Speaking Out

For many years, the displaced kept silent and invisible for fear of being re-victimized. More recently, however, they have begun to assert their demands. There are now more than 60 displaced persons' organizations in Colombia, most of which are small, not very organized, and lacking in resources. With the help of local and international NGOs, some have managed to implement plans and projects.

In February 2000, representatives of the various organizations formed the National Coordination of Displaced Persons to demand that the government initiate a permanent dialogue with the group, "with the objective of discussing and proposing solutions to the problem of forced displacement."

Frustration has led some groups to pursue more belligerent tactics. For five months in 1998, 100 displaced persons occupied the office of the Defensoria del Pueblo (Human Rights Ombudsman). Protests increased in 1999, especially in Bogotá: One group briefly seized the UNHCR office; in December, about 60 displaced persons occupied the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The government has refused to yield to the group's demands, saying it cannot provide them assistance, that it is unable to provide to other displaced persons. As this goes to press, protesters continue to occupy the ICRC.

Speaking out carries the high price of persecution by the paramilitaries, guerrillas, and the armed forces. The Brookings report noted, "Colombia is probably the world's most dangerous country for leaders of displaced persons' organizations." On May 11, 2001, just days after the Brookings report was published, its assertion was proven all too true. Darío Suárez, one of the founding members of the National Coordination of Displaced Persons, was assassinated in the city of Neiva, in Huila Department.The Pastrana Government has publicly embraced the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which proclaims the right of every person to be protected from being arbitrarily forced from his or her home. The only way to halt new displacement is to end the war, which doesn’t seem likely in the near future. In the meantime, the government must honor its commitment to the Guiding Principles and do more to safeguard its most vulnerable populations. If it fails to live up to this obligation, it will impose even more suffering on the beleaguered Colombian people.

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