The School as a Spoil of War: Armed Conflict, Forced Displacement, and Migration

Abstract

 The persistence of armed actors in the territories is a reflection of political corruption, which has led Colombia to a state of permanent war, and in which the rural population has been the most affected. Selective massacres, territorial dispossession and forced displacement are the main mechanisms of action of armed actors, including drug traffickers, paramilitaries, ex-combatants and the security forces. Rural educational institutions have become spoils of war, taking away the possibility for children and adolescents to study, and in many cases, they are forcibly recruited into these armed groups. The psychosocial impacts on the displaced population and the violations that impede the effective enjoyment of the rights of children and adolescents represent a violation of the dignity of the human person.