Marginality and Repression in Colombia: the case of “Social Cleansing” Delphine Minotti - Vu˜ Ngo.c April 30, 2002

In Colombia, since the late 1970’s, several hundreds of marginalized people (delinquents, street children, prostitutes) are murdered every year by mysterious “death squads”, wishing to “clean” society. This particular form of violence, called “social cleansing”, is the subject of our study. One may wonder how a country can end up with such practices and in which way “social cleansing” can represent for some people an answer to social issues such as poverty or criminality. Moreover, questions also arise from the systematic impunity of these acts. The first part of our study is concerned with the phenomena itself along with its victims; the second one deals with the perpetrators (police, military, paramilitary, guerilla and civilians), while the third one studies the responsibilities of the Colombian State. This work shows that “social cleansing” exists due to the fact that the country is being overtaken by extremely numerous problems whereas the State provides no answer to them and does not fulfill its duties. The society is partly abandoned to itself, and marginalized populations become the first victims. Therefore, citizens are left on their own, which can lead them to extreme actions. A minority of people has organised, providing an alleged “solution” to some social issues, and perpetrates “social cleansing”. One has to say that the generalization of violence has given rise to a level of acceptance that encourages such practices. The State does not protect potential victims, nor does it punish the perpetrators. Its deficiencies and the troubles of the judicial system lead to impunity. “Social cleansing” thus stresses the bad functioning of the Colombian society and particularly of the State.

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