The consortium formed by the Colombian Interdisciplinary Team of Forensic Work and Psychosocial Assistance – EQUITAS, the Development and Peace Foundation – FUNDEPAZ and the Association Network of Human Rights Defenders – DhColombia implemented with the support of the Vivir La Paz Fund of GIZ / German Cooperation between October 2018 and June 2019 the project called Strengthening Organizations and Networks of Relatives of Victims and Institutions towards the Building of Search Plans in the Department of Nariño.
A total of 223 people was benefited, which 183 were relatives of victims of enforced disappearance and 24 officials of public entities of local, regional and national order. The relatives belonged to 7 regional organizations, called: Association of Victims of Disappearance of Nariño – AVIDES, Association of Victims for Peace and Development – ASVIPAD and Association for the Integral Development of Victims – ADIV for the case of Pasto; Association of Victims Building Country Ipiales – ASOVICONPI and Association of Victims Victoria en Paz for the case of Ipiales and Association of Victims of Disappearance of the Colombian Pacific – AFADPAC and Association of Victims Light of Hope for the case of Tumaco. The 98% of the beneficiaries were women and 2% men.
In the case of officials, the direct beneficiaries were 40 people, which 24 officials are part of institutions belonging to the Departmental Roundtable for Prevention, Assistance and Attention to Victims of Enforced Disappearance, where 11 institutions are present such as: Government of Nariño, Departmental Health Institute of Nariño – IDSN, Departmental Secretariat of Education, Victims’ Unite, National Prosecutor’s Office (Prosecutors and CTI), National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensics Sciences – INMLCF, Ombudsman’s Office, National Army, National Police, Crime Observatory and Ombudsman ) and four special invited entities of a permanent character (MAPP / OAS, ICRC, Regional Procurator and Social Pastoral).
Among the results achieved with the project are: The organizational capacities of 8 associations of relatives of victims of disappearance in Ipiales, Pasto and Tumaco were strengthened for participation in the building and implementation of Integral Regional Search Plans through the implementation of a documentation process for the 133 cases in four components: legal, forensic, cartographic and psychosocial. An average of 135 relatives of disappeared persons, strengthened their skills for processes and mechanisms (cartography) of search, location, care routes and mechanisms of enforceability of rights.
Likewise, the capacities of the State institutions of the local, regional and national order with a presence in Nariño were strengthened to carry out Integral Regional Search Plans through four meetings, held in the Pasto city, which were attended by representatives of public institutions and international agencies members of the Departmental Roundtable for Prevention, Assistance and Attention to Victims of Enforced Disappearance. In addition, a practical and theoretical workshop on the methodology of Equitas called the Narcès Seal of Good Practices for Administrators and Gravediggers from 11 municipalities of the department of Nariño was held between 22 and 23 April 2019. The municipalities were: Sotomayor, Policarpa, Pasto, Ipiales, Leiva, El Charco, Tumaco, Barbacoas, Francisco Pizarro, Ricaurte and Olaya Herrera.
