Colombia: IDPs Slipping Through the Cracks

In January of this year Colombia began to implement the Victims and Land Restitution Law, which was signed by President Juan Manuel Santos in June of 2011. The law seeks to rebuild confidence between the government and victims of country’s internal armed conflict, including nearly 4 million registered internally displaced persons (IDPs). The new law calls for replacing the main institutions that for years have conducted registration, provided humanitarian aid, and coordinated government services and benefits for IDPs. However, the transition to the new system has been slow, and recently displaced people and urban IDPs – who have long felt abandoned by the state – are especially at risk of slipping through the cracks.