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June 16, 2003 Women as Heads of Displaced Households in Colombia Forced displacement has been a part of the Colombian social dynamic for decades. Although intensity and location have varied, the prime motivation for displacement has always been political violence. The first extreme period of forced displacement occurred during the era of bipartisan violence in the 1950s. But that period of forced displacement does not compare with the magnitude of the current situation in which the civilian population finds itself caught in the crossfire between leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and the armed agents of the state. Furthermore, increasing numbers of today's displaced families are headed by women who receive little aid from the Colombian government.
A person is considered displaced in Colombia if they have been forced to migrate within the national territory, abandoning their residency or economic activities, because their life, physical well-being, security, or personal freedom has been reduced or directly threatened. In 2001, paramilitary actions caused 50 percent of displacements, guerrilla actions caused 20 percent, and government forces caused one percent. More than one group was active in 22 percent of these cases, and in 7 percent of cases no group has been identified. Women are heads of approximately one third of the world's households, and this number is continually rising. In many cases, women assume this role after their husbands have been disappeared, murdered or persecuted. In some instances, however, women take on the position of head of the family because they have adapted better to the socio-economic conditions of running a household. The often horrific circumstances that lead to their rise to head of the family forces women to face not just the psychological traumas of desertion and loss, but also responsibility for the economic and social maintenance of the family. This situation continues to affect the displaced family in their area of resettlement, where poverty increases as the women try to adapt to their new surroundings without the help of a husband. The Social Solidarity Network has made an effort to increase awareness about the situation of women as heads of households in Colombia. To this end, the Network listed the genders of heads of households in its 2002 System for Registration of the Displaced Population (SUR) registries, and made these available to the general public. According to this registry, 21,394 homes headed by females were displaced in 2000, and 28,744 in 2001. By December 15, 2002, 30,203 homes with female heads had been displaced during that year, which represents 35.7 percent of all displaced households during that period. Of all the displaced families headed by women in Colombia since 1995 (84,726 households), 94.9 percent fled their homes between 2000 and 2002, which illustrates the dramatically deteriorating situation that has confronted Colombian women in just the past three years. More female-headed families have been displaced in Antioquia than any other department with 15,956 such households since 1995, which represents 18.83 percent of all displaced homes with women as heads of families. Bolívar comes in second place with 10,101 homes (11.92 percent), followed by Sucre with 5,510 (6.5 percent), Magdalena (5,258 households), César (4,839), Putumayo (4,735) and Caquetá (3,952). While these women face many problems, the most serious is adapting to their new home while adjusting to the role of head of household. Many arrive in the capital cities of departments to social, cultural and economic situations that are very foreign to them. Throughout this adjustment, the women must take on a more dominant role than that to which they were accustomed when their husbands were present. The economic activities that families are involved in before being displaced (usually farming and ranching) are impossible to carry over to resettlement sites. The effects of this are felt on an individual level when displaced people are forced to make the difficult adaptation to new forms of work. There are also effects on a national level, as the de-ruralized economy modifies the nation's productive structure and creates a labor surplus of unqualified workers in areas of resettlement. Gender divisions in the urban labor market quickly usher women into domestic jobs, such as cleaning and cooking. With this income women can sometimes assume the role of head of household more easily. Displaced families can also earn money through commerce in the informal sector, a practice taken on as much by men as by women. The only estimate of incomes earned by women who head displaced households is found in a CODHES study, which shows that in 1995 half of these women earned no wages, 23 percent earned less than the minimum wage, and 22 percent earned a salary equal to the minimum wage. It is important to note that none of the Colombian government's humanitarian programs are dedicated specifically to women who head displaced households. Many Colombian women, after first surviving the armed conflict, must then confront a longer and more difficult struggle, fighting for their own survival and that of their families in new locations. In addition to confronting fear, war and the loss of loved ones (sons, husbands, fathers, etc.), these women are forced to take on the role of head of household, assuming economic responsibility as well as providing social and psychological support for their family. The opportunities for these women are limited, given that few are educated or posses the resources to initiate economic activity. As a result, these women are often dependent on governmental assistance. In spite of this situation, the Colombian government does not have programs specifically designated for women who are heads of displaced families. Since these women face such a complex situation, and keeping in mind that they also must care for their children and elderly relatives, there is a need for special programs in areas of resettlement that give prioritized help to these women and facilitate access to work, health care, shelter and training. The government needs to immediately incorporate these women into work programs with conditions that allow them to look after their children. A woman's new status as head of the household means that her hardships continue long after the act of displacement. This article has been extracted from Paula Andrea Rossiasco's special report Forced Displacement and Women as Heads of Displaced Households in Colombia. Paula Andrea Rossiasco is currently doing post-graduate studies in economics at the National University in Bogotá. She formerly worked for the Colombian government's development agency FONADE (Fondo Financiero de Proyectos de Desarrollo). Translated from the Spanish by Simon Helweg-Larsen. This article originally appeared in Colombia Report, an online journal that was published by the Information Network of the Americas (INOTA).
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It
should be noted that there is no central source of information in
Colombia, and so many different research methods, sources, and definitions
of displaced people and households must be taken into account. The
Human Rights and Displacement Consultancy (CODHES) puts the figure
at more than two million displaced between 1995 and 2000. While
the Colombian government's 1999 report on forced displacement, Conpes
3057, states that between September 1995 and November 1999,
400,000 people were forced from their homes as a result of the armed
conflict.