An Open Letter from Juan Constain

PICTURED: JUAN CONSTAIN, INCLUSIVE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY + PARTNERSHIPS CONSULTANT, COLOMBIA

Dear DUSP Community,

As some of you might’ve seen, Colombia is going through a very difficult moment. Since the last week of April, the country has been in a constant state of emergency. Civic and student movements, labor unions, and youth-led organizations have led a series of protests against government policies that included a tax reform that deepens inequality and burdens the vanishing middle class and low-income workers in Colombia as well as SMEs with the hefty bill due to the pandemic and a healthcare reform that is seeking to implement a model similar to that of the US healthcare system. 

The protests - the majority of which have been peaceful - have been met by state-sponsored violence from anti-riot squads, police, and military. Human rights organizations such as Temblores ONG report that 47 people have been killed so far, 37 of them by police violence. There have been 963 arbitrary arrests and detentions, 12 cases of sexual abuse by police or armed forces, and around 500 cases of missing people. More than 1,800 cases of violent responses have been documented as well. Humanitarian missions from the UN and the local Ombudsman have been shot at by police and anti-riot squads. Violent confrontations with protesters and agitators have left hundreds of police officers and military injured. As to the politics of all of this, right-wing and far-left leadership continue to capitalize on the chaos and violence, deepening the divide and polarization a year away from elections. 

Due to road blockages across the country, food and basic supplies are starting to become scarce, including medical supplies that are critical in a moment where Colombia has the third-highest daily death rate due to COVID in the world. Despite efforts to allow “humanitarian corridors” that allow vital supplies to reach cities, the situation has not improved. 

The events of the past weeks are symptoms of larger and deeper issues. What began as legitimate and peaceful protests have now become an untenable situation of daily violence that has not been met with constructive dialogue and peacebuilding efforts from the government. There is a total lack of empathetic leadership.

What we are experiencing now is the result of decades of policies that have increased inequality and failed to address systemic racism and promoted division across class, gender, and race, which aggravates with decades of violence and the failure in implementing the peace accord signed in 2016. We are seeing an increase in paramilitary action across the country as well, as many civilians, fueled by the rhetoric of right-wing politicians from the President’s party, are starting to shoot and kill protestors. 

The international community has been very active in pushing for human rights defense, documenting abuse, and pressuring the national government to engage in constructive and honest dialogue with all of those involved in the strike and the protests. This has not happened yet. 

In the midst of this painful moment, MIT CoLab continues to work with civic movements, leaders, grassroots organizations, and institutions in Buenaventura and Quibdó to support their work and build stronger and more democratic local and regional economies. As an immediate response to the widespread shortage of basic goods and services, CoLab is supporting small and community-owned rural agriculture to bring their produce to satisfy local demand through mercados populares. If anyone is interested in supporting this work please reach out to CoLab’s Inclusive Regional Development program Director Natalia Mosquera at nmosquer@mit.edu.

Please consider supporting local organizations documenting police abuse and violence such as Temblores ONG

Regards,

Juan Constain, MCP ‘18