Colombia Programs

Since 2018, ABA ROLI has implemented several programs in Colombia seeking to strengthen legal institutions, foster respect for human rights, and advance public understanding of the law and citizens' rights. Currently, we are implementing five programs that range from preventing, protecting, and responding to human rights violations of Venezuelan migrants and Colombia returnees; addressing human trafficking cases in Cartegena; combatting child trafficking cases; combatting public corruption; and strengthening the capacities of regional actors to address human rights violations of Environmental Defenders. 

Current programs include a program to strengthen investigations, prosecutions, and adjudications of human trafficking cases in Cartagena (JTIP-funded, 2022-2024); a program to strengthen the justice sector’s response to combat child trafficking cases in the target regions in Colombia through initiatives focused on institutional strengthening, advocacy, and increasing access to justice (JTIP-funded, 2022-2027), a program to combat public corruption in the country (PADF-funded, 2022-2024), a program to strengthen regional capacities for coordinated interventions to respond, protect, and prevent human rights violations of Environmental Defenders (2022-2024), and a program to improve efficiency and efficacy of the judiciary in Colombia to adjudicate cases in crimes prioritized by the Government of Colombia and the U.S. Government (INL-funded, 2023-2026).

Strengthening the Judicial Sector in the Identification, Investigation, Prosecution, and Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking in Cartagena

Cartagena, Colombia is abundant with conditions that drive human trafficking, such as high poverty levels resulting from limited economic opportunities, child and adult sexual and labor exploitation, complex migration realities for communities and authorities receiving migrants and Colombian returnees from Venezuela, as well as servicing multitudes of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). In partnership with Fundación Renacer, Talitha Qum, and Corporación Caribe Afirmativo and with support from the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), ABA ROLI is implementing the two-year program (2022-2024), Cartegena Free From Human Trafficking. This program aims to strengthen the justice sector's prosecution of human trafficking cases in Cartagena by improving institutional practices for investigating and prosecuting TIP cases, identifying and protecting victims, and increasing institutional awareness of TIP.

Combating Child Trafficking

Despite Colombia’s efforts to address child labor, children are still subjected to commercial sexual exploitation and illicit activities, forced labor, and recruitment by illegal armed groups. These challenges are compounded by traffickers’ use of online platforms, the influx of Venezuelan migrants, stretched social programs, and institutional weaknesses. In support of the U.S. and Colombian Government’s new U.S.-Colombia Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership program to combat child trafficking, ABA ROLI is implementing a five-year program (2022-2027) to strengthen investigations, prosecutions, and adjudications of child trafficking cases in target regions in Colombia. This is achieved through initiatives focused on institutional strengthening, advocacy, and increasing access to justice, with a particular focus on child sex trafficking in the context of tourism; online sexual exploitation of children (“webcam modeling”) amount to sex trafficking and forced child begging; and forced child recruitment into illegal armed groups. This cooperative agreement is funded by the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (JTIP).

Combating Public Corruption

In Colombia, corruption exists at every level of government, which undermines public trust in democratic institutions and confidence in the justice system. There are hundreds of criminal cases on public corruption pending and presenting before the Supreme Court, as well as related public corruption cases being prosecuted in lower court tribunals. In collaboration with the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF), ABA ROLI is implementing the 18-month (2022-2024) Combating Public Corruption in Colombia program, which seeks to strengthen the capacity of the judiciary (namely the Supreme Court’s Sala de Primera Instancia) to effectively adjudicate cases involving crimes of public corruption in Colombia.  

Supporting Environmental Defenders

As part of its regional program, ABA ROLI works to strengthen regional capacities for coordinated interventions to respond, protect, and prevent human rights violations of Environmental Defenders (EDs) in the Amazon region, including Colombia. Through the Supporting Environmental Defenders in Latin America program, ABA ROLI is developing activities to strengthen the capacities of EDs to hold the private sector and governments accountable in the enforcement of environmental laws and the protection and prevention of human rights violations against EDs, and the implementation of existing commitments in regional and international agreements. This is a two-year program from 2022-2024.

