Community members supporting each other in a climb toward peace and resilience.

Finding Strength Together: Psychosocial Support for Victims of Political Violence

Mira Elwood in Mind & Education August 2025 • 5 min read.

"Understanding and implementing effective strategies to support those affected by political violence, focusing on community and individual resilience."

The recognition of victims of political violence, their suffering, and their fundamental rights gained prominence in the mid-20th century, initially in Western Europe following the aftermath of World War II. This awareness gradually extended to Latin America in the 1970s, particularly in countries within the Southern Cone, such as Chile. Psychologists and psychiatrists, often under the protection of the Catholic Church, began vital work with victims, identifying their needs through testimonies collected by lawyers documenting state-committed crimes.

In Colombia, despite the nation's long history of armed conflict, acknowledgment of the profound issues faced by victims started to emerge only in the late 1980s. This recognition followed a significant escalation of political violence between 1986 and 1993—a period marked by massacres, assassinations of presidential candidates and union leaders, and widespread forced displacement. This period underscored the urgent need for a structured response to support affected populations.

This escalating crisis prompted responses from religious organizations and dedicated professionals who initiated programs aimed at raising awareness and providing support. Groups such as the Comisión Intercongregacional de Justicia y Paz, Corporación AVRE, Programa por la Paz, Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular (CINEP), the Jesuit Refugee Service, and Fundación Dos Mundos launched deliberate initiatives. Their programs aimed to address the mental health needs of victims from a human rights perspective, laying the groundwork for what would evolve into comprehensive psychosocial support strategies.

The Evolution of Psychosocial Accompaniment

Community members supporting each other in a climb toward peace and resilience.

Initially, the focus was primarily on mental health, but it soon broadened to encompass psychosocial attention, an approach significantly boosted by the United Nations following a mission to Colombia led by Francis Deng. However, the increasing complexity of the Colombian conflict over the past eight years presented substantial challenges in providing effective support, given ongoing victimization and political persecution aimed directly at undermining support efforts.

This complexity prompted a critical reassessment of existing strategies aimed at assisting affected individuals and communities. This reassessment included integrating international standards and norms from organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). As the situation grew more intricate, the focus shifted towards psychosocial accompaniment, emphasizing a more holistic and community-based approach.

Active Participation: Recognizing and supporting the agency of displaced people and communities in their own recovery.
Resource Maximization: Focusing on and enhancing the existing strengths and resources within these communities to foster sustainable recovery.
Social Fabric Restoration: Contributing to rebuilding community trust and social connections, which are crucial for long-term stability and healing.
Political Commitment: Acknowledging the necessity of a committed stance against human rights violations, ensuring that support is aligned with the victims' pursuit of justice.
Self-Care and Reflection: Providing support and encouraging self-care practices for psychologists and support staff to prevent burnout and maintain effectiveness.

Psychosocial accompaniment is designed not only to mitigate the immediate pain and distress but also to empower individuals to regain control over their lives. It emphasizes the importance of re-establishing the wounded social fabric by fostering trust and solidarity within affected communities. This involves cultivating strong relationships, starting with the accompanier and extending throughout the community, while remaining responsive to the ongoing challenges of the armed conflict.

Building Cultures of Peace

Ultimately, psychosocial accompaniment aims to foster an environment where violence is rejected, and peace is actively constructed. This involves nurturing an ethic of solidarity, rebuilding confidence shattered by psychological warfare, and enabling victims to articulate their pain and work through their trauma. By promoting nonviolence and encouraging dialogue, psychosocial accompaniment helps transform conflict and empower individuals and communities to build a more just and peaceful society. Creating spaces for dialogue and teaching methods of creative conflict resolution empowers people to understand their rights, rebuild personal and family lives.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1002/9780470672532.wbepp225, Alternate LINK

Title: Psychosocial Accompaniment Of Victims Of Political Violence

Journal: The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Authors: Stella Sacipa Rodríguez, Claudia Tovar Guerra

Published: 2011-11-13

Everything You Need To Know

What role does psychosocial accompaniment play in supporting individuals affected by political violence?

Psychosocial accompaniment plays a vital role in assisting victims of political violence by focusing on rebuilding community trust and social connections, which are crucial for long-term stability and healing. It extends beyond immediate mental health support to include active participation from the affected individuals, maximizing existing community resources, committing to upholding human rights, and ensuring self-care for support staff. Psychosocial accompaniment aims to empower individuals to regain control over their lives and promote nonviolence, dialogue, and a more just society.

How did the approach to assisting victims of political violence evolve in Colombia, and what organizations were involved?

The initial responses to assist victims of political violence in Colombia were primarily focused on mental health. However, with the support of the United Nations, this approach broadened to include psychosocial attention. Organizations such as Comisión Intercongregacional de Justicia y Paz, Corporación AVRE, and Fundación Dos Mundos played crucial roles in addressing the mental health needs of victims from a human rights perspective. Psychosocial accompaniment represents a more holistic, community-based strategy that evolved to meet the complex challenges of the conflict.

What are the key principles that guide psychosocial accompaniment, and how do they contribute to the recovery process?

Key principles of psychosocial accompaniment include active participation, resource maximization, social fabric restoration, political commitment, and self-care and reflection. Active participation recognizes the agency of displaced individuals and communities in their recovery, while resource maximization focuses on enhancing existing community strengths. Social fabric restoration contributes to rebuilding community trust, and political commitment involves a firm stance against human rights violations. Self-care and reflection are essential for psychologists and support staff to prevent burnout and maintain their effectiveness.

How does psychosocial accompaniment contribute to building cultures of peace and transforming conflict?

Building cultures of peace involves fostering an environment where violence is rejected and peace is actively constructed through psychosocial accompaniment. This entails nurturing an ethic of solidarity, rebuilding confidence shattered by psychological warfare, and enabling victims to articulate their pain and work through their trauma. By promoting nonviolence and encouraging dialogue, psychosocial accompaniment helps transform conflict and empower individuals and communities to build a more just and peaceful society. It addresses not only the symptoms but also the root causes of conflict.

When and where did the recognition of victims of political violence gain prominence, and how did this lead to the development of psychosocial support strategies?

The recognition of victims of political violence gained prominence after World War II, initially in Western Europe and later in Latin America, particularly in countries like Chile. In Colombia, acknowledgment of these issues emerged in the late 1980s following a period of escalating political violence. This period underscored the urgent need for structured support, leading to the development of psychosocial support strategies. The acknowledgment and support efforts aim to address both the immediate needs and the long-term well-being of those affected by violence.