From assistance to the exercise of new citizenships: challenges of Social Workers professional performance towards the post–conflict victims in Colombia

Abstract

A more than 60 years armed conflict in Colombian has caused deep social, economic and cultural consequences; however, the most affected are the victims, since they have had to flee from communities destroyed by war and to arrive to new settlements where distrust, lack of solidarity and stigmatization prevail. After the peace agreement signature, and its countersignature, arises the integral reparation challenge for the country and for Social Workers professional performance it is important with the purpose of reestablishing victims violated rights; however, this depends on perceiving the victims more as rights subjects and not as simple services receivers. In this context the article reflections on Social Workers role toward the victims and the need to overcome assistance actions and favor citizenship exercise from a rights paradigm, with the purpose of overcoming conditions that reproduce different kinds of violence and jeopardize social development in the post – conflict.