Over a night, they joined the other near four million internally displaced people that currently exist in Colombia. Talking about their ordeal in Civis’ office shortly after they fled, the young men had to face the harsh reality of the Colombian armed conflict firsthand.
Upon the arrival to Bogotá the men were assisted by state officials who helped them to a special refugee hostel where they could stay for the first few weeks and they were given an economic subsidy to cover the expenses of their first month as internally displaced people. However, once the emergency had calmed down, they were left without any financial support from neither the state and nor the United Nations.
Building a new life is not easy if you do not have the right background or contacts and in reality most of the internally displaced people of the country end up in a poor neighborhood in one of the major cities, engaging in informal economic activities in order to earn a precarious living. Having this prospect in mind, together with difficulties in finding both accommodation and job, led them to the decision to leave the capital. The young men are back in their home region, although a different municipality, from where they continue their work with the Red de Jóvenes.
For the time being these integrants of the Red de Jóvenes del Magdalena Medio do not dare to go back to their home municipality and they fear that they will not be able to do this in a foreseeable future.
Considering if the conditions to go back are safe is a delicate business and the answer can by nature never be clear cut.
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