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USAID Information:
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Colombia Backs Law Program
FrontLines - December-January 2009-10
By Eric Beinhart
PEREIRA, Colombia—Can
citizens improve their quality of
life and personal security by promoting
individual responsibility
for respecting the law?
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Students march in Pereira’s Harvest Festival Parade to proclaim their support for lawfulness and government transparency.
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That’s a question that the
Culture of Lawfulness project set
out to address. Under a culture of
lawfulness, a majority of people
recognize and act in accordance
with the law. What makes this
project different is that it engages
four pillars of society: schools;
media; police; and leaders from
religious, civic, and community
organizations.
Pereira is a relatively prosperous
mid-size city with a good
education system. Nonetheless,
it suffers from significant violent
crime and drug trafficking.
Through the project, carried out
by the USAID-supported
National Strategies Information
Center, governmental and community
leaders gain the skills to
foster a widespread change in
attitudes towards the rule of law.
“Culture of Lawfulness gives
Pereirans an opportunity to
experience a positive change
through the respect of the law,”
said Pereira Mayor Israel
Londońo. “For this reason, we
are working to transform current
citizen behavior into habits that
promote a healthy coexistence.”
Educational activities are taking
place throughout the city to
explain the importance of respecting
the law, and the role everyone
has in its promotion. People from
all walks of life are being encouraged
to reject crime and corruption
and promote lawfulness
through their daily activities.
A ninth grade Culture of
Lawfulness curriculum, for
example, has been introduced in
56 of Pereira’s 64 middle schools.
Traffic educators have discussed
with 1,000 motorcyclists and
pedestrians the benefits of wearing
helmets and respecting speed
limits. Traffic agents conducted a survey of 1,500 people who signed a commitment to respect the rules of the road. Monthly “Take Back the Park” festivals reclaim local parks from petty criminals, drug dealers, and prostitutes.
In June 2009, Pereira hosted a Culture of Lawfulness Week, which included more than 25 activities addressing fatalism, and promoting both police and citizen participation in preventing crime. Activities included outdoor festivals and a contest for the “Most Legal and Safe Neighborhood.”
“By way of this program, one enjoys a closer proximity with the community,” said Police Sub-lieutenant Salamanca Moyano Arturo. “It improves my work as a police officer since it is founded on the leadership and commitment that the police should have with the community.”
Some of those involved in promoting the project in Pereira noted a change in their attitudes toward the rule of law.
“With respect to myself as a teacher of the program, it has allowed me to reflect and reevaluate my mindset towards certain acts that seemed very ‘normal,’ but at the heart of the matter were illegal,” said Nora Nidia Salazar. “For example, my perspective towards buying pirated CDs, books, and photocopied material without respecting the author’s rights have changed, making me a citizen with greater respect for the laws of my country.”
For more information
on the Culture of Lawfulness Project, contact Jean Garland
at ggarland@usaid.gov or
Anu Rajaraman at
arajaraman@usaid.gov.
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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