HomeNewsBriefBACRIM Responsible for 30% of Human Rights Violations in Colombia
BRIEF

BACRIM Responsible for 30% of Human Rights Violations in Colombia

COLOMBIA / 16 APR 2013 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Colombia's BACRIM are on average responsible for 3 of every 10 human rights abuses reported in Colombia, according to the national ombudsman, making these criminal groups the most egregious violators of human rights in the country.

The President of the National Federation of Ombudsmen (FENALPER), Andres Santamaria, reported that the hybrid criminal organizations known as BACRIM -- a Spanish acronym that stands for "criminal bands" -- have replaced right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas as the principal perpetrators of abuses such as mass displacement. The BACRIM control local drug trafficking, extort legal and illegal businesses, and sell processed cocaine to international criminal groups.

According to a FENALPER study, the most affected states are Bolivar, Choco and Antioquia -- where BACRIM are responsible for up to 40 percent of human rights violations. Other states on the list were Valle del Cauca, Nariño, Cordoba, Sucre, and Norte de Santander.

The most serious case occurred in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, where the BACRIM were responsible for 90 percent of 7,000 victims in 17 forced displacements registered between September and November 2012, as various armed groups battled for control of local drug trafficking businesses.

InSight Crime Analysis

The report starkly contrasts with recent government comments that 90 percent of Colombia is BACRIM free. A Bogota think tank claimed in March that the government has failed to properly assess and respond to the threat posed by these groups, which infiltrate society at many levels.

Santamaria said the government should consider amending the two-year-old Victims Law, which aims to compensate victims of Colombia's conflict. The law provides resources for victims of human rights abuses carried out by paramilitaries, guerrillas and state forces, but excludes the BACRIM. 

Many civil society organizations also say the BACRIM should be reclassified as conflict actors to give their victims legal recourse. However, the 2011 Victims Law already covers an estimated 4 million people, making it unlikely that the government will expand its purview in the near future. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COLOMBIA / 9 MAR 2023

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro will play a vital role in the success of Colombia's peace talks with the ELN. Is…

COLOMBIA / 23 MAY 2022

A reconfiguration of the groups that control micro-trafficking in Colombia’s capital city is responsible for the series of macabre homicides…

BOLIVIA / 8 NOV 2022

The Amazon is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, where wildlife trafficking threatens hundreds of thousands of species.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…