Colombia will stage events around the country Monday to mark a new national Victims' Day, remembering the millions who have suffered in the long-running armed conflict.
The day has been instituted as part of President Juan Manuel Santos' stated agenda to recognize and compensate Colombian victims of human rights abuses, most notably through the historic Victims and Land Restitution Law, which came into effect at the beginning of the year.
The law, signed by Santos on June 10, 2011, defines a victim as "those people who individually or collectively have suffered a violation of their fundamental rights because of the internal armed conflict through acts that have occurred since January 1, 1985." It pledges to restore land to Colombia's millions of internally displaced people and financially compensate those who have suffered violence at the hands of guerrillas, paramilitaries and state officials.