefolkningsgrupper drabbas av striderna, som driver människor på flykt.

Läs: Detta hotar freden i Colombia
Indigenous people in Colombia struggle to survive one year after the peace agreement. Photo: Ana Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC
Foto: Anna Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC.

    

Flest på flykt efter Syrien

Colombia är det land i världen med flest människor på flykt efter Syrien. Över 7,4 miljoner colombianer är på flykt i sitt eget land. Många har förlorat släktingar, tvingats på flykt, upplevt tortyr eller våldtagits.

Läs: Detta borde du veta om människor på flykt i eget land

Flyr till och från grannländer

Nästan 4,5 miljoner colombianer är beroende av humanitär hjälp och över 310 000 människor har flytt till Colombias grannländer Ecuador, Panama och Venezuela.

Samtidigt är Colombia hem för omkring en miljon människor som har flytt från den växande krisen i Venezuela, enligt colombianska myndigheter.

    

In October 2017, more than 1,0000 people fled to the village of Catrú in Colombia's Chocó region. "They came because they feared that more people would be killed," says one of the community leaders in Catrú, home to the indigenous Embera people. The Pacific region, particularly Chocó, has become a battleground for clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and another armed group. Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities have been disproportionally affected. Seven out of ten people displaced this year come from these communities. In many areas previously controlled by FARC, armed conflict is still ongoing. In some areas, the fighting has increased since FARC laid down their weapons, as armed groups are attempting to take control over strategic areas, natural resources and important drug routes. In many places, paramilitary groups have moved in, causing increased fear among the population. Violence has increased throughout the country, as has the number of local leaders being murdered. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been present in Colombia since 1991. In Chocó, we inform indigenous groups about their rights and provide legal aid in questions relating to land rights and compensation after having been forced to flee. In Catrú we help make sure that children get to go to school, and provide clean water to the community. Photo: Ana Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC
Många barn slutar gå i skolan efter bara fem års skolgång. Foto: Ana Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC.

   

Ungdomar på flykt i Colombia

Mer än hälften av de som flyr i Colombia är under 28 år. Runt 1,6 miljoner colombianer på flykt är mellan 18 och 28 år. Trots fredsavtalet har våldet ökat i flera delar av landet. Det skapar en rädsla bland befolkningen, och många unga påverkas.

Otrygga skolor

Skolor attackeras ständigt till följd av konflikten, och i många fall använder väpnade grupper skolor till att rekrytera ungdomar. Många barn och ungdomar i Colombia ligger därför flera år efter i sin skolgång.

Sociala olikheter

I Colombia lever 80 procent av de som är på flykt under fattigdomsgränsen. En tredjedel av dessa lever i extrem fattigdom. Ungdomar och unga vuxna kämpar för att få bostäder och jobb.

    

From a demobilisation camp for former FARC-soldiers in Colombia's western region of Chocó. FARC have gone from being a guerrilla group to a political party. They have laid down their weapons and gone back to school. Photo: Ana Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC
Foto: Ana Karina Delgado Diaz/NRC.

   

Könsbaserat våld

I länder som befinner sig i konflikt är det ofta en högre risk att bli utsatt för våldtäkt, tvångsprostitution och sexuellt överförda sjukdomar. Ungdomar i Colombia har rapporterat om bristande tillgång till hälsotjänster och speciellt tjänster relaterade till sexliv, reproduktiv hälsa och psykosocialt stöd. 

Få möjligheter

Ett stort antal lokala ledare och människorättsaktivister har dödats i Colombia – inklusive ungdomsledare. Myndigheterna kan inte garantera deras säkerhet.

Dessutom saknar ungdomar och unga vuxna möjligheter att engagera sig och delta i beslutsprocesser i samhället. Många uttrycker frustration över bristen på arbetstillfällen.

Läs mer om de utmaningar som unga på flykt möter.

   

When people or families are forced to flee their homes, "time doesn’t pass", says Hernando*, an eleven-year-old boy from San José de Uré, in Córdoba department, Colombia. Photo: Daniel Sánchez | NRC
När människor drivs på flykt står tiden stilla, säger Hernando, 11 år. Foto: Daniel Sánchez/NRC.

   

Det här gör vi

NRC ger hjälp till colombianer på flykt i landsbygden, där myndigheterna inte är närvarande, och i och runt städer dit de flesta av landets internflyktingar har sökt sig.

Vi arbetar för trygga skolor och bra undervisning, och hjälper till att ge ungdomar och unga vuxna tillgång till skola och yrkesutbildning. I kriser delar vi ut utbildningsmaterial och sportutrustning, så att barnen kan fortsätta att lära och leka. Vi bygger också tillfälliga klassrum och toaletter samt uppgraderar skolor.

Vi ger juridisk rådgivning och hjälper människor på flykt att registrera sig som internt fördrivna, så att de får hjälp från myndigheter och att deras rättigheter tillvaratas. Vi ordnar också skyddande tak över huvudet för människor på flykt.

Vi hjälper ungdomar att bygga en framtid och hjälper dem att arbeta för fred och att bygga nätverk tvärs över sociala, kulturella och politiska skillnader.

Vi arbetar för att förhindra könsbaserat våld, genom att se till att de har tillgång till det skydd och de tjänster de behöver för att vara säkra. Vi lär ungdomar och unga vuxna att skydda sig själva och sina jämnåriga.

