24 members make up the new Departmental Board for the Effective Participation of Victims in the department of Huila, which in this period included Youth and LGBTI approaches.

The Victims Unit Territorial Directorate Caquetá-Huila, the Ombudsman and the Regional Attorney General's Office, accompanied in Neiva the process of election and conformation of Departmental Board of Effective Participation of Victims, with the presence of 200 representatives of the survivors of armed conflict of 34 municipalities of the department of Huila.

Several differentiating aspects marked this election day among them, the participation of the Colombian Campaign Against Mines Organization, who was admitted to be part of the Board, as the Victims' Defending Organization (ODV) with the purpose of knowing from within the implementation process of Law 1448 on victims and managing resources from international donors for the benefit of survivors of the armed conflict.

One of the delegates will be Daniel Ortiz, victim of conflict over the murder of his father in the massacre of the councilors of Rivera (Huila) in February 2006, who will represent the youth of the department in the next period.

Another survivor of conflict, Humberto Cedeño Palomino, affirmed that “I have been fighting with the leadership of victims since before Law 1448, I have been chosen for the representation of the differential approach of the elderly and I have to say that despite the difficulties and the fight that we have had to give, we have improved a great percentage regarding the real and effective participation in the different instances, the representation in these spaces has been dignified”.

“We are very happy, the process was carried out with the tranquility and transparency required with the accompaniment of the Public Ministry, we hope that the Board meets the expectations of all the people they represent and that we can do a very articulated work for the remainder of this year and the coming period”, said Sandra Jhovana Bello, director (e) of Caquetá-Huila territorial at the end of the day”.

(EndFin/YUM/CMC/LMY)