UNHCR increases efforts to help displaced people in Colombia's cities

[Judi Lynn]

UNHCR increases efforts to help displaced people in Colombia's cities
14 Apr 2005 16:12:11 GMT

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

BOGOTA, Colombia, April 14 (UNHCR) – It's rare for all candidates in an election campaign to take the same stand on something, but when it comes to the issue of internally displaced people in urban Colombia, their vote is unanimous: Improve protection and access to public services.

On Wednesday, all nine candidates vying to be the mayor of Soacha municipality, near the capital Bogotá, signed an Agreement of Wills with UNHCR, stating that whoever wins the election on Sunday will increase efforts to guarantee access for internally displaced persons (IDPs) to health care, education, and protection for their leaders.

Soacha is among the poorest areas in Colombia with one of the highest concentrations of IDPs who fled their homes over decades of conflict in the country. In fact, studies by the Colombian government show that more than 1 million IDPs live in 10 major cities, more than half of them in just five capitals: Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga. Thousands more live in smaller adjacent towns, where it is easier to settle for economic and social reasons. Different polls show that few of these IDPs are willing to go back to their original homes.

Unfortunately, thousands of displaced families that fled to the cities, some more than a decade ago, have been unable to integrate into their host communities, to enjoy access to public services or to regain the rights they lost when they were forcibly driven from their homes.
(snip/...)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/UNHCR/19b6e36c4eaaa33b76260436693a5d23.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UN Accuses Colombia of Gross Human Rights Violations
By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
13 April 2005

The top U.N. human rights official says she is seriously concerned by the havoc wreaked on the civilian population by Colombia's ongoing civil war. In a report to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, Louise Arbour cited a lengthy list of abuses committed by illegal armed groups, including torture, rape, and summary executions.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, says civilians are caught in the middle of decades-old conflict between illegally armed groups and are abused by both sides.

She criticizes rebel and paramilitary groups for having completely ignored her recommendations concerning respect for human rights.

"These groups continued to commit homicides of protected persons, and carried out indiscriminate attacks, hostage-taking, terrorist acts, forced displacements, recruitment of minors for military purposes, acts of sexual slavery and violence against women and girls, as well as used antipersonnel mines," she said.
(snip/...)

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-04-13-voa74.cfm