Colombia’s government program known as the Victim Reparation Fund (VPF), Tuesday announced that $5.7 million will be distributed to victims of paramilitary groups. The compensation is for 8,287 victims of the paramilitary groups of Central Bolivar, Mineros and Libertadores del Sur. The victims include individuals who have been forcibly displaced and victims of sexual violence.

For victims to be eligible for the compensation a victim “must obtain a certification from a competent authority stating the reason the applicant believes she or he is a victim of terrorist violence.” Victims are described as individuals who suffered from “a terrorist act, guerrilla attack, combat, or massacre.” Victims or the victim’s dependents can apply to be claimants’ of the compensation. All applications will be screened by the Red de Solidaridad Social (RSS), meaning Social Solidarity Network, the Colombian body that oversees the VPF and its applications.

Colombia continues to suffer from political and social instability as a result of unofficial groups and guerrilla activists, even after the demobilization of the paramilitary group United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), which operated between 1997 to 2006. For example, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombian: People’s Army (FARC-EP) have allegedly been involved in human rights violations despite signing a peace treaty in 2016. Under the leadership of Hernán Giraldo, a leader of one of the Colombian paramilitary group, over 200 girls and women were subject to sexual violence.

The VPF will provide the reparations between December 29 2022 and January 27 2023.