The Heart of the War in Colombia

This is a testimony of those whose lives have been torn asunder by war and displacement in Colombia. It seeks to accomplish the impossible task of giving it a human face, a depth of social and political analysis, carried out by its very lucid participants, to the ongoing violence. The book shows the importance of childhood and the treatment of children in situations of social conflict and poverty; it maps the psychological rehabilitation of people who have suffered in themselves and within their families, violence, abuse, murder and disappearances; it provides an account of displacement and elucidates the causes of the ongoing war and violence in Colombia. It has as its basis the opinions and feelings of women and men who are often disregarded when talking about the war in Colombia: the "campesinos" who make up the activists and cannon fodder for both sides of the conflict. This is a people's history. It is done with the conscious aim of working towards improving the future, towards an end to the conflict, by learning from the past.