Download - CISAS | Centro de Información y Servicios de Asesoría ...

INFORME ALTERNATIVO SOBRE LA SALUD EN AMERICA LATINAEl estudio de la violencia colombiana ha implicadouna confrontación permanente entre los "estructuralistas"y los "coyunturalistas". Esta confrontación hatenido un impacto significativo en las políticas y las estrategiasdel país frente a la violencia. El abordaje sociomédicoprocura estudiar las formas en las cuales interactúanlos elementos estructurales con los coyunturalesy enfatiza la necesidad de una estrategia de soluciónque integre ambas dimensiones, evitando las exclusionesque aunque inicialmente parecen simplificarel trabajo, generalmente son ineficaces a largo plazo.The theory-fact-discourse approach. As anothermethodological contribution to the study ofColombian political and institutional violence from thesocial-medical perspective, I have implemented anapproach that integrates three elements: the theoreticalinsight of different schools of thought, the factualdata that arises from different sources, and the verbalor written testimony of the individuals and victimsinvolved. Although often attempted, approaches thatisolate each of these three elements are insufficientfor a useful analysis of complex problems.An integratedapproach is far more demanding but offers a morethorough view of a situation. It overcomes, at least inpart, the problems associated with an overly theoreticalor an overly subjective and emotional view and thelimitated descriptions offered by mass media.Main findings from the study of Colombia’scurrent homicide violenceThree aspects of Colombia’s current situation ofviolence are particularly outstanding: its generalization,its growing complexity and its progressive degradation.The generalization of Colombian violence refersto its expansion in time and space, as well as in thenumber and type of social settings it permeates.Whilethe problem expands, its complexity increases continuously;the agents of violence are increasingly diverse,often switch from one group to the other and themanifestations and implications of their acts of violenceare highly variable and rapidly evolve. The progressivedegradation of political violence in Colombiarefers to the disregard of any ethical or humanitarianprinciples, including those internationally acceptedunder situations of war. This degradation also coversthe methods and mechanisms of action, which includemassacres – understood as collective murders ofunarmed individuals, kidnappings – sometimes alsocollective and indiscriminate, and the destruction ofentire towns.A number of facts and figures help illustrate thesituation. Figure 1 presents the corresponding homiciderates in Colombia between 1975 and 2001. Aslow increase is evident between the late 1970’s andthe mid-1980’s. From then on, an accelerated rate ofincrease is seen, with the highest levels recorded in theearly 1990’s.A slight decrease is then seen, with a secondreactivation starting in 1998.As shown, in the pastfew years the annual homicide rate in Colombia hasoscillated around 60 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2000,the world’s average homicide rate was 8.8 per 100,000inhabitants, about seven times less than Colombia’srate. Presently, the country’s rate is the highest of anycountry in the world.By far, the greatest impact of homicide violencein Colombia is on the male population. In 2001, malesaccounted for 92.5% of homicide victims. However,two worrisome facts should be noted. First, the percentageof women victims of homicide has been risingover the past 20 years. Second, despite a 1:12 ratiowhen compared with males, the actual number ofwomen victims of homicide is extremely high. In 2001,the National Institute of Legal Medicine and ForensicSciences (INMLCF) registered 1972 homicides infemales, so during that year an average of five femaleswere murdered in Colombia every day.50