Colombia
Active in Colombia since 1979, Terre des hommes (Tdh) runs projects for community empowerment, providing food and psychosocial support and is fighting against sexual exploitation. In 2011, almost 7500 people benefited from the activities.
Context
Since the 1960s, armed internal conflicts have plagued the people of Colombia. Unlike in other countries, where armed conflicts may focus on urban centers, it is the rural areas of Colombia that are most affected – and thus the inhabitants who face by nature more difficult challenges. Violence has lead millions of Colombians to flee to neighbouring countries or to safer places within the country. In 2011, the total number of internally displaced people numbered nearly 4 million, or almost 8% of the country’s population.
Although Colombia is the fourth largest economy in Latin America, wealth is distributed very unevenly. There is a rich elite on the one side, and the majority of the population living in abject poverty on the other. This leads to a situation where children are particularly vulnerable to child labour and sexual exploitation. In Cartagena, a hot-spot for tourist, an estimated 1,500 children work in the sex industry.
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-75.519447
10.406983
Cartagena
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-75.884171
8.777868
Montería
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-75.665817
8.301188
Planeta Rica
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-76.165924
7.983078
Montería
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-74.081268
4.66403
Bogota
Centered at -74.297333 4.570868 5
What Tdh can do in Colombia with:
- CHF 80.-: Health care, education and protection for a year of a displaced child
- CHF 200.-: Legal representation of a child victim of sexual exploitation
Children's situation
- 23% of the children marry before 18
- 11'000 child soldiers are involved in the armed conflict
Delegate: Antoine Lissorgues
Expatriate staff: 1
National staff: 23
Budget: 793'900 CHF
In collaboration with: Stiftung TEFA, Profamilia
Children victims of armed conflict
In the department of Córdoba, Tdh improves the living conditions of children, particularly the ones who suffer from severe acute malnutrition and pregnant women. Tdh trains community workers to support children against conflict effects: poverty; discrimination; recruitment as spies, trafficker or soldier; psychological problems; lack of educational; etc. In this region subjected to recurring natural disasters (particularly flooding), Tdh helps institutions and communities to implement prevention and emergency management plans in order to avoid or minimize humanitarian risks.
Protection against the risks of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents
In Cartagena, since 2005, Tdh is fighting sexual exploitation of children by promoting denunciation of the offenders, by offering legal assistance to the victims and by defending children in legal proceedings. By making a plea to local and national authorities, Tdh is reducing significantly impunity for these crimes. Trainings courses are also delivered for judicial actors.
Tdh is continuing its efforts against the sexual exploitation of children in Colombia. The second phase of the project succeeded in having 26 sexual exploiters convicted thanks to effective legal representation of the victims. One of the most significant sentences was undoubtedly the sentencing of a British citizen to 20 years in prison for child pornography offences. The legal process, which only took three months, was a welcome recompense for the years of advocacy work by Tdh for more rapid action in this area on the part of the justice system.
After three years of intervention, Tdh completed a support project for displaced people in the Bolivar region. The health conditions and access to education of more than 4,000 children have been improved thanks to the education and involvement of the community. This project worked with social players to enable a network for the prevention of child sexual exploitation to be put into place.
