MIL OSI Translation. Region: Spanish / Latin America / UN –
Source: Republic of Colombia
Bogotá (Sep. 28/18). This campaign of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of the International Organization for Migration – IOM, is composed of a series of pilot workshops in 10 cities in Colombia and a pedagogical tool so that governorates and entities throughout the country can replicate the activity.
Leave or return to the right! It is an initiative aimed at Colombians who are thinking of leaving the country and seeks to generate spaces for reflection and awareness about migration dynamics and the risks that irregular migration entails, including trafficking in persons and discriminatory actions that threaten physical and psychological integrity.
This is a playful pedagogical workshops in which participants recreate real-life situations related to the experience of migrating abroad in informed conditions, and the decisions they must take to successfully reach their destination. These decisions, right or wrong, lead participants through different paths in which they must face the consequences of their actions or omissions.
This is the first time that a campaign of this theme has been carried out in Colombia and aims to build a pedagogical tool in which the stages that make up the migratory cycle are evident, the correct way to follow it and the dangers of making wrong decisions.
More than 20 workshops around Colombia
The workshops will be held in 10 cities of the country: Bogotá, Cúcuta, Pasto, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Medellín, Pereira, Armenia, Manizales and Cali.
In each of these capitals two workshops will be held and the Centers of Referencing and Opportunities for the Return of Colombia Une will be in charge of convening the departmental and municipal entities to train them and that they are able to replicate them to more people.
Bogotá, the stage of the first experimental workshop Exit or Return to the right!
On Friday, September 28, in the town of La Candelaria in Bogotá, the first experimental workshop of the Exit or return to the right campaign was held, under the leadership of the Directorate of Immigration, Consular Affairs and Citizen Services of the Foreign Ministry through its Colombia Unites Us program and with the support of the International Organization for Migration -OIM.
During the three hours of the activity, attendees had the opportunity to identify, through role plays, all the variables that intervene in the migration cycle, talked about their vision about migration abroad, shared travel experiences and expectations of future migratory projects and resolved concerns related to the topic.
The interaction space allowed, among other things, to provide valuable information on the risks of irregular migration and the advantages of orderly and regulated migration, through tangible experiences and with a friendly, friendly language that is easy to incorporate into life everyday
The opening of the workshop was led by Ambassador Luz Marina Rivera, Coordinator of the Colombia Nos Une program of the Directorate of Immigration, Consular Affairs and Citizen Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This day was attended by 30 community leaders, as well as officials from the Foreign Ministry, the International Organization of Migration – IOM and the Secretariat of Social Integration of the District.
About 3 million Colombians have left the country in 2018.
According to a report from Migración Colombia, between January 1 and August 31, 2018, 2,840,414 Colombians left the country.
During the same period, 2'618,460 Colombians returned to the country.
The main reasons for departure are: tourism, residence, work, study, events.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is a translation. Please forgive us should the grammar and / or sentence structure not be perfect.
