Weaponizing Kinship: A Demographic Analysis of Bereavement in the Colombian Conflict

Le résumé fourni par la source

The Colombian Armed Conflict produced extensive patterns of homicide and enforced disappearance as armed actors employed strategies of terror to assert and consolidate power. Yet family bereavement—one of the most widespread and enduring consequences of such violence—remains critically understudied from a quantitative perspective. This study applies kinship demographic methods to estimate the scale of conflict-attributable bereavement in Colombia across time, with a focus on its population-level prevalence. Using data from the Colombian Truth Commission, adjusted for underreporting, we estimate the number of individuals who have ever experienced the death or enforced disappearance of family members due to conflict-related violence. Results indicate that, by 2018, approximately 7% of Colombians had lost a close family member, while 38% had lost any member of their family. Demographic projections suggest that these effects will persist for decades. The study provides novel insight into the scale, structure, and long-term consequences of kin loss caused by armed conflict. In the Colombian context, it represents a first step toward recognizing that war-induced bereavement was not merely collateral, but a targeted mechanism for dismantling family networks and eroding community cohesion. Our demographic profiling of the bereaved can aid efforts to support survivors and identify victims of enforced disappearance.

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