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crime, serious obstacle to democracy in Latin America: OAS report

Alonso Urrutia


newspaper La Jornada


Wednesday October 13, 2010, p. 17

Crime organized has become a serious obstacle to ensuring the democratic advances in Latin America, because without social pacts to strengthen the rule of law, insecurity is one of the major factors that stop the development of the region, said the second report on the subject in the subcontinent presented by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

"In contexts where there are high rates of homicide, and armed groups of guerrillas or drug traffickers, police and armed forces increasingly tend to assume leading roles that can lead to improper gain spaces of autonomy against democratic and civil authorities, "says the document.

Within the chapter on the policy priorities needed to consolidate democracy in the region, largely breaks down the phenomenon of insecurity. Latin America is one of the largest producers of marijuana and cocaine, which is an impact on the economy by crossing the billions of dollars from illegal activities.

A democracy is not capable of ensuring the full exercise of social and economic rights ends up creating conditions that favor the generation and reproduction of violence, which weakens it. Breaking this circle requires overcoming complex tone, the debate on insecurity in the region, which has begun to turn around to face the problem with using the heavy hand quite often with frank impatience, if not with contempt to respect individual guarantees. The results of the tough on crime problems are not flattering.

International agencies warn that the increasing insecurity and fear deteriorating public support and allow democratic institutions to surface long-established expressions of authoritarianism in the political culture of the region. Besides this, other political impact of criminal activity is the weakening of states and their ability to enforce the law, so there are now significant tracts of territory controlled by gangs, where statehood deficits are extreme.

For example, the report notes that 27 percent of intentional homicide occurring in the world are recorded in Latin America, which represents only 8.7 percent of population global. Although the report makes few explicit references to national problems in the Mexican case includes official reports where nearly half of all homicides in the country occurred in 2008 were linked to drug trafficking.

Al elaborate on the causes of violence, the document refers, in the case of Central America, violence erupted because young people lack access to health services and education, while policies directed only to punish criminal gangs have proved ineffective. This shows that the phenomenon than just a vision that aims to resolve the problem by way repressive aspects and evidence that should link the necessary social integration.

In this sense, the paper highlights the experiences of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Medellin, Colombia, who have managed to bring down levels of violence policies that go beyond police brutality and more likely to reinforce the systematic policy of public safety.

The use of coercive methods to combat drug trafficking can only be a part of the answer to the phenomenon, but must be supplemented with public health activities, prevention of drug use, and must be accorded a political dimension that involves increased capabilities of the state in this fight.