In a ceremony presided over by Colombia's Attorney General, the
remains of 16 victims of violence in the northeastern Colombian
Department of Santander were handed over to their respective
families.

"For the family members, the ceremony was necessary after years
of uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones who had simply
disappeared.  Now they will be able to give them a dignified
burial and go through the grieving process.  Hopefully these
relatives can now move on with their lives," explains José
Ángel Oropeza, IOM Chief of Mission Colombia.

The process of returning the remains to family members is part
of an agreement between IOM and the Attorney General's
Office.  With funding from the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), so far eight hand-over
ceremonies have been held as well as six field missions to locate
family members of the disappeared.

The victims' remains were found by staff of the Attorney
General's Office in mass graves in the northeastern part of the
country, aided by information from demobilized members of the
paramilitaries. So far, 30 bodies have been exhumed in
Santander.

Exhumation is the first step in the process of identifying
bodies, followed by DNA testing, as well as dental records or
articles of clothing.

As of November 2008, 1,778 bodies were found in 1,441 mass
graves in the country.  So far, the remains of 286 victims
have been handed over to the families, 190 of them with support
from IOM and USAID.

According to figures released by the Presidential Agency for
Social Action and International Cooperation, the government has
received over 180,000 claims for compensation from victims of the
illegal armed conflict. 

Also with funding from USAID, IOM works with the Colombian
government to strengthen the skills of those involved in the search
and provides technical assistance to government institutions
responsible for guaranteeing truth, justice and reparation for the
victims of violence and their families.

IOM supports the Presidential High Commission for Reintegration
in the development of income generation projects, employment
profiles and psychosocial assistance for the men and women who have
been demobilized from illegal armed groups.

The armed conflict in Colombia dates back to the 1950s. 
Although there are no figures on the number of men and women
currently active in the illegal armed groups, almost 45,000 persons
have demobilized under government sponsored peace agreements or
individually. 

For more information, please contact:

Jorge Andrés Gallo

IOM- Colombia

Tel: +57.1.594.6410 Ext. 142

Mobile: 57.311 561 94 95

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