Statistics regarding Colombian Kidnapping
From WolfWikis
Latin American kidnappings account for nearly 80% of kidnappings worldwide. The Republic of Colombia ranks highest among Latin American nations, earning it the reputation as the “kidnapping capital of the world.” (Briggs 28) The nation has experienced an increase in kidnappings over the decades leading into the new millennium, documenting less than 100 per year in the 1960’s and 1970’s, to 3,000 kidnappings in 2000. Kidnapping trends in Colombia ebb and flow. The records of reported kidnappings in Colombia "show two periods of extraordinary rise...from 1986 to 1991, the kidnapping rate (per capita)grew at more than 40% a year. The second rise, from 1995 to [2000], have seen kidnapping reports per capita grow at an annual rate of almost 25%. (Levitt 27) However, since the inauguration of hard-lined Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Colombia has seen a decline in kidnappings, with only 800 reported in 2005.
Colombia witnessed a surge in annual kidnappings for several decades.
Much of the wanton violence in Colombia is associated with the paramilitary organization AUC. In 2002, before government sponsored demobilization of paramilitaries began in 2003, the small armies, especially AUC, were “responsible for 53 percent of the attacks on civilian populations... while the FARC and the ELN committed the other 47 percent and accounted for more than 1,600 kidnappings.” (Johnson)Most kidnappings are attributed to insurgent groups: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The principle insurgent groups are well financed, having “combined revenues of about $900 million a year, some $500 million of which is derived from taxes on coca producers and the rest of which comes from kidnapping and extortion.” (Shifter) In 2000, a study, asserting that the Colombian rebels earned $910 million, claimed that “the rebels’ revenues have risen 130 percent within the last four years. Right now the guerrillos earn more than the seven largest Colombian companies combined.” (Leibl) The groups do not commit criminal activities for the sake of violence or solely for financial profit, but their activities aid their political agenda.
Most documented kidnappings by these groups result in attempts to use hostages as leverage in negotiations with the Colombian government. Sometimes the groups demand monetary ransoms, but many kidnappings occur for political motives. In 2002, FARC announced plans to "target the political elite of the country, including politicians and candidates, as a means to pressure the government to resume talks and in hopes of an eventual prisoner exchange in which hostage politicians would be traded for jailed guerrillas." (Tate 43) One report from El Colombiano stated that "during the first quarter of 2000, there were 1,402 reported kidnappings. Of which, 480 were liberated because they paid a ransom, 18 escaped, 63 died while being held hostage, and 622 were still hostages." (July 2000) The guerrilla groups detain hostages as a means to gain an advantage in negotiations and political bartering with the government. One study of kidnappings of select countries in Latin America from 1985-2000 showed that most victims of kidnaps were domestic hostages. (Briggs 29) Foreigners may be kidnapped by FARC or ELN if political aims can be advanced by detaining the foreigners.
The Colombian Government, in conjunction with the United States, has been working towards a resolution with FARC and ELN, along with the demobilization of the paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia AUC, which commits violent crimes for hire. Policies towards dealing with the guerrilla groups has changed over time, sometimes progressing peacefully and at other times more violently. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, the United States has focused its attention on the insurgent groups in Colombia, providing the Colombian government with support to combat the well-armed, well-financed insurgents. For information on US-Colombian response to guerrilla kidnappings, see United States-Colombian Relations Pertaining to Kidnapping