Victims issues a monthly review - March 2017

Abstract

VICTIMS’ MARKED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DISADVANTAGES CAN LEAD TO HEIGHTENED VIOLENCE Statistics have shown that victims’ economic and social disadvantages heighten their risks of violence. Overall, conflict victims have less access to services, fewer opportunities and higher rates of poverty than the Colombian population as a whole. For example, according to GOC studies 80% of registered victims fall beneath the poverty line compared to 30% of all people nationally. Furthermore, while 93% of victims who are employed have “informal” jobs, less than half are employed. Moreover, many rural families of victims displaced by the conflict were forced to resettle in poor urban neighborhoods with high crime rates. According to UNHCR, 80% of IDPs in Colombia relocate in urban centers.(2) Studies have shown that inequality, inadequate social services and infrastructure, limited economic and educational opportunities and dangerous neighborhoods are recognized risk factors for violence,(3) underscoring the importance of providing opportunities for victims in marginalized communities to overcome vulnerability.