In the wake of tragedy, the United States is the first in line to assist the victims. Well, let me rephrase that. In the wake of tragedy caused by a natural disaster the United States is the first in line to assist the victims.
The question is, why have we been ignoring them up until this point? Why does it always take an obvious tragic event to shine a spotlight on a country in need of help? In December 2004, we witnessed this in Sri Lanka; in August 2007, we once again witnessed this in Lima, Peru; and now, we are witnessing this in Haiti.
Why is it that the U.S. is only involved when a tragic event occurs that the whole world knows about, yet it ignores many countries in need of a helping hand on a regular basis?
Today, Colombia is a nation that is in dire need of help. Colombia is the home of an estimated 46 million residents and has become a playground for guerrilla soldiers. In May 2006, independent presidential candidate Alvaro Uribe was re-elected into office, becoming the first president to be re-elected in Colombia in more than a century. A country that is supposed to be managed by one person, the president, is controlled by a guerrilla group that has caused terror and panic throughout the country, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, referred to as the FARC.
Ironically, President Uribe’s electoral platform centered on the elimination of the FARC for crimes committed against the citizens of Colombia. Colombia’s government genuinely seems to care about the survival and success of the country and its citizens. But the problems the country is facing are too extreme for its government to conquer alone. The harshness imposed on the citizens of Colombia by the FARC as well as the human rights abuses are too much for the Colombian government to defeat solo.
One of the greatest crimes committed by the FARC is murder. Amnesty International reported that more than 50 members of a community in the region of Nariño have been murdered by the FARC since September 2008.
It has also been reported that child labor is a severe problem within Colombia. The FARC have been accused of recruiting child labor to serve as guerrilla soldiers, according to reports released by Freedom House. It is estimated that more than 14,000 minors are combatants for the FARC, and female child-soldiers are allegedly subjected to child sexual abuse.
The latest crime that has been committed by the FARC is the assassination of Caquetá Governor Luis Francisco Cuellar. It was Dec. 22, 2009 when the FARC kidnapped Gov. Cuellar, and later assassinated him. President Uribe’s father was also victim of such crime when he was kidnapped in 1982 by the FARC and later murdered.
Colombia is not the only nation that is in urgent need of a helping hand. Unfortunately, there are many other countries waiting for that spotlight. But why do we, the United States, the most powerful nation in the world, wait for a tragic event, such as a natural disaster, to occur in order to help a country? How much more tragedy do we need these world citizens to experience before we step in with a superhero attitude?
I guess it takes an earthquake in order for us to help; after all, even Hollywood unites to help earthquake victims.