In January of this year Colombia began to implement the Victims and Land
Restitution Law, which was signed by President Juan Manuel Santos in
June of 2011. The law seeks to rebuild confidence between the government
and victims of country’s internal armed conflict, including nearly 4
million registered internally displaced persons (IDPs). The new law
calls for replacing the main institutions that for years have conducted
registration, provided humanitarian aid, and coordinated government
services and benefits for IDPs. However, the transition to the new
system has been slow, and recently displaced people and urban IDPs – who
have long felt abandoned by the state – are especially at risk of
slipping through the cracks.
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Community laundry in Barrio 13 de Mayo in Villavicencio. The barrio is named for the date of the land invasion that took place in 2008. Many demobilized paramilitary gunmen have re-upped with criminal groups that now dominate the area.