Kidnappings in Columbia

Tourism in the beautiful South American Country of Columbia is overshadowed by the dark looming threat of terrorism.  Several guerilla paramilitary organizations, such as the FARC, ELN, and M-19, exist in the country and have been fighting against the government for decades.  One way that these groups finance their activities is by kidnapping tourists and government officials and holding them for ransom.  Drug cartels in the country are known to do use the same tactic, and common criminals have also started committing kidnappings as a way to get money.  The amount of kidnappings rose steadily from the 1970’s to 2000.  In the year 2000, authorities estimate that the amount of kidnapped people was over 3500.  Since then that number has declined significantly, but not disappeared.

Another tactic being used that is much harder to protect against is called express kidnappings, or millionaire tours.  In this type of kidnapping, the terrorist group demands a small ransom that can be paid easily and quickly.  Many of these crimes go on without ever being reported to the police.  Also, ATM abductions are common in larger cities, where a victim is kidnapped and lead to an ATM and forced to withdraw money from their account.

These criminal and terrorist organizations fund their operations by kidnapping tourists.  However, the bigger picture impact they have on the country is by the stigma they have created.  Tourists are scared to visit Columbia, which is perhaps one reason why the number of kidnappings has decreased by so much.  This lack of tourism has a negative economic effect on the country.  I encourage those reading this and those who are considering visiting Columbia to visit http://www.insightcrime.org/ right now and raise their awareness on this issue.