Que la paz no nos cueste la vida: consecuencias psicosociales de la impunidad en frente a los asesinatos de excombatientes de las FARC en Bogotá
Thesis
The 355 murders of former guerrilla fighters of the FARC guerrilla in Colombia since the peace treaty in 2016 remain largely unsolved and thus in impunity. Thus, demobilized fighters currently experience a precarious security situation that impacts their biopsychosocial health. This thesis aims to investigate the consequences of the current reality of life on the psychosocial health of demobilized persons, and explores this through interviews with five persons in the reincorporation process, as well as with a lawyer who works with demobilized persons. Fear, insecurity, pain and disappointment are prevalent feelings; mental illness, sleep disorders, and psychosomatic consequences are mentioned, as well as great disappointment regarding the many unfulfilled agreements in the 2016 peace treaty. On a social level, reuniting or living with the family can be difficult or even impossible, social relationships become disintegrated, and social as well as political engagement declines, in part because it can pose an additional threat to the own life. Dissidence, which (also) arises from disappointment over the unfulfilled peace treaty, endangers the official state of peace in Colombia. In addition, psychosocial health is a taboo, there is little research, and it can be difficult to openly talk about it. Psychosocial counselling for demobilized persons should be established, considering a holistic, integral perspective and including, among other, a gender approach. There is also a demand for better training of the relevant specialists or even for those affected themselves to be trained to counsel colleagues. Despite the difficult situation, there is hope for the new government under Gustavo Petro and an improvement in the security and psychosocial situation.
