La Guayabita supports US House Resolution 1224 on Colombian Internally Displaced Persons

Colombia has one of the highest internally displaced populations in the world. In 2009 alone, 280,000 civilians were newly displaced in addition to the 4 million already displaced. Victims of forced displacement leave their homes and families to escape violence, intimidation, and rape from legal and illegal armed groups. Vulnerable communities such as Afro-Colombians, indigenous communities and women are disproportionately affected by displacement related to the armed conflict.

In 2004, the Colombian Constitutional Court declared a State of Unconstitutional Affairs and ordered the Colombian government to address the needs and rights of the displaced population. Despite the Constitutional Court’s demands, Colombia’s displacement crisis continues and the Colombian government remains unaccountable. The resolution led by Representative Hank Johnson (GA) and 22 other co-sponsors calls on the Government of Colombia to fully implement the Constitutional Court’s orders.

Many indigenous groups in Colombia are on the verge of extinction. Afro-Colombians’ livelihoods are threatened by the armed conflict and invasive government policies. The precarious condition of women is exacerbated by gender based violence. Vulnerable populations in Colombia suffer from the worst aspects of the armed conflict and should be guaranteed protection of their human rights.

Ms. Sascha Thompson, Rep. Johnson’s aide, recently stated that “many internally displaced Colombian leaders, who have been brave enough to organize their communities to speak out about their rights and to demand the Colombian authorities to meet its obligations to protect them and restore their lands, have become constant targets of threats against their lives, harassment, additional human rights violations, and extra violence.”

Send a message to your representative asking him/her to co-sponsor House Resolution 1224

For further information please contact Anthony Dest at adest@wola.org or (202) 797-2171