The Girl

She was a girl that needed help. The military destroyed her, and the justice system failed her. That case is an example of how everything goes wrong in Colombia.

History repeats itself: abuse of power by members of the military forces. Soldiers that train under challenging conditions that are away from their families, that face combats and live in fear of one day not making it back. Soldiers that should make us proud of having them around taking care of us, and then, some twisted ones use their guns and uniforms to commit heinous crimes. It seems that no matter what, the ghost from the past crawls in and corrupts our army.

That girl could've been easily ignored because of how indigenous communities are neglected in Colombia. But she wasn't, not that it helped. Three days before she was attacked, the Colombian congress approved life sentence for child rapists and killers, but since the new rule hasn't been regulated this punishment won't be possible for the seven individuals involved in the crime. Once again, due to the technicalities of the justice system, the criminals won't face maximum consequences.

Because they are members of the military, there will be benefits, like not being retained in jail. But it doesn't matter in the end. It won't matter the sentence or how much time they will be convicted. The problem is that no girl should ever fear to leaver her house, walk to the market and then stumble into someone who will take away her essence.

The systematic abuse against children and how easy it is to slide through technicalities in Colombia is shameful. A girl from a small village, from a neglected community. A brave victim taht told her family and is facing an institution like the military with odds against her.

This girl was just not a girl, she carries a legacy of Colombia's ancestral knowledge, and now she will also carry the worst of Colombia's crimes and injustices.