“The Criminal Actors Have a Social Base in Their Communities”: Gangs and Service Provision in Medellín, Colombia

Abstract

In the last ten years, Medellín, Colombia has undergone significant socioeconomic improvements and a reduction in homicides. By drawing from qualitative data collected in Medellín, this article shows how, despite these improvements, residents in the marginalized neighborhoods maintain a perception that the state is unable or unwilling to provide them with services, such as employment and order or social control. Criminal gangs in these neighborhoods appear to rely on, and even exploit, the weakness of the state, as they are able to get citizens to perceive them as more reliable and legitimate than the state. This article argues that it is important for Latin American policymakers to promote citizen engagement in the design and implementation of policies to reduce current levels of violence.

Informality, violence, and disaster risks: Coproducing inclusive early warning and response systems in urban informal settlements in Honduras

“…Territorial gangs, including in informal settlements in Tegucigalpa, are invested in making their communities safer and more livable for themselves and their families as well as to build their own authority, but territorial gangs also paradoxically thrive on vulnerability. Organizations working even indirectly with gangs may confer upon these predatory entities an element of legitimacy, strengthen their authority, and allow them to claim some delivery on a social contract with the community (Doyle, 2021). This may engender and reinforce vulnerability and, especially in contexts of informality, undermine the perception of the need to extend formal city services to all settlements.…”

Gobernanzas criminales

“…En el caso de Colombia, la presencia de poderosos grupos armados ilegales durante décadas, sumada al importante papel que ha jugado el narcotráfico en la vida económica, social, política y cultural de este país, convierte al país en un terreno fértil para el florecimiento de contextos de gobernanzas criminales. Así, diferentes trabajos exploran el papel de bandas criminales colombianas como determinantes en la cotidianidad de procesos sociales, al margen o en connivencia con las autoridades locales (Doyle, 2021;Mantilla, 2021;Sáenz et al, 2020).…”

“…ISSN 1900-6586 (impreso), 2500-7645 (en línea) La distinción entre guerra, crimen organizado y violación de los derechos humanos es borrosa en contextos en que estos fenómenos concurren, razón por la cual el concepto de violencia toma muchas formas (Ferreira & Richmond, 2021;Kalyvas, 2006). Por ejemplo, para el caso de Colombia (Abello-Colak & Guarneros-Meza, 2014;Doyle, 2021;Fernández-Osorio & Lizarazo-Ospina, 2022) y para el caso de Brasil (Ferreira & Gonçalves, 2022;Funari, 2022;Arias, 2006), el crimen organizado funciona a través de pequeños ejércitos de comerciantes ilícitos y criminales de guerra que se alimentan de la corrupción política y gubernamental y de la violación de derechos humanos para lograr objetivos criminales.…”

“…En Colombia, el crimen organizado y el conflicto armado se encuentran estrechamente relacionados (Fernández-Osorio & Lizarazo-Ospina, 2022), pues las guerrillas y los paramilitares sobrevivieron durante la lucha armada con el desarrollo de actividades criminales como el narcotráfico, el secuestro y la extorsión, especialmente en territorios cooptados por el crimen organizado y de poca presencia estatal (Ferreira & Richmond, 2021). Otro asunto a resaltar es que las intervenciones militares con apoyo de grupos paramilitares en ciudades como Medellín, aunque lograron derrotar milicias urbanas y mejorar los índices de homicidios, lo hicieron a costa de un alto grado de violación de derechos humanos (Abello-Colak & Guarneros-Meza, 2014;Doyle, 2021).…”

Agency in Contexts of Violence and Crime: Coping Strategies of Women Community Leaders vis-à-vis Criminal Groups in Medellín, Colombia

“…These are some questions this article aims to explore, showing the ambiguity of these interactions in three low-income neighborhoods in Medellín, Colombia. The ambiguity that characterizes these interactions is, on the one hand, part of residents' daily routines and coping strategies in contexts of violence and crime (Auyero 2012;Doyle 2021;Moser and McIlwaine 2014). On the other hand, it also forms part of criminal groups' authority over populations and neighborhoods as they provide protection and security, among others (Arias 2006;Schuberth 2016;Venkatesh 1997).…”