Columns & Blogs

It is sad that Congress did not massively approve the 16 special circumscriptions of peace. It is sad that the resistance of certain political parties to expanding democracy is so great that today we are making these calculations and arguments. What cruelty towards the victims!

It is true that neoliberalism, like any influential ideology, would not have lasted so long if it did not have a core of truth. The problem is the combination of those truths with dogma and fantasy.

To break the silence of sexual violence it is necessary to "begin by believing" the victims. Also by applying international standards such as the Rome Statute against gender violence, which make it clear that silence or lack of resistance do not imply consent to abuse.

More important than the symbolic message that Congress intended to give by increasing the penalties for sexual violence against children is that truth and justice do in fact exist.

91.1% of Cartagena is rural: according to the SISBEN, approximately 70,000 of those who live in the 551 square kilometers face a situation of vulnerability. There, extreme poverty is four times what it is in urban areas.

The delays in the construction of Development Programs with a Territorial Approach are shortening the time to guarantee spaces for the effective participation of communities and can endanger this citizen exercise if it overlaps with electoral campaigns.

The Ministry of Justice's proposal, a bill that regulates the differential criminal treatment for small coca, marihuana and poppy growers, proposes a permanent reduction of penalties for the cultivation and conservation offenses. This reform is an urgent and necessary step towards drug reform policy.

As climate-induced displacement forces more and more people to move, the international community grapples with the challenge of how to define, categorize, and respond to the phenomenon. While the loss of place is irreplaceable, we can certainly implement a human rights approach to move forward in a way that does justice to the needs of those directly affected.

The ruling of the Constitutional Court on the Special Jurisdiction for Peace has ambiguous effects: it could give a stronger floor to the JEP and peace, but for now everyone seems dissatisfied.

Citizen culture, which is a very important part of what a city is, is an invisible form of capital that cannot be sold on the stock market, but that is worth a lot.

According to the latest Survey on the Nutritional Situation of Colombians, which was released this week, overweight rates in adults and children increased. This revelation opened the debate once again to imposing limits on ultra-processed food advertising and a tax on sugary drinks.

It is time for Latin America to take on the challenge and decide whether commercial speech needs to be protected over children’s health or whether it can be restricted in order to prevent increasing children’s obesity rates. The recent decision by the Colombian Constitutional Court is a good step forward, but it is not enough.