Colombia’s Urban Poor

Colombia’s Urban Poor

Overview, Demographics, Electoral Implications and Future

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Colombia• Population (2011): 46.04 million.• Cities: Capital--Bogota (pop. 8.26

million; 2011). Other major cities include Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, and Cartagena.

• Ethnic groups: Mestizo (58%), white (20%), mulatto (14%), Afro-Colombian (10-25%)GDP (current prices; IMF): $285.5 billion.

• Annual growth rate: 4%-6% (2011 projected); 5.1% (first quarter 2011).Per capita GDP (purchasing power parity; IMF 2010 est.): $9,566.

• Source: US State Department

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History of Violence• 1960’s: Period of intense

violence• Left-wing rebellions: FARC, ELN,

EPL and M-19• Many of these groups draw

support from the urban and rural poor

• Los Campesinos• This period also saw the rise of

Medellin as the drug capital of the world. Pablo Escobar and his cartel drew recruits from the poor as well.

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History of Slums in Colombia• Colombia’s large urban and rural poor

populations led to the growth of many large slums in Medellin and Bogota.

• Slums, or shantytowns, are informal housing areas, usually at the periphery of urban centers. They typically have little to no public services or infrastructure.

• Many slum residents came to live there as the internally displaced from drug and paramilitary wars.“

• In 1999, more than 288,000 Colombians fled their homes as a result of the fighting, bringing the total to more than 1.7 million since 1985. “ - Colombia Journal

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Size of Shanty Towns • About 80 percent of

Colombia’s displaced population live in urban areas and form shanty towns

• One shanty town outside Medellin had about 12,500 people living in it but there are also ones that are much larger

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Demographics of Shanty Towns • Mostly comprised of Afro-

Colombians, Indigenous peoples, and peasant farmers (campesinos)

• These peoples are displaced due to land inequalities and thus are the vast majorities in a shanty town in Colombia

• Have lower life expectancy and higher illiteracy rates

• Women are more representative in shanty towns

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More on Demographics • One of the main reasons why we

see Afro-Colombians, Indigenous peoples, and campesinos as the vast majority in shanty towns is that these people have been displaced from their rural areas

• .4 percent of land owners own 60 percent of the land in Colombia, thus most of these displaced peoples can’t even afford to go back to their rural lands and farms if they wanted to

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Urban Poor: Electoral Influence

• Jorge Gaitán Ayala (1948)– La Violencia

• Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1953 – 1957)

• Belisario Betancur (1982 – 1986)

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Recent Electoral Influence

• Pastrana (1998 – 2002)– Failed negotiations

• Uribe (2002 – 2010)– Law and order

• Santos (2010 - Present) – Social Party of National

Unity– 69% of 2010 vote– Former defense minister– Continuation of Uribe

policies

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Solutions/ Future Implications

Humanitarian aid:

• UNHCR

• ICRC

• World Food Program

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• Property restitution for IDP’s

– Victim’s Law

– Restitutes 2 million hectares of land to IDP’s

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• Pros/ Cons of Victim’s Law

• Steps government must take

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References

"Internal Displacement Monitoring Center." Colombia: Property restitution in sight but integration still distant. Norwegian Refugee

Council, 05 Sep 2011. Web. 19 Sep 2011. <http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004BE3B1/%28httpInfoFiles

%29/BD3251F80AB23B61C12579020047223A/$file/Colombia-Overview-Sept2011.pdf>.

"UNHCR." Colombia UNHCR’s Protection and Assistance Programme for IDPs and Refugees. N.p., Mar 2004. Web. 19 Sep 2011.

<http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendocPDFViewer.html?docid=4061b4614&query=Colombia>.

"World Food Programme." Colombia: WFP Activities. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sep 2011.

<http://www.wfp.org/countries/Colombia/Overview>.

"International Committee of the Red Cross." The ICRC in Colombia. International Committee of the Res Cross, 15 May 2011. Web.

19 Sep 2011. <http://www.icrc.org/eng/where-we-work/americas/colombia/overview-colombia.htm>.

http://www.unhcr.org/4b4b41f59.html

http://www.abcolombia.org.uk/mainpage.asp?mainid=21

Discussion Question

• Do you think the Victim’s Law is a practical solution to deal the population of Colombia’s shantytowns? Can you think of any improvements to the law?

• As an elected politician, what do you see as a better solution to the massive urban poor population: welfare assistance or law and order? Which is more electorally viable?

• What role do you think civil war plays in the growth of slums?

Documents

Colombia’s Urban Poor