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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1224 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1224

      Recognizing and honoring the important work that Colombia's 
   Constitutional Court has done on behalf of Colombia's internally 
displaced persons, especially indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians, and 
                                 women.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 2010

    Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
 McGovern, Mr. Payne, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Rush, Mr. Grijalva, 
Mr. Honda, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Ms. Schakowsky, 
  Mr. Ellison, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. Norton, Mr. Serrano, Ms. Watson, Mr. 
 Davis of Illinois, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, 
  Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Michaud, Mr. Farr, and Ms. 
 Richardson) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
      Recognizing and honoring the important work that Colombia's 
   Constitutional Court has done on behalf of Colombia's internally 
displaced persons, especially indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians, and 
                                 women.

Whereas Colombia contains one of the largest internally displaced persons (IDP) 
        populations in the world, with an estimated 4,000,000 IDPs, according to 
        the Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES);
Whereas in Colombia, an estimated 380,000 people became newly displaced in 2008, 
        a 24 percent increase over 2007, according to CODHES;
Whereas a disproportionate number of Colombia's IDPs have African or indigenous 
        ancestry;
Whereas Colombia's internal armed conflict, drug trafficking, aerial fumigation 
        efforts, and the illegal and violent expropriation of territories titled 
        to Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities continue to cause 
        displacement;
Whereas the internal armed conflict between the Government of Colombia and 
        guerilla groups, paramilitaries, and narcotics production and 
        trafficking organizations has contributed to ongoing violence and 
        instability;
Whereas Colombia, at the urging of the United States, has aggressively fumigated 
        coca fields, many of which are in areas populated by Afro-Colombian and 
        indigenous peoples, and such fumigation has blighted some lands such 
        that non-coca agriculture is no longer viable;
Whereas IDP leaders are often targets of threats, intimidation, violence, and 
        assassinations;
Whereas internally displaced women, who often become widows and single heads of 
        IDP households, are vulnerable to sexual violence and risk losing their 
        children to forced recruitment by illegal armed groups;
Whereas sexual violence against women is used to intimidate and coerce IDPs, 
        especially Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations;
Whereas Afro-Colombian and indigenous IDPs suffer from loss of identity and 
        cultural traditions, are often dispossessed and destitute, face major 
        obstacles to fulfilling basic needs, are victims of racial 
        discrimination, and are vulnerable to exploitation and physical harm;
Whereas, on May 22, 2007, the United States House of Representatives passed H. 
        Res. 426, which recognized 2007 as the Year of the Rights of Internally 
        Displaced Persons in Colombia;
Whereas Colombia has made great progress in recognizing and developing national 
        policies to address its IDP crisis, although implementation of such 
        policies remains incomplete;
Whereas Colombia's Constitutional Court in its T-025 ruling of April 2004 and 
        subsequent orders, including 005 of 2009 on protection of internally 
        displaced Afro-Colombians, 004 of 2009 on protection of indigenous 
        internally displaced persons (IDP), 092 of 2008 on protection of the 
        rights of IDP women, and 200 of 2007 on protection of IDP leaders, has 
        played a key role in defending the human rights of Colombia's estimated 
        more than 4,000,000 IDPs;
Whereas Colombia's Constitutional Court, in order 005, ordered the Government of 
        Colombia to formulate a prevention and protection plan for 62 Afro-
        Colombian territories with populations at risk of internal displacement; 
        and
Whereas Colombia's Constitutional Court, in order 004, ordered the relevant 
        Colombian authorities to develop a program that guarantees the rights of 
        indigenous IDPs and to implement ``life saving'' plans for 34 indigenous 
        ethnic groups: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes and honors the important work that 
        Colombia's Constitutional Court has done on behalf of 
        Colombia's internally displaced persons, especially indigenous 
        peoples, Afro-Colombians, and women;
            (2) calls on the Government of Colombia to fully implement 
        the orders issued by the Colombian Constitutional Court;
            (3) urges the United States Government to work with 
        Colombian authorities to ensure that the orders of the 
        Colombian Constitutional Court to uphold the rights of 
        internally displaced persons in Colombia are implemented; and
            (4) affirms that Colombia's human rights record will 
        continue to be relevant as Congress deliberates relations 
        between Colombia and the United States.
                                 <all>
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