Family policies in Colombia: A focus on policies for vulnerable families

Abstract

Family policy in Colombia has primarily targeted families living under vulnerable conditions. Such policy initiatives are part of the government strategies to fight two social issues that affect a large percentage of the population: poverty and forced displacement. In this chapter, we analyze the social and historical context that framed the current conceptualization of family and family laws and policies in Colombia. Next, we describe two existing programs for families living in poverty and forced displacement and discuss the current challenges for family policy development, implementation, and evaluation that emerged from an analysis of these policies. The chapter concludes with a discussion on specific recommendations to overcome existing challenges and foster the development of explicit family policies in Colombia.