Victimology and judicialized public policies. A study on complex victims of the Colombian armed conflict

This article identifies victimological typologies typical of the Colombian internal armed conflict, which denote the double condition of victim–victims or vice versa victims–victimized. These have been classed throughout this research as ‘complex victims’, whose historical existence was unveiled from precursor victimology, which is used in the final part of the text to demonstrate that the exclusion of these victims from public policies of attention, assistance and reparation ignores the scientific contributions of victimology and the real asymmetry that occurred in the Colombian conflict. Finally, it is pointed out how these policies do not prevent victimization or contribute to guaranteeing measures of non-repetition, but, on the contrary, motivate the polarization of the armed actors into irreconcilable sides.

Insecurity and the reintegration of former armed non-state actors in Colombia

In this paper, we focus on the completion of a government reintegration program in Colombia for former non-state armed actors, such as rebel forces and militias, in the post-conflict period. As the members of these groups lay down their arms and return to a peaceful existence, the effectiveness of their transition to ‘normal’ lives can be critical in preventing the re-emergence of conflict and violence. Former combatants face numerous challenges and hardships such as criminal violence, political violence, economic hardship that, if not properly addressed, may increase the likelihood that some of them become involved in criminal work, political violence, or other activities that undermine peace. We develop a theory of the impact of violence and insecurity challenges facing former, non-state armed actors (henceforth, ANSAs). We suggest that the numerous challenges involved in leading a normal life under conditions of abnormal security will likely make successful completion of government reintegration programs more difficult for ANSAs. We also consider and account for the powerful effects of gender and family in the successful completion of a reintegration program. We test our theoretical model on the successful completion of a government reintegration program in Colombia, and test our hypotheses on a large database of ANSAs. We find support for our hypotheses, as well as social factors that greatly influenced the likelihood of successful completion of the Colombian government’s reintegration program.

Anti-government Non-state Armed Actors in the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine

This article presents the main ANSA involved in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. It focusses on an analysis of the specific phenomenon of the opolchentsy - Narodnoe opolchenie Donbassa. The aim of this paper is to introduce and describe these actors and to ground them in certain theoretical conceptions. The paper also tracks the changing motivations of the various ANSA brought under the umbrella of the quasi-state actor NOD throughout the conflict, and the changing array of formations that made up the opolchenie during a particular period of time. Evidently, the opolchenie do not fit into the usual classifications of ANSA.

Reclutamiento de migrantes en la frontera colombo-venezolana

Recruitment has been a phenomenon present in the context of the Colombian armed conflict. Thus, illegal armed groups (ELN, dissent from the former FARC, paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, among others) have seen migration as an opportunity to increase the number of members in their ranks. Thus, the exodus of Venezuelans has become an attractive phenomenon for recruitment where armed groups take advantage of irregular dynamics and socio-territorial complexities to increase the range of action of attacks, fighting and presence. That said, the research question is: How has the flow of Venezuelan migrants on the Colombian-Venezuelan border contributed to the strengthening of illegal armed actors? Due to the lack of academic information, the investigation will use as collection instruments: interviews with academics, decision makers and journalistic work.

Who draws the line?

This chapter demonstrates that international humanitarian actors take it upon themselves to assert distinction, in contexts in which international actors are encouraged to demolish boundaries and work together. Empirical findings from South Sudan reveal that safeguarding distinction involves managing the perceptions of an amorphous onlooker: the ‘phantom local’. This imagined local audience—which comprises armed actors, authorities, and beneficiaries—ultimately decides who is who amongst international actors. In the civil–military training spaces, humanitarian actors again emphasize the role of perceptions, and here they also extol the importance of IHL. Across these global sites, power struggles ensue as other international actors contest the vision of distinction that humanitarians promulgate. The exploration of the Intellectual realm focuses squarely on the figure of the humanitarian actor in IHL, examining the historical evolution of this figure and its treatment in the First Additional Protocol (AP I). It is argued that IHL projects a Red Cross fantasy, such that protections for humanitarian actors are grounded in a very particular vision of ‘humanitarianness’. This leaves other humanitarians with status anxiety, yet their efforts to emulate this vision serve to further entrench the Red Cross actor’s paradigmatic status.