Forced Displacement, Ethics and Health. The Case of Colombia Andrés Cubillos-Novella Eduardo Díaz-Amado
Introduction As Shultz et al. (2014) suggested, “in the annals of forced migration, Colombia is notable for the high overall numbers of internally displaced persons” (p. 475). Unfortunately, Colombia is easily associated with this phenomenon, which does not occur merely due to the action of certain violent groups, but rather is due to more complex dynamics that require an informed approach from different angles. In general, the analyses focus on the socio-political, economic, and military aspects. In this chapter, however, we want to highlight two elements: health care for displaced people and migrants, on the one hand, and the need to recognize the ethical-moral dimension that underlies the problem of displacement, on the other. In the following lines, we will present a general picture of forced displacement in Colombia from a global perspective on this problem to point out the particularities of the Colombian case. Figures on the phenomenon and the elements that make this situation an ethical-political problem of great dimensions will be presented, proposing elements from bioethics that help consider the problem, especially concerning the health needs of this population and the differential care that, therefore, is required.
Global Displacement: Persistent Phenomenon Forced displacement as a global phenomenon has been increasing steadily since 2009, from 43.3 million to a record number of 70.8 million as of December 2018 of people affected by this scourge (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2019). According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, the displaced population increased by 2.3 million only in 2018. A very high figure, which shows that displacement is not only still present despite the peace accords negotiated in various countries, including Colombia, but it has increased (2019). When analyzing the data provided by the UNHCR, it is evident that asylum seekers were one of the populations that were most displaced, with Ethiopians being the ones that came to occupy an unfortunate first place with a total of 1,560,800 displaced persons, with 98% displaced within their own borders, which shows the impact that internal displacement has had in that country.
