Of Colombia’s estimated population of more than 49 million, 1.5% are indigenous peoples. Under the Constitution of 1991, indigenous peoples are entitled to own the lands where they practise their culture. These indigenous territories, which are usually located in isolated…
In the context of the widespread violence associated with organised crime in Mexico, human rights defenders and journalists often become specific targets. Since the year 2000, at least 125 journalists have been killed in Mexico and another 21 have gone…
The Central America-Mexico-United States migration route is one of the largest in the world. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, every year some 500,000 people pass through Mexico.[1] For at least a decade, however, there have been clear changes…
Venezuela’s political, social and economic crisis, accompanied by increasing crime rates, has triggered widespread movement of Venezuelans to the state of Roraima in northern Brazil and elsewhere. Despite Venezuelan citizens being entitled (under a recent Resolution made for associate MERCOSUR…
Towns – especially border towns in countries of first asylum – are at the frontline of refugee displacement and are often where refugees settle or spend long periods of time. When refugees move into a town they change the fabric…
International refugee protection – as well as other forms of international protection – is designed to be temporary. The ‘cessation clause’ included in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, its Protocol and other international instruments in this…
In November 2016, in Honduras, the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM)[1] adopted the Guide to Effective Practices for RCM Member Countries: protection for persons moving across borders in the context of disasters.[2] Designed to apply primarily to displacement deriving from…
With homicide levels in the region on a par with some of the world’s worst armed conflicts,[1] gangs and criminal groups represent the new face of organised violence in Latin America. For many people, having a close family member or…
The Humanitarian Resettlement Programme for extra-regional refugees built on the Solidarity Resettlement Programme that emerged from the 2004 Mexico Declaration and Plan of Action. The Solidarity Resettlement Programme was designed for refugees in need of protection within the region, and…
The risk of recruitment of minors by armed groups has been a significant cause of displacement in Colombia. In 2008, it was estimated that between 8,000 and 13,000 children – with an average age of 13 – had been recruited…