Colombia: UN Committee Releases Visit Report With Roadmap To Combat Enforced Disappearances

GENEVA (30 April 2025) - The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) today published its findings from its recent visit to Colombia, identifying specific areas of concern and offering a comprehensive roadmap to support the State in addressing the persistent heinous crime of enforced disappearances.

The CED visited Colombia from 21 November to 5 December 2024. It went to Bogotá, Cali, Cúcuta, Medellín, Santa Marta and Villavicencio, where it held 55 meetings with more than 80 authorities from all branches of government, and 61 meetings with victims, victims’ collectives and civil society organisations. It also visited five places of deprivation of liberty.

The Committee welcomed the cooperation and facilities provided by the State authorities before and during the mission, emphasising that the visit marks a new milestone in its constructive dialogue with Colombia.

In its report, the Committee noted that the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Colombia did not end with the 2016 peace accords. On the contrary, they continue to occur daily, both within the context of armed conflicts and beyond, affecting various groups across the country, especially in regions under the control of non-state armed groups and criminal organisations.

It expressed particular concern regarding disappearances linked to forced recruitment, particularly those involving children and adolescents, who are targeted by non-state and criminal armed groups through social networks or outside schools, and sometimes reportedly with the acquiescence of authorities.

The Committee also voiced its concern about the growing number of disappearances linked to human trafficking, affecting especially children, adolescents and women. During its visit, the Committee heard painful testimonies from families affected by these disappearances and the resulting climate of fear. One mother shared, “Our sons and daughters leave for school in the morning. We don’t know if they will return. Many have disappeared.”

The Committee was seized of disappearances during military counterinsurgency operations, and about acts carried out to eliminate perceived internal “enemies” such as human rights defenders, journalists, social and community leaders, and LGBTIQ+ people. “Enforced disappearance was and continues to be used as a method of terror to control territories,” the report said.

Another major area of concern was disappearances in the context of migration. According to information provided to the Committee, such disappearances occur particularly in three areas: the Darien Gap (border with Panama), Norte de Santander (border with Venezuela), and San Andrés (port of departure).

A critical structural issue highlighted in the report is the lack of reliable and unified data on the number of disappeared persons in the country. Estimates provided to the delegation during the visit varied greatly, ranging from 121,768 to 210,000, while it is known that many cases remain unreported. The absence of a coordinated, standardised registry is a significant obstacle hampering efforts to establishing adapted search and investigation strategies, and providing reparation to the families.

While underscoring the amplitude of the current legal framework, the Committee focused on its application in practice, which considerable information received indicated was limited.

To address these challenges, the Committee urged the State party to strengthen its search, investigation, and prosecution mechanisms. It emphasised that authorities have a duty to act immediately once they are aware that a disappearance occurs, even in the absence of a formal complaint. It stressed the need to ensure that search and identification processes are adequately resourced and adapted to the different contexts in which disappearances occur, including in water, cemeteries and mass grave sites.

With regard to disappearances in the context of migration, the Committee recommended greater coordination between Colombia and neighbouring countries to track and respond to disappearances of migrants. It highlighted the importance to link the registers of disappearances with those of migration authorities, and to ensure that disappeared migrants are systematically searched for and identified.

The Committee called on Colombia to guarantee that all victims of enforced disappearances, including the families of disappeared persons, are recognised as such and can access the full range of their rights to truth, justice, and reparation. It stressed that the existing protocols, including on support and care services, must be implemented to ensure adequate and differentiated responses to the specific needs of victims.

The Committee emphasised the urgency of moving beyond reactive measures. “Adopting a comprehensive State policy to prevent disappearances is necessary and cannot be postponed. This policy must address and combat the causes of disappearances, especially enforced disappearances, aim at their non-repetition and be sustainable,” the Committee stated.

The Committee expressed its commitment to pursuing its constructive cooperation with Colombia to help turn these recommendations into meaningful and lasting progress toward the eradication of enforced disappearances.

The visit report (table of content, findings, recommendations and annexes) is now available online.

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