A Look Into The Potential Roots Of Columbian Violence

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Violence is a prevalent fear in almost any country, no matter what freedoms are granted and how effective the government may be. However, the Central American country of Columbia holds one of the highest violence rates of all. But why is this the case in a country that supposedly supports a Libertarian system, including Freedom of Press and Self-Regulation, and has even implemented monitors to protect such freedoms?
One huge factor seriously affecting the country is the drug traffiking and gang epidemic. Columbia is one of the leading countries among approximately 30 countries and territories, including Spain, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Venezuela, involved in a dangerous system of trafficking illicit firearms and illegal drugs. Just recently, in the summer of 2013, Columbia was busted through “Operation Lionfish” coordinated by INTERPOL’s Regional Bureau for Central America, which resulted in 142 arrests involving the seizure of 15 vessels, eight tonnes of chemical precursors, 42 guns and approximately USD 170,000 in cash, as well as nearly 30 tonnes of cocaine, heroin and marijuana with an estimated value of USD 822 million.

An unequal distribution of wealth in the country also has to promote targeted anger and violent attitudes especially from the poor, who feel like they can have no social trust or faith in succeeding by the way the government’s rule has lead them.

Nonetheless, Columbia does support free press, so with all things considered the building aggrivation held by many Columbian citizens is bound to be expressed through protest, and in turn, stimulate even more violence. Some protests are held against forms of entertainment such bull fighting. Violence is a hard thing to mitigate when your country enjoys much of its recreation from such activities.

These potential roots and high rates of violence between Columbia and the surrounding countries are what make it difficult for complete self-regulation and assured safety for journalism despite the supposed freedoms that they possess. The Columbian government must clamp down and provide an appropriate level of censorship to protect its people, although sometimes it may seem like their protection is not as efficient as it should be.

Here are some interesting links relating to the violent threats Columbians must consider on a day to day basis, which undoubtedly affect the way Media is structured throughout the country:

http://www.expat-chronicles.com/2012/06/bullfighting-bogota-colombia/

http://video.unfpa.org/video/0-48459803001-ending-violence-against-women-in-colombia

http://www.interpol.int/en%C3%AF%C5%8B%E2%80%95/layout/set/print/News-and-media/News-media-releases/2013/PR079

6 thoughts on “A Look Into The Potential Roots Of Columbian Violence

  1. This article was really interesting–I feel like I hear a lot about the negative goings-on like the drug cartels and high crime rates but not about how committed the people are to keeping their rights and freedom to protest. Even though they are granted those rights by their constitution, they are forced to continue to fight for them. I feel like we in more developed countries, who have had those rights (and had them protected for us by our governments) don’t necessarily appreciate them or at least take them for granted. I think the fact that most Colombians realize that there’s something seriously amiss in their country and has a lot of misplaced values and are trying to right that error. I appreciate that they are fighting for something they believe in. I think that it’s really hard to combat big issues like drug cartels and gang violence but I admire their persistence.

  2. I find it very interesting that the entity responsible for the lack of freedom in the Columbian media is not the government, but rather, the drug cartels. It seems unusual to see a country in which the government is not necessarily the most powerful body at work. Most countries aim their efforts at reforming government policy while Columbia is stuck dealing with an issue that it seems the government has been unable to control. Although the government and the lower class seem to be on the same side (against the cartels) they also seem to have disdain for one another, which leads to a broken and non unified movement against the drug lords of Columbia.

  3. I thought an interesting point you brought up in your presentation was the fact that the government approves of freedom of the press and speech, yet journalists are censored by the drug cartels. It’s just odd to me when you hear of a government that isn’t censoring it’s people, but instead the people are censoring themselves. The drug cartels are obviously a huge problem, but I really had no idea that they took part in latin american media as actively as they do. I suppose it makes sense, as they don’t want to be exposed or trash talked.

  4. I’ve certainly heard about violence in Columbia, but this is eye opening. All of the information about weapons and drug trade is not only amazing, but it’s also pretty terrifying. Despite all this, the thing that I found the most interesting is the fact that there is something that can be pointed to as the root of all these issues.

  5. Wow, very nicely written! What we have here, in my opinion, is a bit of a dilemma I am starting to see a lot more frequently in countries of turmoil. The fact that Colombia stems from a somewhat violent background can easily spark up confrontation. Now the fact that it’s media is uncensored, REALLY plays a counter-intuitive role in stopping this violence. With all people, we all have different opinions on different matters, and being able to protest against these matters freely, will definitely offend someone nearby, leading to more violence.

  6. I was not surprised to read the Columbia is such a violent country. From movies and friends experiences living in the country I have had the impression that Columbia is a dangerous country and has been for many years. It is surprising that the country is a Libertarian society and has freedom of the press. Based on movies, such as Blow, and national geographic show “locked up”, the the drug trafficking problems in Columbia seems to be a well known issue. I am still not sure why it has become so difficult for other countries to control and monitor these drug issues.
    I am also not surprised about the facts that violent protests have been occurring during the past few years. The links were very interesting about the violent threats and I learned a lot about the country.

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