Violence and forced internal migrants with special reference to the metropolitan area of Bogotá, Colombia (1990-2002)
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Chaowsangrat, C.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
University College London (University of London)
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2011
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Body granting the degree
University College London (University of London)
Text preceding or following the note
2011
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This thesis addresses topics of violence and forced internal migrants with special reference to the metropolitan area of Bogotá, Colombia between 1990 and 2002. While there is much scholarly debate by historians and political scientists about conflict between the state, guerrillas and paramilitaries in rural areas, urban violence has been relatively neglected. Violence caused many people to migrate from rural to urban areas, so that, Colombia had by 2002 more internally displaced persons than any country except Sudan. The main aims of the thesis are 1) to analyse trends in violent crime; 2) to discuss citizen security strategies that were pursued between 1990 and 2002; and 3) to examine the survival strategies of forced internal migrants in Bogotá comparing them to the strategies adopted by voluntary migrants and native residents. Chapter 1 focuses on urban homicide and kidnapping. In Colombia, 40 percent of the 25,000 annual homicides were committed in the ten largest cities during the late 1990s. The problem of kidnapping is examined by analysing changes in Colombian anti-kidnapping legislation and its application and by focusing on the authors, the victims and the risk-zones involved. Chapter 2 looks at the issue of perception and fear of violent crime. The concept of risk and the subjectivity of decision-making when facing insecurity are examined. Chapter 3 investigates citizen security strategies during the administrations of Presidents César Gaviria (1990-1994), Ernesto Samper (1994-1998) and Andrés Pastrana (1998-2002). Chapter 4 develops an analysis of patterns of selectivity based on the notions of forced vis-à-vis voluntary migration and economic vis-à-vis non-economic migration. A research design collecting comparative data on households with diverse migration experiences residing in three locations within the metropolitan area of Bogotá is applied. Chapter 5 explores the socioeconomic characteristics of forced migrants and compares them to voluntary migrants from outside and migrants who moved within Bogotá.