Comprehensive Care for Victims
Cristosal develops strategies of comprehensive victim assistance proposes models based on our experiences that can be studied and replicated. Cristosal encourages the exchange of lessons learned and promotes the consolidation of policies to improve victim assistance. We focus on reaching durable solutions and overcoming of the conditions of vulnerability that are catalysts for forced migration.
Comprehensive Accompaniment Route
Cristosal includes various aspects in its comprehensive victim assistance programming: legal aid, protection, and emotional well-being. The aim to strengthen the capacities of individuals and family groups and supports, guidance, advice, and accompaniment in the activation of the State, and the promotion of community integration when necessary.
Durable Solutions
For more than six years Cristosal has developed different strategies to promote the achievement of a durable solution for people who are victims of forced internal displacement. This experience has taught us a number of lessons that now guide our comprehensive victim assistance programming. Some of these aspects include: the importance of individuals and families having sufficient information to be able to make an informed decision on what elements of a durable solution would best suit their situation; the need to promote autonomy as a cornerstone of any process of accompaniment to people who have been affected by violence; the importance of working on the objective and subjective security conditions of individuals and their families to reduce their intentions to migrate, as well as many others.
Community Development
In the area of Community Development, we implement Cristosal’s mission through rights-based community development actions and strengthening of local protection systems. We take a rights-based approach to planning, design and facilitation of workshops using the methodologies and tools of Popular Education, which develop the capacities of local actors for the promotion of human rights and a culture of peace. These local actors include youth groups, women’s groups, community governing boards, representatives of government institutions and civil society. The area also accompanies victims of forced internal displacement and returnees in need of protection in their reintegration process at the community level in their places of relocation. The Community Development team advances uses the different principles and approaches of Cristosal throughout their work, including: psychosocial, human rights and do no harm.
Human Rights Complaint System
The complaint system aims to receive complaints of human rights violations and cases of forced displacement, among others. Once the complaint is received, our teams provide guidance, accompaniment or support according to each case. The system also allows us to document and systematize complaints and then generate national and regional reports on human rights abuses. The personal data of the people who file their complaints are kept confidential.
