Colombia

In Colombia, decades of armed conflict, civil strife, and internal displacement have crippled the nation’s social services and left vulnerable children, adolescents, and families without the help they need. In 2016, the country was named a priority country under the U.S. Government Action Plan for Children in Adversity (APCA), a partnership aiming to improve the well-being of children. The APCA worked with the government of Colombia and determined that building upon current efforts led by the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) would be the most effective approach to address issues facing children living in adversity in Colombia. ICBF provides violence prevention and protection services for children, adolescents, and families through a decentralized system that allows them to reach more than eight million people across the country.

HRH2030 in Colombia

HRH2030 Colombia works with ICBF to strengthen the Colombian social service workforce to improve and expand social service programs, ultimately benefiting the well-being of children, adolescents, and families throughout the country. HRH2030 Colombia’s work focuses on three areas:

• Building ICBF’s national and local capacity by establishing appropriate processes and procedures and training for the social service workforce.
• Enhancing juvenile justice prevention, care, and oversight to ensure the restoration of children’s and adolescents’ rights in collaboration with the Colombian Ministry of Justice.
• Designing and implementing activities for the prevention of youth recruitment by armed groups.