UN refugee agency issues new guidelines on rights of Colombian asylum seekers

To help countries cope with increasing numbers of displaced Colombians, the UN refugee agency has released a set of guidelines recommending that governments and advocates consider Colombia’s deteriorating situation when examining asylum claims by those who have fled the country.

In recent months, the number of Colombians seeking asylum in neighbouring States has climbed by almost 60 per cent compared to last year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). During the first six months of 2002, the number of internally displaced persons almost doubled compared to the same period last year. In all, as many as 2 million people have been forced from their homes in Colombia since 1995.

In the face of growing violence and numerous human rights violations taking place across the country, UNHCR has concluded that many Colombians who escape abroad need international protection.

“Various irregular armed groups operating in Colombia have a tendency to target anyone suspected of collaborating or sympathizing with an opposing group, without taking into account if this collaboration is real, voluntary or forced,” said agency spokesperson Millicent Mutuli. “In addition, all these armed groups engage in forced recruitment of young people, including minors, and resort to kidnapping and extortion both as a form of persecution and intimidation as well as to finance their activities.”

In response, UNHCR’s guidelines recommend that governments examining asylum claims by Colombians consider that most have no option of finding safety elsewhere in their homeland as an alternative to fleeing across an international border.