Safeguarding international schools in Colombia: country guide

In Colombia, the Ministry of National Education sets national policy. Local education offices, called Secretarías de Educación, license and inspect private schools. Every school must hold an operating licence from its local office.

Many international schools also hold CIS, NEASC, MSA or COBIS approval, or teach the IB or a British course. Every school must still keep a school handbook, called a Manual de Convivencia. It must also run a school climate committee under Colombian law.

Foreign approval never replaces local duties. Inspectors expect your policy to name the exact Colombian bodies and steps, next to global standards.

The base is Law 1098 of 2006, the Code of Childhood and Adolescence. It covers everyone under 18. It says the family, society and the State share the duty to protect children.

Articles 42 to 45 set duties for schools. Schools must protect pupils from harm, abuse, shaming, unfair treatment and sexual violence. They must also prevent bullying.

Next to it sits Law 1620 of 2013 and Decree 1965 of 2013. They set up a national system for school climate. Every school must run a school climate committee and sort incidents into three types.

• Type I: minor conflicts between pupils.
• Type II: repeated aggression or bullying that is not a crime.
• Type III: acts that look like a crime.

Yes. Under Articles 40 and 44 of Law 1098, school heads, teachers and staff must report any case where a pupil's rights are at risk. That includes physical, emotional or sexual abuse and neglect.

A Type III case is any suspected crime against a pupil. The school cannot handle it alone. The Rector or DSL must start the official response route at once and report to outside bodies.

Child welfare cases go to the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) or the local Comisaría de Familia. Crimes go to the Fiscalía or the Childhood and Adolescence Police. See our comparison of mandatory reporting laws for international schools.

If a pupil is in danger now, call 123 at once. Get urgent medical care if you suspect sexual violence or injury. Then tell your DSL and the Rector, so the school can file its reports the same day.

Post these numbers in Spanish and English across the school.

• 141: ICBF Línea 141, the free 24-hour child protection line in Spanish.
• 123: the national emergency number for police and ambulance.
• 122: the Fiscalía line for reporting crimes, including sexual crimes against children.
• Your local Comisaría de Familia: the town office that orders urgent protection in family violence cases.
• Your DSL and Rector: tell them the same day, so the Type III steps are logged.

Colombia has a vetting rule just for schools and other child-facing employers. Under Law 1918 of 2018 and Decree 753 of 2019, schools must check the register of people banned for sexual crimes against children.

The check runs on the National Police portal. It uses the candidate's ID number and the school's tax ID. Schools must check every person before hiring, then repeat it every four months for staff who work with pupils.

Skipping these checks can bring heavy ICBF fines. For staff who lived abroad, add police checks from every past country. See safer recruitment for international schools.

Law 1581 of 2012 and Decree 1377 of 2013 cover personal data in Colombia. The Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) enforces them. Article 7 gives special protection to children's data.

Schools usually need parents' consent to store pupil data. But Article 10 says consent is not needed when a public body asks for data as part of its legal role. The same applies to court orders and medical emergencies.

So privacy rules never block a report to ICBF, a Comisaría de Familia or the Fiscalía. If your software stores data outside Colombia, check Article 26 on data sent abroad with a local lawyer.

Many international schools in Colombia use a policy based on KCSIE or ITFCP standards. Those put the DSL at the centre. Law 1620 puts the Rector and the school climate committee in legal charge.

To avoid two separate tracks, give the DSL a seat on the committee. Match your safeguarding levels to Type I, II and III in your handbook. Train support staff, bus monitors, guards and cleaners in Spanish; see translation versus localisation in safeguarding training.

Work through these steps in your first month. This guide is general information, not legal advice, so ask a Colombian lawyer to review your handbook and report forms.

• Match your safeguarding policy to Type I, II and III cases in the handbook.
• Join the school climate committee and learn how the Rector files reports.
• Post 141, 123, 122 and your local Comisaría de Familia address in staff rooms.
• Check with HR that the police register check runs before hiring and every four months.
• Give Spanish safeguarding training to office, transport, security and site staff.
• Ask a lawyer to check your privacy notice and cloud storage under Law 1581.