On the Way to a Real Restitution of Rights

Moron Villarreal, Jose Tomas

4. term

Global Refugee Studies, Master

2015

2015-12-20

74

I mere end fem årtier har Colombia været præget af væbnet konflikt med rødder i dyb social ulighed. Mange colombianere har lidt direkte eller indirekte, og nogle børn og unge er blevet rekrutteret til illegale væbnede grupper. Regeringen tilbyder et reintegrationsprogram til dem, der forlader disse grupper, med målet om at genoprette børns rettigheder. Dette studie undersøger, hvordan programmet påvirker unge tidligere kombattanters trivsel, forstået som deres livskvalitet og frihed til at træffe valg. Med en kvalitativ, narrativ tilgang – ved at lytte til de unges egne fortællinger – udforsker vi deres idéer, opfattelser og erfaringer i programmet. Studiet finder, at programmet ofte ligestiller trivsel med økonomisk vækst, opretholder kontrollerende magtstrukturer og flytter fokus fra konfliktens sociale årsager til en antaget individuel patologi hos de unge. I praksis kan det begrænse deres frihed og hæmme deres udvikling. To forhold skiller sig ud: 1) Stigmatisering fra flere vinkler: som mindreårige opfattes de som ude af stand; som ofre mister de individualitet; som tidligere kombattanter anses de for utroværdige. Dette underminerer deres identitet og potentiale og skader deres trivsel. 2) Selv i nye rammer – plejefamilier, organisationer og skoler – ligner hverdagsdynamikkerne de autoritære mønstre, de kendte før. Ved at internalisere disse magtforhold fortsætter konfliktens mønstre i deres liv ud over krigen.

For more than five decades, Colombia has experienced armed conflict rooted in deep social inequality. Many Colombians have suffered directly or indirectly, and some children and adolescents have been recruited into illegal armed groups. The government offers a reintegration program for those who leave these groups, aiming to restore children’s rights. This study examines how the program affects the wellbeing of young ex-combatants, understood as their quality of life and their freedom to make choices. Using a qualitative, narrative approach—listening to teenagers’ own stories—we explore their ideas, perceptions, and experiences in the program. The study finds that the program often treats wellbeing mainly as economic growth, sustains controlling power structures, and shifts attention from the social roots of the conflict to an assumed individual pathology of the young people. In practice, this can restrict their freedom and hinder their development. Two issues stand out: 1) Stigma from multiple angles: as minors they are seen as incapable; as victims they lose individuality; as ex-combatants they are viewed as untrustworthy. These perceptions undermine their identity and potential, harming their wellbeing. 2) Even in new settings—foster families, organizations, and schools—the daily dynamics resemble the same authoritarian patterns they knew before. By internalizing these power relations, the patterns of conflict continue in their lives beyond the war.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Download
View record in AAU Student Projects