"Forced displacement of persons has taken, and is taking place in Colombia in a way which is almost imperceptible to the rest of the population. That is why this process has been described as a silent, surreptitious one. Nevertheless, providing assistance to the hundreds of thousands of displaced Colombians requires that society becomes aware of the humanitarian tragedy facing the country. There is no other way to commit all Colombians to the fight against the devastating effects of forced displacement on people".

Constitutional Court Ruling 1150, August 30, 2000.