Paralized Quibdó
The title of this op-ed does not come from the latest news about the strike in Chocó. I borrow it from a column published in El Espectador in 1954. The author, a 27 year old journalist with aspirations to become a writer, was sent to Quibdó to cover another protest against the central government. But what Gabriel García Márquez wrote at the time could be published today without changing one single comma.
Read MoreTackling the VAT Problem from a Human Rights Perspective
If we keep ignoring taxes, we will continue to remain outside the most important public policy discussion of our times.
Read MoreJail benefits?
A strong objection to the peace process is that some guerrilla members will not be sent to jail. But we cannot forget that the benefits of jail time are doubtful.
Read MoreParent’s property?
Children are not the property of the government or of the State, said the Inspector General during a confrontation with the Minister of Education. And he is right.
Read MorePaper bullets
Why vote in favor a plebiscite that would allow the FARC to participate in politics? Because the end goal of democracy is to replace violence with elections. As Bobbio said, democracy is the only system in which citizens can get rid of their rulers without spilling blood.
Read MoreUnreformable criminals or teenagers in complex realities?
It is programs in which adolescents are treated as subjects of rights that welcome solutions to the rise of youth violence, not the heavy-handed response of criminal responsibility.
Read MoreWhy vote YES?
I agree with Francisco Gutiérrez’s warning about the excessive confidence displayed by the YES supporters regarding the peace plebiscite.
Read MoreReforesting the Earth: Brazil’s Message to the World
Brazil’s message during the inaguration of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was powerful: we have to reforest the Earth. In the parade, each athlete received a seed that will be sown in the Deodoro olympic park.
Read MorePoor education
We are witnessing the greatest demonstration of national bullying against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans and intersex people that we can recall in recent years.
Read MoreChoosing Hope
In a disturbed world, the peace process in Colombia awakens hope. Throughout recent history, Colombians have been exporters of bad news rather than hope. It seems that, with the peace process, this is changing.
Read MoreStaggering Ignorance
Many of those who oppose any changes to drug policies make such staggering mistakes that it would be funny if it weren’t for their tragic effects. Their ignorance or prejudices perpetuate a policy that is misguided policy and that continues to cause lots of suffering in the world.
Read MoreThe Ecuadorean Miracle?
With Venezuela and Argentina in trouble, many look to Ecuador in search of a inspiring model for the Left. The first impression is encouraging. Upon arriving at Quito’s superb airport you get a sense of the Correa government’s investment in infrastructure that extends into two-lane roads from the door to the Amazon in Puyo.
Read MoreThe Electoral Debate on Drugs
Congressional candidates have broken the taboo. For the first time the debate about drugs and their regulation has taken hold of the campaigns in Colombia.
Read MoreLeaks, Impeachments and Military Justice
The conversations between high ranking military officials revealed by Semana magazine not only shows serious cases of corruption, it also refutes one of the main arguments the government used to expand the jurisdiction of military justice in Colombia.
Read MoreTransitional Justicie and the Peace Process in Colombia
This article studies the measures that society and the Colombian government should implement to democratically overcome the armed conflict. These measures are both numerous and complex.
Read MoreFreedom to Smoke
Smoking is an act of freedom, some say while they light a cigarette. The Marlboro man comes to time, riding through the plains to the rhythm of his smoke circles.
Read MoreIs Spraying Addictive?
Instead of once again spraying illegal crops, the government should rethink this issue and ask itself it has not fallen in to a very harmful addition. Pathological additions generate a growing need to consumer more substances that produce the desired effect less and less, and instead cause greater harm. But because of their dependence, the addict continues to consume at a great cost.
Read MoreSanctions for Teenagers in the Judicial District of Medellin
Dejusticia designed a system to monitor the sanctions imposed on teenagers by the Criminal Responsibility System for Teenagers (SRPA in Spanish). This document describes how it worked and the results of the pilot-test.
Read MoreMonitoring Criminal Sanctions imposed on Teenagers: Formulating a Methodolgy
In this document we describe the watch group monitoring criminal sanctions imposed on teenagers under the Criminal Responsibility System for Teenagers (SRPA in Spanish).
Read More#TheDayWeFightBack
The ease with which we are able scan voices and data generates abuses that affect other equally valid objectives: intimacy, freedom of expression, integrity and life.
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