Photo Credit: Refugees International
02/16/2007

The government of Colombia systematically undercounts the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) through its official Registry --- the Sistema Unico de Registro --- and thereby denies services to thousands of vulnerable people. The government of Colombia should take immediate steps to ensure that people displaced as the result of the internal conflict are included in the Registry and provided the services guaranteed by law. Refugees International is concerned that a very narrow interpretation of the law governing IDP registration results in the failure to recognize many of the causes of displacement, leading directly to undercounting and lack of response to the needs of the displaced.