ICTJ Survey Shows Colombians Want Peace with Justice |TODAY|

Submitted by dan. on 2007-03-21 00:09.
Community Action | Public Education | Victim Support

The 75-page report is based on an extensive national survey that the Center conducted with more than 2,000 respondents in February and March 2006, in collaboration with a Colombian NGO—the Social Foundation—and an international consortium of donors known as the Project Counseling Service. The survey assesses perceptions of a range of transitional justice issues, as well as levels of violence suffered by civilians, many of whom have endured more than four decades of brutal armed conflict waged among government, left-wing guerilla, and paramilitary groups.

The report also indicates that among those surveyed:

- Nearly 90% believe that the victims of violations have a right to receive reparations
from the perpetrators and their leaders, and nearly 70% believe the government is
also partially responsible for providing reparations;

- 79% believe the Colombian people have a right to truth and want an impartial
historical record of the facts and responsibilities for the violations suffered during
the conflict. Yet among those, 39% percent are also afraid that truth-seeking may
result in reprisals or in governmental inaction;

- 73.9% expressed a favorable attitude toward reconciliation, but victims directly
affected by the violence made clear that they do not want to live in close proximity
to former combatants or see them holding positions of power;

- 63% believe that both the leaders and the rank-and- file combatants must be
prosecuted for their crimes. Furthermore, only 26% agreed that there should be any
leniency accorded to leaders in meting out punishments, while 45% did not want
any leniency to be granted. This statistic was especially high among women, with a
full 67% pushing for the prosecution of both categories of offenders and more than
50% demanding full sentences.

Read it all. The report, currently available only in Spanish, is available here.