Weapon contamination
The ICRC works with different organizations and bodies to meet the needs of victims of anti-personnel landmines, improvised explosive devices and explosive remnants of war.
In April 2008 the ICRC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Programa Presidencial de Acción Integral Contra Minas Antipersonal (presidential programme for comprehensive action against anti-personnel landmines). The aim is to exchange information more effectively on victim assistance and on dissemination activities that help victims access assistance.
The ICRC continued to work with Handicap International on the activities described in the memorandum of understanding signed in September 2007. These include technical advice on promoting safe behaviour to prevent accidents involving landmines and other explosive devices; and informing civilians and local authorities how to access assistance.
Since April 2008, the ICRC has been carrying out dissemination and training activities in urban and rural areas of Bolívar, Cauca and Meta.
Health
From April to June 2008:
122 displaced persons and 80 inhabitants of areas affected by the armed conflict received economic support enabling them to access health services.
570 people were directed to State health services.
99 people (victims of landmines and explosive remnants of war and female victims of sexual violence) received economic support enabling them to seek medical attention and rehabilitation.
Assisting the displaced
From April to June 2008, the ICRC (and the Colombian Red Cross in some cases) assisted over 19,000 displaced persons.
More than 16,200 of these people had been individually displaced. They received assistance in one of the ICRC’s 11 offices located in various cities or in a branch of the Colombian Red Cross.
The other 3,000 people who received assistance were involved in 12 cases of mass displacement (groups of more than 50 people who have fled their homes following the same event) in the departments of Antioquia, Bolívar, Chocó, Huila and Nariño.
Water and Habitat
The ICRC supports a variety of construction and repair projects aimed at improving living conditions for the civilian population in areas affected by the conflict.
Between April and June 2008, the ICRC:
repaired three classrooms for the school in El Zarzal, Cauca, and built toilets;
built a kitchen and dining area for the school in El Vergel, Nariño;
extended and renovated the school canteen in El Decio, Nariño;
extended and renovated the school canteen in Filipinas, Arauca, and repaired the water-supply and sewage systems;
built toilets and a dining area and connected them to the water supply and sewage systems in Galaxia, Arauca;
built toilets and a new sewage system in Santo Domingo, Meta.
Around 640 children benefited from these works.
Protection
Restoring contact between family members
All over the world, the system of Red Cross messages, designed for exchanging personal news between relatives separated by a conflict, is the ICRC's tool for restoring contact between family members. In Colombia, it is used to restore contact between hostages and detainees and their relatives.
During the period under review, the ICRC delivered three Red Cross messages and collected 15.
On 21 April, in a rural part of Anorí, Antioquia, the ICRC received into its care two soldiers held by the ELN (National Liberation Army), following a request from the armed group. The ICRC was assisted in this operation by the Programa Aéreo de Salud, a Colombian airborne health service.
Visits to persons deprived of their liberty in connection with the conflict
ICRC delegates carried out 45 visits to permanent places of detention under the authority of the Colombian prison service, and 55 visits to temporary places of detention under the authority of the armed forces, the national police forces, the department of security and the office of the public prosecutor. The purpose of these visits is to assess the detention conditions of persons deprived of their liberty in connection with the conflict.
Cooperation with the Colombian Red Cross
The ICRC works with the Colombian Red Cross on mine-risk education, health and assistance. Mine-risk education activities were carried out in Antioquia, Caldas, César, Meta and Santander for around 600 people.
Twenty-five auxiliary nurses and health promoters from Santo Rosa del Sur (Bolívar) took part in a workshop which aimed to refresh participants’ knowledge of the preliminary treatment of wounded persons and raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.
A total of 25 people affected by the armed conflict in Nariño received advice and help with tickets, travelling expenses, laboratory tests and orthotic-prosthetic material. The branch of the Colombian Red Cross in Huila also helped advise and assist victims of the conflict.
From 18 to 20 June, an Inter-institutional Psychosocial Forum was organized by the General Health Directorate of the Colombian Red Cross in conjunction with the ICRC, the French Red Cross and the Humanitarian Aid department of the European Commission. The forum discussed the problems associated with providing psychosocial support for vulnerable people and the victims of disasters, armed conflict or other emergency situations.
With the support of local volunteers, the ICRC assisted displaced persons in Chocó, Nariño and Risaralda. The Risaralda branch of the Colombian Red Cross works with the ICRC, providing logistical support, in particular vehicles and storage space.
Communication
The ICRC holds information meetings with the authorities, members of the Colombian security forces, organized armed groups, civil society and the civilian population during which it explains its concerns regarding the humanitarian consequences of the armed conflict and endeavours to raise awareness of its mission and its working methods.
From April to June 2008, courses were run for journalists in Bogotá and Santa Marta, in which around 80 people participated.
In addition, 42 dissemination sessions were held, attended by 3,800 people, including 3,500 weapon bearers from the Colombian security forces and organized armed groups.
Three dissemination sessions were also held to raise awareness of the rules of international humanitarian law that protect medical services. Around 340 members of the Colombian security forces attended.
More on ICRC activities in Colombia from April to June 2008: 