   

Relaterade nyheter

Photo: Ingrid Prestetun/NRC

"De får inte leva ut sin ungdom”

| Colombia|DR Kongo (Kongo-Kinshasa)|Libanon
Marlon Langeland and David Garcia, NRC's Advocacy and communication manager in Colombia, on their way to the small village that experienced an armed attack in 2017. Jhoana, 20 years old, and her family had to flee after an armed attack in her village. Two of her brothers and her two cousins where killed. All male youth. Jhoana grew up in a small village along the river in the region of Chocó, Colombia. She loved playing with her siblings and cousins, walking in the bush and went swimming. Her dream was to study veterinarian because her passion for animals. Her dream got tossed when the community repetitively was threatened and they eventually had to flee. Armed attack It was an ordinary day in March 2017 when Jhoana and other women were celebrating women’s day. The remaining village, mostly males, continued their normal activities when all of a sudden an armed group attacked. That night Jhoana couldn’t sleep due to nightmares and not knowing the extent of the attack and not being able to go back to the village before the next day. The next day they witnessed several dead and wounded youths and she was devastated. Not one, but two of her elderly brothers had lost their lives. One where tied up and the other one was laying dead on a rooftop with rain poring down on the body. Furthermore, two cousins and a family friend, all young, and all males also lost their life’s. Today, the village is abandon and appears more like a ghost town. Jhoana and her family are now too afraid to return to their village because of the uncertainty that follows and if another armed attack will happen again. Life today Now, her daily activities are restricted to short trips; when she leaves the house, she does not go far and she coordinates her trips with relatives. A common daily activity can consist of meeting her cousins at the pier and watch them swim. Or, she will only hang out in their house. At home, where she spends most of her time, she writes her diary to cope with the armed attack and the loss of her two older brothers. She also does her homework in secondary school, or, she helps her mom with cooking and takes care of her 12-year-old niece, Yurani, that lost her dad in the armed attack. She now feels that she has to support her family because her parents are old and the two oldest brothers are gone. She continuously strives to stay positive and cope with the armed attack. “With the heart broken I have to be brave. Forget bad things and bring positive things. Even with this pain, I want to get ahead. I have to fight for positive things to happen”. Hopes for the future The only way she can fulfil her dream and help her family is to leave the village and continue studying, but there is no money to study for. “I now have a 12-year old niece and I would like to be a good example for her. My nieces father was killed in the armed attack and her mother died due to illness prior. Thus, if I go on to study and build my life I will then get a good job and she will hopefully acquire strength to achieve the same”. Jhoana is hoping for peace in Colombia, but she is not sure if that will happen. She has realized that there is no future in the village she is displaced and the road is unfortunately short for youth to armed groups and drugs. Thus, she believes the path lies in education and underline the importance to reach a common agreement in peace in order to progress the country. Message to youth “If you want something you can achieve it, therefore you should proceed it”. “Even if someone hurts you, you have to be strong and get ahead”. She continues, “while you are alive you have to be brave, even if you smile outside and cry inside we should proceed with our dreams”. “Don’t believe in negative things, don’t fall into bad vicious, be ambitious in a positive matter, and fight for the future and don’t be defeated”. Photo: Beate Simarud/NRC NRC in Colombia - NRC has been present in Colombia since 1991. - NRC currently counts on 19 field offices in order to provide assistance to internally displaced and Colombians seeking international protection in the neighbouring countries. - About 100.000 people benefited in 2017 from NRC´s programs (information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA), education, regional refugee program and the roving capacity unit). Budget forecast 2017: 97.6 million NOK - Strategic priority for 2018 continues to be to address displacement and emergency related protection gaps and humanitarian need when the state is unable or unwilling to fulfil its obligations. The peace accord will increase the likelihood that durable solutions can be sought with more vigour. NRC will in this context increase efforts to contribute to durable solutions, both in Colombia and in neighbouring countries. Key facts • Humanitarian and protection challenges continue in Colombia. A six decade-long armed conflict has given Colombia the most prolonged and serious humanitarian crisis in the Americas. In total, more than 7.4 million people are forcibly displaced in Colombia by the conflict. • Since the signing of a peace agreement between FARC-EP and the government in November 2016, about 200,000 people have been displaced (nov 2016 – august 2018) – the equivalent of one person every 5 minutes. Rights defenders, indigenous and Afro- Colombian leaders, and other community activists face threats, killings and violence. Perpetrators are rarely held accountable. • There are more than 191,622 Colombians refugees and in need of international protection in neighbouring Ecuador, Panamá and Venezuela, according to UNCHR. • Forced displacement increased in 2018. During the first semester group displacement increased 112 % in comparison with the previous year (2017). • During 2018, there was an increase (31 %) in the number of attacks against the civilian population, compared with 2017. Threats continue to be the primary mean of attack against the civilian population, although there was a growth in the number of homicides and intentional injuries targeting persons who were under state protection schemes. • 9 in 10 people displaced by Colombia's civil war have not yet received compensation promised for crimes committed against them. Over 8,7 million Colombians are registered with the Government’s National Unit for Victims. However, only one out three applications for compensation by the 2011 Victim’s Law in Colombia has been approved. Despite GOC efforts allocating important resources ensure the implementation of the law, the efforts needs to be increased. • During 2018, 77 % of the people recorded in massive displacement events belongs to farmers, 11 % indigenous and 11 % afro Colombian communities. • The peace agreement between FARC-EP and the Colombian government is a positive development, but the dynamics of armed conflict and other forms of violence are in flux. Other irregular armed groups have increased their actions in the shadow of the ceasefire, and the clash with these groups is causing the majority of new humanitarian needs. • NRC recorded 22 events that affected the continuity of thousands of children attending classes during the first trimester of 2018. 7 IHL serious violations against schools have been reported in the first semester of 2018 and forced recruitment into armed groups appear to increase this year. • Of the total resources requested (156.5 Millions) by the Country Humanitarian Team, only 22 % has been financed (OCHA July 2018)

"Colombianer lever fortfarande i ständig rädsla för väpnade attacker”

| Colombia