One hundred and fifty victims of violence by illegal armed groups
in the northern coastal city of Cartagena, Colombia, this week
received an IOM certificate recognizing their participation in the
project "Equality and Social Inclusion: An Opportunity to Smile
Again".

The Project provides psychosocial advice and income generation
opportunities for all participants in order to rebuild their lives,
re-establish and strengthen family relationships, and reintegrate
into the community.

The Project provides 70 alternative ways for income generation,
including small business in food production and marketing,
manufacturing of clothing or footwear, and in the entertainment
sector in dancing establishments and theatres.

"For IOM it is gratifying to see how these persons that once
suffered the cruelty of violence, have acquired the emotional
stability and the economic strength to move forward with their
lives," stated José Ángel Oropeza, Chief of Mission
of IOM Colombia.

For the past four decades, the violence perpetrated by illegal
armed groups in Colombia has impacted the lives of hundreds of
thousands of persons.

Some 10,000 victims of violence perpetrated by illegal armed
groups have been identified in the Department of Bolívar,
where the city of Cartagena is located.

Since 2005, some 327,000 victims have applied to the Colombian
Government for reparation.  And 284,000 have reported war
crimes to the Attorney General's Office; most of these formal
complaints are still under investigation.

Over the past four years, IOM, with funding from the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been
providing assistance to victims of violence, including facilitating
access to truth, justice, reparation and reconciliation
processes.  IOM also provides daily advice and support in the
process of developing new alternative ways of income
generation.

At the same time, IOM, through its Community Focused
Reintegration Programme, is working with ex-combatants of illegal
armed groups in their process of reintegration into civilian life
and their reconciliation with society.  In the past four years
IOM has worked with the Colombian Government in the reintegration
of some 51,000 persons demobilized from illegal armed
groups. 

For more information please contact:

Jorge Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: +57 1 622-7774

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int