Great controversy has caused the implementation of the Jóvenes en Paz program, with which the national government, headed by the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, will give 500,000 pesos a month to young people in vulnerable conditions. Said measure would be with the objective that those people stay away from criminal groups and dedicate themselves to undertaking their studies.
The project was launched in the midst of the tense public order situation in Buenaventura, where hundreds of young people belong to criminal structures that have sown fear among the inhabitants of the port city, a situation that required the presence of President Petro. From there, the president announced the program.
“That program is going to be complemented by what we call young people in peace; there will be thousands of young people who we are going to pay for not killing, for not participating in violence and for studying. We are going to give them help to enter the Seine, which here has a commitment that has to be fulfilled, and to enter the university,” said President Gustavo Petro in controversial statements.
Former presidential candidate Sergio Fajardo reacted to the measure by launching strong criticisms of the implementation of the project, which he called “absurd.” In addition, the former mayor of Medellín lashed out at President Petro for the way he announced the program in the middle of his visit to Buenaventura.
Sergio Fajardo criticized the “Youth in Peace” project, promoted by the national government
“The president’s phrase: ‘We are going to pay them not to kill’ is unfortunate and unfair. Unfair to many young people in our country who live in conditions of inequality and poverty and have never had the opportunity to develop their skills, but who have never considered crime as an alternative either,” Sergio Fajardo said in a video he shared through their social networks.
Fajardo indicated that there are young people who have never been associated with crime, as well as thousands of minors who have not been given the necessary conditions to improve their living conditions. Despite this, he pointed out that giving them money periodically is not an appropriate solution, proposing accompaniment as one of his hypothetical measures.
“Without a doubt, in Colombia we have many, thousands of young people in vulnerable conditions. They have multiple deficiencies in their personal condition. We have to accompany them, this has to be done with multidisciplinary teams, well prepared to understand it, that work at the same time with their families. Many of these people live in marginal areas, where the State has never been present and life is of a quality that no one in our country deserves”, indicated Sergio Fajardo.
Similarly, the former mayor of Medellín pointed out that the project could constitute a failure in the midst of confrontations between the public forces and criminal groups that operate in different regions of the country. Likewise, he asked the national government to carry out different interventions that are more comprehensive.
“Of course we want our young people studying, but if we don’t understand the dimension of the problems they are facing, if they don’t intervene comprehensively, there won’t be a solution to the problem. Dissatisfaction will perpetuate, people’s conditions will worsen and we will be a failure. Different, deep, expensive interventions are required, but it is our obligation”, expressed Sergio Fajardo.
The Youth in Peace program will be led by the Ministry of Equality and Equity, which is headed by Vice President Francia Márquez. To this end, President Petro stated that a sub-directorate for Youth was created in said ministry in order for the “excluded youth” to have a voice and vote. with Infobae