The Bridge Watch Project is pleased to announce the winning article of the Call for Papers for the VII Workshop of the Jean Monnet Network – BRIDGE “Rule of Laws in Latin America and Europe”, which took place on March 27, 2024, at the Federal University of Santa Catarina:

– Author: Yeraldin Vásquez Polanco – Master in Human Rights and International Law of Armed Conflicts from the General Rafael Reyes Prieto War School (Bogotá DC, Colombia). A lawyer from the Universidad del Atlántico graduated with a Meritorious Thesis called “A New Perspective of Colombian Foreign Policy; Respice Caribbean” With more than three years of experience in NGOs and Human Rights issues.

Title of article: – “Reconocimiento de las víctimas de desplazamiento forzado en la Ley 1448 de 2011: procesos de revictimización e invisibilización en la Zona Bananera”.

According to Polanco, based on the Peace Accords, the Colombian government enacted the Victims and Land Restitution Law in 2011 (Law 1448) in an attempt to deal with the devastating consequences of the conflict, ending up excluding a significant portion of victims who lost their land before 1991. In addition, Polanco’s study focuses on the Bananera Zone, a region deeply affected by the exploitation of natural resources, drug trafficking, and paramilitarism, marked by a predominantly Afro-Colombian population, the region requires a differentiated approach to deal with the specific challenges faced by this marginalized community.

The Jean Monnet BRIDGE Watch Scientific Merit Award is given to researchers whose work stands out for its academic excellence and significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge in European and Latin American studies.

Additionally, as a way to promote the awarded work, it will be published in the Thematic Dossier of the 7th Edition of the Latin American Journal of European Studies, where you can find a variety of equally relevant articles that substantiate the debate about the intersection between Latin America and Europe, providing a platform for the dissemination of ideas and academic debates.