Rule of Law: Success Stories
Colombia: Alternative Dispute Resolution
In Popayan, a mid-sized Colombian provincial capital, nine-year-old Jorge Eduardo visited the Prosecutor's Office in the city's USAID-supported Justice and Peace House because he had heard that people could go there to resolve their problems. His problem, he said, was that his mother had to work a great distance from home as a maid in order to support her family. She didn't make enough money, he told us, and the family was short of food and clothing, among other necessities. His father was long separated from his family and provided no support, either financial or emotional. Jorge Eduardo asked the Prosecutor at the Justice and Peace House for help. He said that his mother was afraid to come to the House and in any case did not want to make a legal claim against his dad.
The Prosecutor called Jorge Eduardo's mother. After conversing with him, she agreed that Jorge Eduardo's father should be summoned to the House for a meeting. The father attended the appointment, recognized Jorge Eduardo as his son, and listened carefully as the Prosecutor explained to him Jorge's legal rights, as well as his own obligations as a parent. The parents then agreed to a monthly child support amount, which averted having to send the case to court. In the several months since this successful mediation, Jorge Eduardo's father visits his son regularly and makes monthly child-support payments directly to his mother. He is now part of his son's daily life, accompanying him to important church and school events.
Similar experiences take place every day throughout the 21 USAID-supported Justice Houses established throughout Colombia. In fact, in the over seven years that the program has been in existence, more than 1.4 million cases have been attended to.
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