Many women and children have moved into shanty towns. Youth crime is increasing. Single motherhood is very common, particularly among young women. Single men have moved into the area in search of work. Prostitution is growing, often involving women from outside the region.
Domestic violence is a serious issue, as it is in Colombia as a whole.
Casanare, along with other regions in Colombia, suffers sporadic political violence, and the armed groups tend to target men, as community leaders, as victims rather than women. The MAPA environmental network which monitors the effect of oil in the area, and lobbies for more effective social responsibility, has a diverse membership - peasant farmers, teachers, youth, students, and grass roots workers operate side by side. The way that men and women work from different districts, organisations, and different levels of education, work together without distinction or discrimination, is remarkable. A number of the organisations in the network have active women's committees. MAPA has some powerful women leaders whose particular gift is to encourage active participation in the network, and help men and women to believe in their power to change things for the better, and to believe that a company worth millions of dollars should be as accountable as any other.