Read more about the program here.

Strengthening Judicial Practice

In Colombia, the justice system continues to face challenges of organized crime, including narcotrafficking, money laundering, and corruption. These challenges tend to be centralized, particularly in rural areas where the Government of Colombia (GOC) struggles to exert its authority to establish and maintain the rule of law. Funded by the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), ABA ROLI is implementing the three-year program (2023 – 2026) Strengthening Judicial Practice in Colombia to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the judiciary in the regions of Antioquia, Nariño, Norte de Santander, La Guajira, Arauca, and Chocó in Colombia. The Project will provide technical assistance to the Colombian judiciary on crimes prioritized by the GOC and the U.S. Government, e.g., narcotrafficking, money laundering, corruption, human rights violations, environmental crimes, migrant smuggling, and gender-based violence.

Past Programs in Colombia

Preventing and Responding to Human Rights Abuses of Venezuelan Migrants and Colombian Returnees 

Since 2020, ABA ROLI has worked to fortify the Colombian government’s institutional capacity to prevent human rights violations, as we simultaneously empower the legal profession and civil society to respond effectively to the growing migration crisis. ABA ROLI was part of a consortium-led program aimed at improving citizens’ security and community cohesion in communities receiving migrants. The program does this by preventing human rights violations, strengthening human rights protections systems, responding to human rights violations, and responding to unforeseen challenges in the context of mixed migration flows.  

From 2020 to 2023, the Conectando Caminos por los Derechos (CCD) Activity, also known as USAID’s Venezuelan Migrant Human Rights Activity, aimed at improving citizen security and community cohesion in migrant receptor communities in Colombia. It supported the transition from short-term humanitarian assistance to long-term development assistance for migrants, Colombian returnees, and receptor communities. CCD was carried out under the USAID-funded Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM) and implemented by the PROGRESS consortium, including Pact, ABA ROLI, Freedom House, and Internews. Under this USAID/HRSM funded program, ABA ROLI was the program lead in providing strategic direction for objectives related to preventing and responding to human rights violations, and two cross-cutting initiatives on TIP and Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI). 

Developing the Competencies of Judges to Adjudicate Cases Involving Human Rights Defenders

From 2020-2022, ABA ROLI, with the Pan American Development Foundation, implemented the  human rights program, Strengthening Judicial Adjudication of Cases Involving Human Rights Defenders and Social Leaders (HRDSL). Funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), this program focused on strengthening the judicial sector in the adjudication of cases that involve the threats and assassinations of HRDSL. Specifically, the program worked to strengthen the competencies of the judiciary in key areas of criminal law and procedure, primarily through supporting specialized judgeships recently created to adjudicate cases involving threats and homicides of HRDSLs. The program also sought to improve the organizational capacity of specialized judges in courtroom management and procedures in order to enable the judiciary to oversee these proceedings in a more effective and timely manner.

Building Better Justice: Strengthening Judicial Training in Colombia

Between 2018 and March 2022, ABA ROLI implemented the INL-funded Building Better Justice: Strengthening Judicial Training program, which sought to strengthen the capacity of the Rodrigo Lara Bonilla Judicial Training School (JTS) in addressing Colombia’s criminal justice challenges and the needs of a diverse judicial system. The program was designed to support host country partners in enhancing access to judicial education opportunities for Colombian judges and court personnel. Specifically, the program focused on improving the JTS' administration of judicial education with respect to criminal law, which includes more than 5,400 judges and 25,800 court personnel who make up the Colombian judicial system. Drawing on a previous baseline evaluation on judicial training, ABA ROLI examined the JTS’ operational infrastructure, curricula, and the needs for training aids. This assessment, adapted from numerous judicial training assessments conducted by ABA ROLI, provided a comprehensive analysis of JTS’ strengths and challenges, as well as identified opportunities for our program to address the needs.