Armed conflict, peace, and occupational therapy in Colombia: paths and challenges ¹

Abstract

Colombia experiences a long-running armed conflict, with more than nine million registered victims and profound damage to people, communities, and society. The article covers three topics. First, a brief contextualization of the Colombian armed conflict and some of its impacts. Secondly, based on documentary sources, it attempts to trace how Colombian occupational therapy has approached the armed conflict. It identifies three stages: prudent indifference, slow awakening, and recognition of ethical-political responsibility. Finally, it presents some challenges for the professional contribution to peacebuilding in Colombia, such as expanding and strengthening the profession to reach the territories most affected by the conflict, improving occupational therapists’ training and practice to respond to the complexity of the country's situation, and reflecting on the objectives and ethical implications of professional actions for the victims, ex-combatants or communities affected by the conflict.

Keywords:
Armed Conflicts; Professional Practice; Human Rights Abuses; Social Occupational Therapy