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The 115,792 Colombians waiting to be noticed by Ivan Duque
How could prisons in Colombia guarantee the basic rights of prisoners without even having the capacity to receive them? The criminal policy in the South American country has tended almost only to deprive of liberty those who break the law or commit crimes. Since the 1990s, due to the fight against drugs and drug trafficking, the number of criminals in Colombian prisons began to increase.However, the physical space did not, which also prevented conditions from improving. Is it fair?
Newspapers and newscasts almost on a daily basis give Colombians stories about brawls in the prisons themselves, threats and even homicides. It has been so constant that society has already normalized it, and even, despite being one of the most critical issues to deal with in the country, in the previous presidential elections that took place in May of this year, nobody asked about it. Or maybe the 115,792 prisoners along the country did, but no one listened to them. The prisons were only named in relation to the peace process, as part of the request for punishment that the Colombians requested for the demobilized guerrillas. Again, is it fair?
In case you answered "yes" to that question, it is best for you to ask yourself again. If you are thinking that "the one who does it, pays for it," and every thief, guerrilla, paramilitary or murderer must pay for what he did living in an overcrowded penitentiary center without the basic conditions of survival and respect for human dignity, let me explain what the jails really should be for, at least according to the United Nations. On 2005, the UN adopted the ‘Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners’, which specifies in their first article that all prisoners must receive a respectful treatment given their inherent dignity and their value as human beings.
It also proclaims that prisoners shall have access to health services, have remunerated employment to facilitate their reintegration into society, take part in cultural activities and received education in order to strongly develop their personality. In 2005, the United Nations kindly welcomed us into the 21stCentury where prisons aren’t just a reclusion center anymore. Prisons have the clear responsibility to rehabilitate their prisoners and prepare them to participate as active citizens in society again.
So, dear President, Ivan Duque, let me ask you something: within the framework of rehabilitation, the prisoners in Colombia have been able to adapt to social dynamics again? We all know that the answer will be "mostly not," and that is where the work begins. Colombia is going through a definitive moment in its history: the demobilization of the oldest guerrilla in the continent. It must bring positive changes to the region and the country, it must reduce the crime rate, it must generate changes in government policies. Mr. President, today your priority should not be the FARC, for you it will not be as easy to blame a single enemy as it was for your predecessors.
Today the challenges go beyond, and they are mainly social. What will you do to prevent children and teenagers from joining criminal groups or gangs? What will you do so that women are not victims of sexual harassment or rape? What will you do so that those who committed a crime do not commit another? Do not limit yourself to the obvious, with speeches you will not change the world.
You may have omitted this issue in the campaign, but if you really want to generate a change in your country, please do not forget the 115,792 prisoners in Colombia. Address the problem by seeking to generate solutions for the new challenges your country faces. Do you need people working in tourism? Create professional workshops in some prisons of your country, train Colombians willing to be employed in the post-conflict. Keep in mind that with these courses you are giving employment to those who want to teach in prisons, and you are also preparing people for a near future of social reintegration.
We hope that the slogan "The Future Belongs to Everyone" includes those who today are deprived of their freedom and some other rights. They all are waiting to be noticed by you. Criminals or not, they are still Colombians.