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Dangerous Places: Colombia
Posted by Jude Buttle on Monday, October 06, 2008
Wouldn't Be Seen Dead There...
Colombia has had a reputation for more than two decades as one of the most violent and dangerous countries in the world.
According to Rafael Pardo, the former Colombian Defence Minister, there have been more than two-hundred bombings in Colombia since 1985 and the murder of four presidential candidates, hundreds of judges, over a thousand police officers and nearly half a million citizens.
The risk of being kidnapped there is greater than in any other country, according to the U.S. State Department, and the risk of being murdered is eight times greater than in the United States. Bank robberies, highway robberies, assaults and muggings are also commonplace.
Much of the violence is narcotics-related, with the army, police, paramilitaries, and guerrillas, all at some point being accused of being involved. Police were empowered in 2002 to create "zones of rehabilitation and consolidation" and, in conjunction with the US-backed "Plan Colombia," the production levels of cocoa fell by 30 per cent that year.
There's also the deplorable phenomenon of "social cleansing," which involves the murder of street children and beggars by armed gangs, some in Bogotá allegedly funded by businesses.
Colombia has one of the highest capita murders in the world and the frequent armed robberies and kidnapping make wealthy residents and foreigners extremely wary and nervous in certain parts of the country.
Where are the Badlands?
Neighbourhood: Bogotá - set at an altitude of over 2547m (8357 feet).
Hazards: The capital and most populous city in the country, Bogotá was considered one of the most violent cities in Latin America in the mid-90s. In 1993 alone it had 4,352 homicides and a rate of 79 per 100,000 people.
The success at reducing the level of homicides and crime was the result of a participatory and integrated security policy, "Communidad Segura," which was first adopted in 1995 and continues to be enforced. In 2005, Bogotá had a murder rate of 23 persons per 100,000 inhabitants, a 71 per cent drop from the previous decade. In 2007, the city had a lower murder rate than Caracas, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Risk Rating: Extreme Danger, Serious Threat, Caution Advised.
Neighbourhood: Medellín - located in one of the more northern regions of the Andes in South America.
Hazards: During the 1980s and early 90s, Medellín was notorious for international drug trafficking and referred to by the media as Medellín Cartel, as well as having the infamous title "Murder Capital of the World."
The drug baron Pablo Escobar led a feared criminal organization for years in the city until he was killed by security police in a roof-top shoot-out.
Medellín is also notorious for its delinquent elements such as street gangs and its teen-age assassins, known as sicarios that made Medellín one of the most violent cities in the world. In the year 1991, the city recorded 6,349 homicides, a rate eleven times higher than that of Chicago.
In the 21st Century the local government and its citizens, in general, have gone to great lengths to shake off the city's bad reputation and improve the image of the place, with some positive results.
In 2006 the rate of homicides was 33 per 100,000 people, the lowest in over 20 years, and one of the best improvements of any city in the world. Most of the homicides tend to occur in the poorer northern sections of the city and much work is being done to build greater infrastructure, such as public libraries, new schools and strong community programmes.
In fact, by way of comparison, the homicide rate in Medellín is now lower than that of Santiago de Cali by nearly half. Cali recorded 62 per 100,000 people.
Risk Rating: Extreme Danger, Serious Threat, Caution Advised.
Neighbourhood: Santiago de Cali - located in Western Colombia, also known as the Pacific Region.
Hazards: Often referred to as Cali, the city has a population of nearly 2.5 million, making it the third largest city in Colombia.
Cali has gone through some tough times with drug trafficking and corruption rife. A number of the city's recent mayors have wound up in prison due to corruption charges and the level of poverty in the area is on the increase.
Crime is a grave problem in Cali, literally, with homicides per capita one of the highest in the world. In 2006, government figures showed that there were 1,540 murders in the city.
Risk Rating: Extreme Danger, Serious Threat, Caution Advised.
Search for property in Colombia
Photos by flattop341, Mykl Roventine & geishaboy500
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