Corruption Resolved?

By -
A few days ago, Colombian Daddy and I were talking about growth and prosperity in Colombia. Out of no where, CD says, "You no what is holding Colombia back?" "What?" I responded. "the incredible amount of corruption that permeates the government."

Fast Forward.

This past week, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos announced MAJOR REFORMS to the government. These reforms have as their purpose, "Creating a more efficient, transparent State." IE Consolidate and eliminate waste -- change name, change image.

He eliminated the Colombian DAS (think the FBI of Colombia). But, it has been replaced with a new title Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia (DNI) which will be in charge of intelligence and counter intelligence exclusively as immigration will now fall to the Unidad Migracion Colombia (UMC) which is part of cancilleria and is administered by the Executive branch.

There are a legion of changes, but perhaps the one that would be most interesting to adoptive parents is the change in ICBF. ICBF has been its own ministerial position. ICBF is in charge of more than just adoptions, they have responsibility for the health and welfare of all Colombian citizens. They have feeding and care programs for children in families. They are responsible to investigate, prosecute abuse and abandonment of children ensuring that their legal rights are restored. They have programs for seniors. They have parenting classes and nutrition programs.

One of the changes proposed by Santos is the dissolution of the Ministerial position of ICBF, rather, ICBF will now be under a new umbrella with several other former positions. The new department will be the Administrative Department of Social Prosperity and Inclusion. ICBF, as well as the Council for prosperity, Housing, and the Victims Unit will now all be a part of this new National Agency. The director of the agency is Bruce McMaster.

As a result of these changes, the Director of ICBF, Elvira Forero, resigned. She will be replaced with Diego Molano.

FYI, the director of ICBF has as subdirectorate in charge of the issues related to adoption. This is called the Office of Protection. In that Office are three subdirectorates: subdirector of protection (think Family Advocates), subdirector of legal prosecution, and subdirector of adoptions. Because of the layers of adiministration that are above the adoptions unit, and the requirements of the current laws in Colombia, it is likely that no changes in adoptions will occur. What remains to be seen is whether or not the new ICBF director will institute any changes, either way any changes will be far down the road in the future.

Comments

The Path Less Traveled said…
thank you for your information!
stephanie
November 7, 2011 at 3:02 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muisca Indigenous Names, from Hunza (Tunja)

By -
In response to this week’s posts on names, I have received several e-mails asking about the names of famous Colombians and their stories and about Indigenous names. I plan to spend the next three days sharing some of them. Also, I will continue to post more in the future and you will be able to find them all by clicking on the NAMES link the LABELS section to the right of the blog. Name: AQUIMÍN ( pronounced: ah key MEAN) or AQUIMINZAQUE (pronounced: ah key mean ZAH kay) When the Spanish arrived on the plains of Bogotá, 1536, they found a great nation. In fact, it was the third largest group of indigenous inhabitants in America. They called themselves the Muiscas , which meant ‘the people’. Their language was called Chibcha . The Muiscas were not a united group, but rather a collection of city states. The majority of the power was held by two main cities – what today are called Bogotá and Tunja (in Boyacá). These two cities were mortal enemies and each enlisted the loy
Read more

Popular Colombian Names

By -
Recently, I was asked to write a post on Colombian names, and popular Colombian names. I had a hard time finding a list, but eventually I did find one. According to I.N.E. - Instituto Nacional de Estadística, -- unfortunately, when I found this it doesn't say the year -- the most common Colombian boys names across all ages are: 1 JUAN CARLOS 2 CARLOS ALBERTO 3 ALEXANDER 4 ANDRES FELIPE 5 LUIS FERNANDO 6 DIEGO FERNANDO 7 JHON JAIRO 8 CARLOS ANDRES 9 ALEJANDRO 10 JUAN DAVID The girls are: 1 SANDRA MILENA 2 LUZ MARINA 3 CAROLINA 4 PAULA ANDREA 5 CLAUDIA PATRICIA 6 MARIA EUGENIA 7 PAOLA ANDREA 8 DANIELA 9 LILIANA 10 MARTHA CECILIA Just as here, names go through ebb and flow. Fourteen years ago when we were married, I attended several baby baptisms and met numerous friends of my husband. At the time, it seemed like everyone was naming their kid Juan CAMILO (boy) or Maria CAMILA (girl). I met dozens of them. Then, about 7 years later, I heard tons of SANTIAGO, JULIAN, SEBASTIAN and FE
Read more

La Madremonte

By -
Image
The myth of the Madremonte (Mother Mountain), and I do say myth though many campesinos in Colombia believe in her today, has it's roots in the indigenous cultures of Colombia and is known throughout much of Colombia including Antioquia, Caldas, Arauca, Caqueta, Amazonas, Guainia, and perhaps more departments. The Madremonte looks like a large woman. She has large, bony hands, large teeth and Betty Davis Eyes -- which on closer examination glow. Her body is covered in leaves and moss. Her hair is a tangled mess of plants and moss which often covers her face. She lives in the mountains and jungles, (in Antioquia and Caldas she lives in swamps where streams are born. People who claim to have seen her, usually report to have done so near thickets and bushes in jungle like areas. Others report having heard her bloodcurdling screams and groans on stormy nights. She rules the winds, the rains, and all the vegetation, and her role is to protect nature. She punishes those who invad
Read more