WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS IN COLOMBIA? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Human rights in Colombia, a multiparty constitutional republic, have been marked by political violence, the absence of legal proceedings or corruption, among other aspects, despite the fact that the constitution of this country includes regulations on these rights.

In the words of Noam Chomsky, a US philosopher and activist, Colombia is the record holder for human rights violations in the Western Hemisphere.

Human rights within the Constitution of Colombia

In Chapter I of the Constitution of Colombia, articles concerning the rights, guarantees and duties of citizens are presented.

Articles 11 and 13 stand out in this section, which establish that:

• The right to life is inviolable.
• All individuals are free and equal before the law from birth.

Other relevant aspects of this second section are:

• Right to privacy.
• Prohibition of slavery.
• Freedom of religion, expression and education.
• Free association in relation to workers.
• Right to participate in political life.

For its part, Chapter II of the Constitution presents articles concerning economic, cultural and social rights. In this section they stand out:

• The family, being the basis of society, must be protected by the State.
• Men and women have access to the same opportunities.
• Children's rights, such as life, physical integrity, health, name and identity, take precedence over the rights of others.
• Education is free and compulsory from 5 to 15 years old.
• All citizens have the right to social security.
• Workers have the right to stop work.

State of Human Rights in Colombia

Colombia's Human Rights reports analyze the state of the Colombian nation in terms of human rights.

The results of the reports made in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 are presented below, which divide the situation of rights into the following sections:

• Respect for the integrity of the person.
• Respect for civil rights.
• Freedom to participate in political processes.
• Corruption and lack of transparency in the government.
• Government attitude towards international and non - governmental investigations of human rights violations.
• Discrimination.
• Workers' rights.

Section 1: Respect for the integrity of the person

The first section takes into account various aspects, highlighting: illegal or arbitrary deprivation of life, forced disappearances * of individuals, torture and other inhuman punishments.

- Legal or arbitrary deprivation of life

Political and illegal killings continued to be a problem for 2015. From January to June, there were three cases of aggravated homicides by government agents.

In this same period, ten members of the security forces were arrested for aggravated homicide or homicide of a civilian.

A positive aspect in terms of legal or arbitrary deprivation of life was the considerable decrease in cases of civilians killed by military forces and reported as “killed in combat”.

- Forced disappearances of individuals

Enforced disappearances for political reasons still represented a problem for the nation. From January to July 2015, 3,400 disappearances were registered, of which 59 were classified as forced.

- Torture and other inhuman punishments

Despite the law prohibiting these practices, there were reports of mistreatment and torture of detainees by police, military personnel, and prison guards. From January to June 2015, 28 incidents of torture were recorded.

Section 2. Respect for Civil Rights

In terms of civil rights, such as freedom of expression, internet access, education, the reports show more positive results. In general, the Colombian government respects and promotes these rights.

In fact, to guarantee the education of citizens, it is compulsory until the age of 15 and free in state institutions.

Section 3. Freedom to participate in political processes

According to the Constitution of Colombia, citizens have the right and duty to choose their rulers, participating in elections, a right that is respected in Colombia.

Section 4. Corruption and lack of transparency in government

Colombia's constitution provides punishments for officials found guilty of corruption.

Despite this, there are cases of corrupt officials who are not prosecuted; in fact, corruption, especially that related to drug trafficking, is a serious problem in the State.

Section 5. Government's attitude towards international and non-governmental investigations of human rights violations

In Colombia there are various organizations that investigate the state of human rights within the nation.

In general, the Colombian government cooperates with these groups and is willing to listen to their advice.

Section 6. Discrimination

In 2011, the anti-discrimination law was created, which prohibits racial, social, gender, language, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and political orientation discrimination, among other aspects.

With regard to women, despite the fact that they are equal to men before the law, there are still cases of discrimination.

Similarly, the law prohibits rape; unfortunately, there are still cases of rape.

In June 2015, the Colombian Congress created a law against femicide (the murder of a woman because she is a woman); According to this law, the sentence for femicide is 21 to 50 years (a period greater than the sentence for murder, 13 years), without the possibility of suspension or reduction of the sentence.

On the other hand, with reference to the Jewish community in Colombia, which has approximately 5,000 members, cases of anti-Semitism were reported, such as negative comments on social media and a case of vandalism to the menorah statue in Bogotá.

In reference to children, from January to June 2015, 3,451 cases of child sexual abuse were registered.

Section 7. Workers' rights

According to the laws in Colombia, workers have the right to organize in unions and carry out legal stoppages. This law excludes members of cooperatives and members of the armed forces.

On the other hand, the law prohibits taking into account gender, sexual orientation, color or nationality when hiring an individual, as well as discrimination within the work area.

References

1. Text of the Constitution of Colombia (1991). Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from confinder.richmond.edu.
2. Frame, Mariko. Human Rights in Colombia Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from du.edu.
3. Colombia 2013, Human Rights Report (2013). Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from state.gov.
4. Colombia 2014, Human Rights Report (2014). Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from state.gov.
5. Colombia 2015, Human Rights Report (2015). Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from state.gov.
6. Byrsk, Allison (2008). Communicative Action and Human Rights in Colombia. When words fail. Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from scielo.org.
7. 7) Human rights in Colombia in 10 numbers (2016) Retrieved on March 16, 2017, from amnesty.org.