The Summit of the Americas is about to
happen and the press of the continent has been covering its agenda: economy,
cooperation and fight against drugs trafficking. A Colombian journal also
proposes a revision of the relations between Latin America and the United
States. A proposal that seems to be good for both parts given the fact that the
US give big amounts of money to these countries for their drug war, and also it
is the country that annually certifies all Latin-American nations in Human
Rights.
A
review of these issues would make sense for both parts because the financial
assistance that the US gives to Latin-American countries with a very clear purpose
– fight against drugs trafficking or guerillas – in some places has taken
twisted and macabre paths that end up in crimes and profound suffering of
innocent people. In the case of the Summit’s host country, for example, the
financial assistance in hands of some criminal minds was made into an
unbelievable equation: financial
assistance to anti drugs or anti guerrilla programs + need to comply with
predetermined statistics = young boys recruited on the promise of a job, killed
cold blood to make them appear as guerrileros or narcos, or innocent people put
into prison to enlarge the numbers of a successful anti-drugs operation, an
atrocious crime that the Media called “Fake Positives”.
Recently,
some member of the Armed Forces involved in these crimes have been judged and
condemned, but the society of the continent, both south and north, still owe to
themselves a thorough analysis and straight condemnation of the philosophy
hidden under this phenomenon, its motivations, its twisted equation and painful
consequences.
It
would also be interesting for all parts to review Human Rights certifications,
for its violation is a silent shadow in all Latin-American countries, too often
ignored by its societies and media. Sometimes they fall in inexplicable
contradictions. In the host
country again, for example, people were astonished when they found that the owners
of some Health institutions were making huge personal invests with people’s
money while denying them the medical services they had right to. The scandal
took the institutions off the hands of their corrupt owners. However, some time
passed and the institution got back to their hands and the lawyer that lead the
discussion that ended up in the restitution was named National General Attorney.
Human
Rights in a continent that has suffered for the lack of them, is perceived as
boring, second in importance, interesting only for a few people that work for
them. They are labeled as “guerileros”, “communists” and often chased. But what
would be interesting for all Latin-Americans to review is that chased journalists,
judges killed or tabbed, health denied and all kind of violations ignored,
unmade the field where progressive societies may be build. Big economic issues, cooperation,
growth, good for all, desirable, valid efforts, would become an empty peel
without the people itself, without the right to live, to free expression, to
privacy and intimacy, to health, without the right to defend themselves, to be
well treated, the right to think, to choose, to disagree, to produce, to
create. The right to Life in all the meanings that the words imply in a just
society. The Summit is always an opportunity to join forces, to work ahead, to
build communities where fairness for all leads the way and the positive change
that is already taking place embraces all the Americas with their variety of
peoples, ideas and drive. A place where Human Rights exist for all. /Sylvia
Davila Morales.
